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US 2017/0363010 A1Published application
Air turbine starter with decoupler
AssigneeGE Aviation Systems LLC
InventorsEliel Fresco Rodriguez, David Allan Dranschak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and decoupler for disengaging an output shaft from an engine in a back drive event with a backdrive decoupler. The backdrive decoupler includes a threaded shaft and a retention mechanism selectively coupling the output shaft to the threaded shaft. In a backdrive event, the decoupler decouples the output shaft from a drive shaft.
Claims20
An air turbine starter for starting an engine, comprising:
- a housing defining an inlet, an outlet, and a flow path extending between the inlet and the outlet for communicating a flow of gas therethrough;
- a turbine member journaled within the housing and disposed within the flow path for rotatably extracting mechanical power from the flow of gas;
- a gear train drivingly coupled with the turbine member;
- a clutch having a drive shaft that is operably coupled with the gear train;
- an output shaft with a threaded portion configured to be operably coupled to and rotate with the engine;
- and
- a backdrive decoupler, comprising:
- a threaded shaft having a first end and a second end operably coupled to the output shaft and where the threaded shaft is selectively receivable and axially moveable with respect to the threaded portion of the drive shaft;
- and
- a retention mechanism selectively operably coupling the output member to the first end of the threaded shaft;
- and
- wherein when driving torque is transmitted from the drive shaft of the clutch to the output shaft the retention mechanism is not loaded, when overrunning torque is transmitted below a certain level the output member, retention mechanism, and threaded shaft are loaded and when the overrunning torque reaches a certain level the retention mechanism uncouples the drive shaft and the first end of the threaded shaft to define a decoupled and separated position where the output member is disengaged from the engine.
9 more elements
A decoupler assembly for decoupling an output shaft having a threaded portion during backdrive, comprising:
- a threaded shaft having a first end with a stop and a second end configured to be operably coupled to an output shaft of an engine and where the threaded shaft is selectively receivable and axially moveable with respect to the threaded portion of the output shaft;
- and
- a retention mechanism selectively operably coupling the output shaft to the first end of the threaded shaft;
- wherein when driving torque is transmitted to the output shaft the retention mechanism is not loaded, when overrunning torque is transmitted below a certain level the output shaft, retention mechanism, and threaded shaft are loaded and when the overrunning torque reaches a certain level the retention mechanism uncouples the output shaft and the first end of the threaded shaft and the output shaft moves in a direction away from the first end of the threaded shaft.
1 more element
A method for operating a starter motor, comprising:
- extracting mechanical power from a flow of gas utilizing a turbine and driving a gear train and clutch having a threaded output shaft therewith;
- transmitting a driving torque from a drive shaft through a threaded shaft, which is retained within a threaded output shaft by a retention mechanism, to the threaded output shaft, which is operably coupled to an engine;
- and
- during back driving, ceasing retention by the retention mechanism when overrunning torque reaches a certain level such that the threaded output shaft decouples from the engine.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.