Landing gear control system
AssigneeMason Electric Co.
InventorsByron Betts, John Ronquillo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A landing gear control lever system including a lever assembly, a locking assembly, and a switch assembly is disclosed herein. The locking assembly is connected to the lever assembly. The locking assembly has a rotary actuator and a Scotch yoke member operably connected to a portion of the rotary actuator such that rotation of the rotary actuator causes linear movement of the Scotch yoke member. The locking assembly can further include a locking arm operably coupled to the Scotch yoke member and moveable between locked and unlocked positions upon rotation of the rotary actuator.
Claims19
A landing gear control system for use in an aircraft, comprising:
- a lever assembly including
- a control lever pivotable between a first position and a second position about a pivot point;
- a locking element coupled to the control lever;
- a switch assembly operably connected to the lever assembly, wherein the switch assembly is configured to control movement of landing gear of the aircraft;
- a locking assembly operably connected to the lever assembly, the locking assembly including
- a rotary actuator;
- a Scotch yoke member operably connected to a portion of the rotary actuator such that rotation of the rotary actuator causes linear movement of the Scotch yoke member;
- a locking arm operably coupled to the Scotch yoke member and moveable between locked and unlocked positions upon rotation of the rotary actuator, wherein
- the locking arm in the locked position engages the locking element of the lever assembly when the control lever is in the first position and prevents the control lever from moving to the second position, and
- the locking arm in the unlocked position allows the control lever to move away from the first position.
A landing gear control system coupleable to landing gear of a vehicle, comprising:
- a landing gear control lever;
- a locking assembly coupled to the landing gear control lever, the locking assembly comprising:
- a rotary actuator;
- a Scotch yoke member operably connected to a portion of the rotary actuator such that rotation of the rotary actuator causes linear movement of the Scotch yoke member;
- a locking arm operably coupled to the Scotch yoke member and moveable between locked and unlocked positions upon rotation of the rotary actuator, wherein
- the locking arm in the locked position engages the locking element of the lever assembly when the control lever is in the first position and prevents the control lever from moving to the second position, and
- the locking arm in the unlocked position allows the control lever to move away from the first position.
A landing gear control system for use in an aircraft, comprising:
- a chassis configured to be positioned within a cockpit of the aircraft, the chassis having an external portion and an internal portion;
- a lever assembly including
- a control lever extending through a portion of the chassis and pivotable between a first control position and a second control position about a control lever pivot point attached to the internal portion of the chassis;
- a locking element coupled to the control lever;
- a switch assembly coupled to the chassis and operably connected to the lever assembly, the switch assembly having a connector extending through a portion of the chassis and configured to control movement of landing gear of the aircraft;
- a locking assembly operably coupled to the chassis and operably connected to the lever assembly, the locking assembly including
- a rotary actuator;
- a Scotch yoke member operably connected to a portion of the rotary actuator such that rotation of the rotary actuator causes linear movement of the Scotch yoke member;
- a locking arm pivotable between a first locking position and a second locking position about a locking arm pivot point attached to the internal portion of the chassis, wherein the locking arm is operably coupled to the Scotch yoke member and moveable between locked and unlocked positions upon rotation of the rotary actuator, and wherein
- the locking arm in the locked position engages the locking element of the lever assembly when the control lever is in the first position and prevents the control lever from moving to the second position, and
- the locking arm in the unlocked position allows the control lever to move away from the first position.
A method of manufacturing a landing gear control system, the method comprising:
- pivotally attaching a lever assembly to a chassis the lever assembly having a control lever pivotable between a first position and a second position about a pivot point, and a locking element coupled to the control lever;
- connecting the lever assembly to the chassis and coupling the lever assembly to a switch assembly, the switch assembly being configured to control movement of landing gear of an aircraft;
- and
- connecting a locking assembly to the chassis, the locking assembly including:
- a rotary actuator;
- a Scotch yoke member operably connected to a portion of the rotary actuator such that rotation of the rotary actuator causes linear movement of the Scotch yoke member;
- a locking arm operably coupled to the Scotch yoke member and moveable between locked and unlocked positions upon rotation of the rotary actuator, wherein
- the locking arm in the locked position engages the locking element of the lever assembly when the control lever is in the first position and prevents the control lever from moving to the second position, and
- the locking arm in the unlocked position allows the control lever to move away from the first position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.