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US 9,169,012 B2Granted
Coaxial counter-rotating rotor system
AssigneeTextron Innovations Inc.
InventorsJohn Corrigan, Frank Bradley Stamps
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method to tilt coaxial counter-rotating rotor hub assemblies relative to a fuselage. The system includes a first rotor hub assembly and a second rotor hub assembly spaced apart from the first hub assembly and carried by the fuselage. The method includes pivotally attaching the first rotor hub assembly and the second rotor hub assembly to a pivot joint and thereafter tilting the first rotor hub assembly and the second rotor hub assembly about the pivot joint with a driver.
Claims13
A helicopter, comprising:
- a fuselage;
- an engine carried within the fuselage;
- a transmission rotatably coupled to the engine and completely disposed within the fuselage and pivotally attached to the fuselage via a pivot joint, the transmission being configured to pivot within the fuselage;
- and
- a rotor system positioned above the fuselage, the rotor system having:
- a first rotor hub assembly;
- a second rotor hub assembly spaced apart from the first hub assembly;
- a plurality of rotor blades coupled to both the first hub assembly and the second hub assembly;
- a rotor mast rotatably engaged with the transmission and attached to both the first rotor hub assembly and the second rotor hub assembly;
- and
- a driver operably associated with the transmission;
- wherein, during flight, the engine rotates the rotor system via the transmission, while the driver pivots the transmission within the fuselage, which in turn tilts the first rotor hub assembly and the second rotor hub assembly relative to the fuselage.
9 more elements
A method to tilt a rotor system relative to a helicopter fuselage, the method comprising:
- attaching a first rotor hub assembly and a second rotor hub assembly of the rotor system to a rotor mast;
- rotating the rotor mast with a transmission disposed within the fuselage;
- pivoting the transmission via a pivot joint disposed within the fuselage;
- and
- tilting the first rotor hub assembly and the second rotor hub assembly as the transmission pivots.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.