High lift system control assembly

A control assembly for deployment of aircraft wing flaps, comprising an input cam mechanism, a feedback cam mechanism and a summing lever means operatively interconnecting said cam mechanisms for mechanically summing independent inputs therefrom to yield a mechanical output signal for actuating flap deployment means, wherein said input cam mechanism is comprised of a cam rotationally operable in response to a command input signal and a cam follower in mating engagement therewith for deflecting movement with rotation thereof to provide a first input signal to said summing lever characteristic of a predetermined flap configuration, and said feedback cam mechanism is comprised of a cam rotationally operable in response to movement of said flaps and a cam follower in mating engagement therewith for deflecting movement with movement of said flaps to provide a second input signal to said summing lever characteristic of the existing flap configuration;

• wherein said summing lever provides said mechanical output signal as a sum of said input signals when said commanded flap configuration differs from said existing flap configuration;
• and further wherein each of said cams includes a cam contour comprised of a plurality of discrete active cam segments, each corresponding to one of a plurality of flap configurations, and each of said cam members is disposed for rotational displacement to present the respective cam follower in the cam segment corresponding to the commanded configuration, said summing lever being initially pivoted upon rotational displacement of said input cam member and associated deflection of said input cam follower at a pivot about said feedback cam follower to develop said mechanical output signal and being subsequently pivoted upon rotational displacement of said feedback cam member and associated deflection of said feedback cam follower at a pivot about said input cam follower to null said mechanical output signal upon coincident presence of said input cam follower and said feedback cam follower in the respective discrete cam segments corresponding to the commanded airfoil configuration.

In an aircraft having an airfoil including high lift surfaces moveable with respect thereto over a predetermined aerodynamic range of airfoil configurations in response to a command signal transmitted through linkage and actuator means, the improvement characterized by a high lift system control assembly in cooperative engagement with said linkage and actuator means, comprising control-slaved input and feedback cam assemblies each including a cam member with a cam contour and a cam follower disposed in mating engagement with said contour for camming deflection upon cam rotation, and summing lever means having first and second input legs associated respectively with the input cam follower and feedback cam follower and a third output leg disposed for compound pivotal motion upon camming deflection of said cam followers for mechanical summing of inputs to said first and second legs, said input and output legs comprising an integral summing lever means;

• wherein said input cam assembly receives said command signal and is displaced along a cam path proportional thereto to pivot said summing lever and create a drive control signal operating said actuator means, and said feedback cam assembly is slaved for displacement with movement of said high lift surfaces to pivot said summing lever to null said drive control signal upon positioning of said high lift surfaces at the commanded airfoil configuration.