Variable guide vane actuator
AssigneeJansen's Aircraft Systems Controls, Inc.
InventorsHarvey B. Jansen, David K. Shields
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A variable guide vane actuator for positioning the guide vanes of a turbine engine in a hypersonic missile uses compressor exhaust to drive a linked, floating piston assembly that is coupled to the guide vanes. The relatively low pressure compressor exhaust is metered by a valve to drive the piston arrangement to accurately position the guide vanes in proportion to the input control signal. Reliability and accuracy gains are achieved by inhibiting the effects of vibration and thermal distortion through the elimination of piston/bore contact, the use of a rigid, cantilevered mounting arrangement and cooling with the pre-combusted liquid fuel.
Claims23
A variable guide vane actuator having a valve, the valve comprising:
- a housing having an inlet for receiving working media;
- a valve member mounted in the housing in communication with the inlet, the valve member having a sealing face and a pair of spaced apart orifices passing through the sealing face;
- a clevis cradle movable within the housing along a valve axis;
- a clevis mounted to the clevis cradle for movement along the valve axis, the clevis having a sealing face engaging the sealing face of the valve member, the clevis sealing face being adapted to engage the valve member sealing face and close off both orifices simultaneously when in a null position and when not in the null position open one of the orifices to be in communication with the inlet;
- and
- at least one electromagnet arranged in the housing to translate the clevis cradle along the valve axis and move the clevis into and out of the null position.
A variable guide vane actuator having a valve, the valve comprising:
- a housing having an inlet for receiving working media;
- a valve member mounted in the housing in communication with the inlet, the valve member having a sealing face and a pair of spaced apart orifices passing through the sealing face;
- a clevis cradle movable within the housing along a valve axis, the clevis cradle having an actuator rod extending from opposite sides along the valve axis;
- a clevis mounted to the clevis cradle for movement along the valve axis, the clevis having a sealing face engaging the sealing face of the valve member, the clevis sealing face being adapted to engage the valve member sealing face to close off both orifices simultaneously when in a null position and when not in the null position open one of the orifices to be in communication with the inlet;
- and
- two electromagnets disposed on opposite sides of the clevis cradle, each electromagnet being configured to interact with an associated actuator rod to move the clevis cradle in one direction along the valve axis and move the clevis into and out of the null position, wherein the electromagnets receive inputs signal and position the clevis to meter flow of the working media in proportion to the input signals.
A variable guide vane actuator having a valve, the valve comprising:
- a housing having an inlet for receiving working media;
- a valve member mounted in the housing in communication with the inlet, the valve member having a sealing face and a pair of spaced apart orifices passing through the sealing face;
- a clevis cradle movable within the housing along a valve axis, the clevis cradle having a cavity an at least one engagement tab;
- a clevis mounted in the cavity of the clevis cradle in contact with the engagement tab for movement along the valve axis, the clevis having a sealing face engaging the sealing face of the valve member, the clevis sealing face being adapted to engage the valve member sealing face to close off both orifices simultaneously when in a null position and when not in the null position open one of the orifices to be in communication with the inlet;
- and
- at least one electromagnet arranged in the housing to translate the clevis cradle along the valve axis and move the clevis into and out of the null position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.