Reversible driving apparatus for PCU pumps
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorRichard Santerre
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An accessory driving apparatus for an aircraft system is connected to an accessory unit to be driven, such as a PCU pump. A gear set for transferring rotational power from the driving shaft to the driven shaft is provided for selective arrangement in first and second configurations in order to permit the driving shaft to rotate in either rotational direction without affecting a predetermined rotational direction of the driven shaft.
Claims13
A method for powering respective first and second propeller control unit (PCU) pumps of respective first and second propeller engines of a multi-engine aircraft, the first and second engines having respective pump driving shafts which rotate in opposite rotational directions relative to one another when the aircraft is operated, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a driven shaft of the first PCU pump disposed at an angle with respect to the pump driving shaft of the first engine;
- providing a driven shaft of the second PCU pump disposed at said same angle with respect to the pump driving shaft of the second engine;
- providing a first gear set mechanically connecting the pump driving shaft of the first engine to the driven shaft of the first PCU pump, the first gear set adapted to drive the first PCU pump in a rotational direction;
- and
- providing a second gear set mechanically connecting the pump driving shaft of the second engine to the driven shaft of the second PCU pump, the second gear set adapted to drive the second PCU pump in the same rotational direction as the first PCU pump, wherein the first gear set and second gear set differ by one gear.
A driving apparatus for powering first and second PCU pumps used in a multi-engine aircraft having first and second propeller engines, the first and second engines having respective pump driving shafts rotating in opposite rotational directions, and the first and second PCU pumps being unidirectional and operated in a same rotational direction, the apparatus comprising:
- first and second driven shafts operatively connected to the respective first and second PCU pumps, and positioned at substantially identical angles with respect to said pump driving shafts of the first and second engines, respectively;
- a first gear set including a driving bevel gear mounted to an output section of the pump driving shaft of the first engine and a driven bevel gear mounted to the first driven shift, the driving bevel gear meshingly engaging the driven bevel gear at a first point of the driven bevel gear to ensure the rotational direction of the first PCU pump;
- a second gear set including a driving bevel gear mounted to an output section of the pump driving shaft of the second engine and a driven bevel gear mounted to the second driven shaft, the driving bevel gear meshingly engaging the driven bevel gear at a second point of the driven bevel gear in order to ensure the rotational direction of the second PCU pump;
- wherein the driven bevel gears of the first and second gear sets are substantially identical;
- and
- wherein the output sections of the pump driving shafts of the first and second engines are substantially identical, both having a first axial location thereof for selective mounting the driving bevel gear of the first gear set and a second axial location thereof for selective mounting the driving bevel gear of the second gear set such that the first and second gear sets can be converted one to another by exchanging the individual driving bevel gears.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.