Gas driven gyroscope with extended rundown time
AssigneeAllied Corporation
InventorsMeyer Malina, Abe Feldman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas gyroscope 11 is provided with an aspirator pump 71 in order to evacuate gas from the main chamber 19 of the gyroscope 11. The evacuation of gas reduces windage and other air friction encountered by the gyroscope's rotor 21 and thereby extends the rundown time of the gyroscope. The aspirator 71 may be energized by a dedicated compressed gas source such as a compressed gas chamber 91. Alternatively, the aspirator 71 may be provided with ram air or bleed perpellant gases.
Claims23
Gas operated gyroscope of a type having a gas source from which gas is expelled for a period of time in order to provide kinetic energy to a rotor gimballed within a rotor chamber, and after said period of time the rotor is operated in a run drown mode of operation, characterized by:
- an aspirator pump in communication with said rotor chamber, said aspirator pump producing a negative pressure level to draw a vacuum within said rotor chamber during said run down mode of operation.
Gas operated gyroscope of a type having a gas source from which gas is expelled for a period of time in order to provide kinetic energy to a rotor gimballed within a rotor chamber, and after said period of time the rotor is operated in a run down mode of operation, characterized by:
- (a) an aspirator pump in communication with said rotor chamber, said aspirator pump producing a negative pressure level to draw a vacuum within said rotor chamber, and
- (b) an exterior exhaust valve which opens to release said expelled gas to outside of said rotor chamber, said valve being closed when said expelled gas is substantially at ambient pressure to thereby allow said aspirator pump to be bypassed when said exterior valve is opened and allow the aspirator pump to draw said vacuum when said exterior exhaust valve is closed.
Gas operated gyroscope of a type having a gas source from which gas is expelled for a period of time in order to provide kinetic energy to a rotor gimballed within a rotor chamber, and after said period of time the rotor is operated in a run down mode of operation, characterized by:
- (a) an aspirator pump in communication with said rotor chamber, said aspirator pump producing a negative pressure level to draw a vacuum within said rotor chamber, and
- (b) an exterior exhaust valve which opens to release said expelled gas to outside of said rotor chamber, said valve being closed when said expelled gas is substantially at ambient pressure to thereby allow said aspirator pump to be bypassed when said exterior exhaust valve is closed;
- (c) the aspirator pump being a venturi-type pump which utilized compressed gas in order to produce said negative pressure level;
- (d) said gas source providing energy to the rotor including a gas chamber containing compressed gas and a first pyrotechnic device which releases said compressed gas;
- (e) a first electrical signal being provided to the first pyrotechnic device and the first pyrotechnic device responding to said electrical signal in order to expel said gas;
- (f) the compressed gas provided to the aspirator pump being provided by an additional gas chamber containing compressed gas which is released by an additional pyrotechnic device;
- and
- (g) a time delay circuit which provides an electrical signal to said additional pyrotechnic device at a time after the first electrical signal is provided to the first pyrotechnic device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.