Support assembly
AssigneeAirbus Operations GmbH
InventorEric Wildman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A support assembly for guiding a flap on an aircraft wing during deployment of the flap. The assembly includes an arcuate guide track mountable to an aircraft wing and defining a two-dimensional path, a carriage mounted on the guide track so as to slide along the track during flap deployment, a part-spherical bearing, and a shaft having one end attachable to a flap and the opposite end coupled to the carriage via said part-spherical bearing. The shaft is free to pivot relative to the carriage about a center of the part-spherical bearing in all directions, as the carriage slides along the track.
Claims21
A support assembly for guiding a flap on an aircraft wing during deployment of the flap, the assembly comprising:
- an arcuate guide track mountable to an aircraft wing and defining a two-dimensional path;
- a carriage mounted on the guide track so as to slide along the track during flap deployment;
- a part-spherical bearing comprising a male bearing element and a female bearing element, said bearing elements moveable relative to each other, said male bearing element is received within said female bearing element;
- and
- a shaft having one end attachable to a flap and the opposite end coupled to the carriage via said part-spherical bearing such that the shaft is free to pivot relative to the carriage about a centre of the part-spherical bearing in all directions, as the carriage slides along the track, wherein said male bearing element comprises a part-spherical convex-shaped bearing seat located on the carriage and the female bearing element is located on the shaft and extends about and cooperates with the convex-shaped bearing seat.
A support assembly for guiding a flap on an aircraft wing during deployment of the flap, the assembly comprising:
- an arcuate guide track mountable to an aircraft wing and defining a two-dimensional path;
- a carriage mounted on the guide track so as to slide along the track during flap deployment;
- a part-spherical bearing;
- and
- a shaft having one end attachable to a flap and the opposite end coupled to the carriage via said part-spherical bearing such that the shaft is free to pivot relative to the carriage about a centre of the part-spherical bearing in all directions, as the carriage slides along the track, wherein the part-spherical bearing comprises a male bearing element having a part-spherical convex-shaped bearing seat, wherein the part-spherical bearing comprises a female bearing element carried by the shaft, said female bearing element extending about, and cooperating with, the male bearing element, wherein the shaft is integral with and extends from the female bearing element.
A support assembly for guiding a flap on an aircraft wing during deployment of the flap, the assembly comprising:
- an arcuate guide track mountable to an aircraft wing and defining a two-dimensional path;
- a carriage mounted on the guide track so as to slide along the track during flap deployment;
- a part-spherical bearing;
- and
- a shaft having one end attachable to a flap and the opposite end coupled to the carriage via said part-spherical bearing such that the shaft is free to pivot relative to the carriage about a centre of the part-spherical bearing in all directions, as the carriage slides along the track, wherein the part-spherical bearing comprises a male bearing element having a part-spherical convex-shaped bearing seat, wherein the male bearing element forms part of the carriage or is configured to slide together with the carriage on the guide track, wherein the male bearing element has an aperture therethrough and the guide track extends through said aperture when the carriage is mounted on the track.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.