US 4,244,541 AGranted

Dual cam control mechanism for coordinated deployment and retraction of an air-craft's leading and trailing edge wing flaps

AssigneeThe Boeing Company

InventorRupert I. Dorn

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Abstract

In the disclosed mechanism a primary position control cam has first and second camming surfaces for cooperating with separate followers that in turn act through a hydraulic subsystem to position the leading and trailing edge wing flaps in response to a single, pilot operated control lever. A secondary cam also having first and second camming surfaces correspondingly shaped to those of the primary cam, is slaved to the actual, hydraulically effected movement of the trailing edge flaps. Cooperating with the first surface of the secondary cam is a feedback follower for providing a mechanical feedback signal that assists the primary cam and the associated hydraulics in positioning the trailing edge flaps. An override follower cooperates with the second camming surface on the secondary cam and mechanically overrides the ability of the primary cam's second surface follower to position the leading edge flaps under certain conditions, so as to ensure a predetermined, aerodynamically critical sequencing of the hydraulically effected movements of the leading and trailing edge flaps as they seek the positions commanded by the single, pilot operated lever.

Claims13

Dependent claims

In an apparatus for controlling the leading edge flaps and trailing edge flaps of an aircraft in response to a single, pilot operated control, that has a primary control cam means which cooperates with leading and trailing edge flap follower means for effecting, in response to selective movement of said primary cam means by said pilot operated control, the extension and retraction of the leading and trailing edge flaps, respectively, through leading and trailing edge actuation means, and that further has a secondary cam means which is slaved to the trailing edge flaps for correlative movement therewith and a feedback follower means cooperating with said secondary cam means for providing a mechanical feedback signal which coacts with said trailing edge follower means to cause the trailing edge actuation means to effect the movement of said trailing edge flaps to a position selected by said pilot operated control and said primary cam means, wherein the improvement in said apparatus ensures a predetermined retraction sequence of the leading and trailing edge flaps and comprises:

additional camming surface means formed on said secondary cam means;
and
override follower means cooperating with said additional camming surface means on said secondary cam means for overriding the reaction of said leading edge actuation means to said leading edge follower means and said primary cam means when said leading edge follower means attempts to cause the leading edge flaps to retract before the trailing edge flaps have retracted, in response to said trailing edge follower means, to at least a predetermined state of retraction.

An apparatus for controlling, in a predetermined sequence, both the leading edge and trailing edge flaps in response to a single, pilot operated control, comprising:

a primary leading and trailing edge flap control cam means mounted for selective movement in response to said pilot operated control;
a leading edge follower means cooperating with said primary cam means;
leading edge actuation means responsive to said leading edge follower means for causing the extension and retraction of the trailing edge flaps in reaction to movement of said primary cam means;
a trailing edge follower means cooperating with said primary cam means;
trailing edge actuation means responsive to said trailing edge follower means for causing the extension and retraction of the trailing edge flaps in reaction to said movement of said primary cam means;
a secondary cam means operatively connected to the trailing edge flaps for correlative movement of said secondary cam means in reaction to the instantaneous positioning of said trailing edge flaps;
and
an override follower means cooperating with said secondary cam means for overriding the response of said leading edge actuation means to said leading edge follower means and said primary cam means when said leading edge follower means and primary cam means attempt to cause the leading edge flaps to retract before the trailing edge flaps have retracted, in response to said trailing edge actuation means, to at least a predetermined state of retraction.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.