Landing gear actuator

Abstract

A pneumatic landing gear actuator is provided for use with an extendible and retractable landing gear assembly having an input member the rotation of which extends or retracts the landing gear foot in dependence upon the direction of rotation. The landing gear actuator includes a shaft which is drivingly connected to at least one, and preferably two, rotatable input members on two spaced landing gear assemblies. A pair of one-way clutches, each having a drive and driven member, are disposed coaxially around the shaft while a shifting gear selectively drivingly connects the driven member of one clutch or the other to the shaft. A pneumatic air cylinder can be connected to the air system of the tractor to simultaneously reciprocally rotatably drive both clutch drive members via a radial arm. Such compressed air systems are utilized for the air brakes in tractor-trailer combinations so it is readily available on most tractors for use with the present invention. The one-way clutches differ from each other in that one clutch engages only during clockwise rotation of the drive member relative to its driven member while the other clutch engages only during counterclockwise rotation of the drive member relative to its driven member. Thus, the direction of rotation of the shaft resulting from reciprocal rotation of the clutch drive members is dependent upon which of the two clutches is drivingly connected to the shaft.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.