Aircraft control surface position transducer
AssigneeHoneywell Inc.
InventorHarry Miller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A retrofit apparatus for providing a signal indicative of the position of an aircraft control surface comprises a rotary coupling flexibly coupled to the control surface, an extensible coupling driven by the rotary coupling, a quadric-chain linkage coupled to the extensible coupling for converting a linear output into a substantially translatory displacement, a linkage for converting the translatory displacement into a substantially angular motion, and a transducer coupled to the linkage for converting the angular motion into an electrical output indicative of the position of the aircraft control surface. The invention is a simple modification to an existing quadric-chain linkage driving a mechanical indicator, enabling an electrical transducer to be retrofitted in the crowded control stand of an aircraft.
Claims7
An apparatus for providing an electrical signal indicative of the position of an aircraft control surface, comprising:
- rotary coupling means having an input shaft operatively coupled to said control surface and an output shaft for providing a rotary output representative of a position of said control surface,
- extensible coupling means for receiving said output shaft and converting said rotary output into a linear motion proportional in magnitude to said position of said control surface,
- quadric chain linkage means coupled to receive said extensible coupling means for converting said linear motion into a substantially translatory displacement of a first linkage member,
- further comprising a second linkage member having a first end slideably coupled to said first linkage member and pivotedly adapted at a second end for converting said translatory displacement into a substantially angular motion, and
- an electrical transducer engaging said second end of said second linkage member for converting said angular motion into an electrical output proportional thereto and indicative of the position of said aircraft control surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.