Fault tolerant electro-mechanical acutator
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsJames L. Sheahan, Jr., Chalres E. Morris, David E. Blanding, James L. Peck, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electromechanical actuator incorporates a drive housing connected to a motor for rotational motion. A screw is employed with an actuating nut having protruding engagement bosses and a drive coupling is concentrically received within the drive housing having segments equal to the number of engagement bosses. Each segment has a cavity to receive a respective one of the engagement bosses and the segments are cooperatively positionable from an active position radially compressed to engage the bosses within the cavities to a released position radially expanded to disengage the bosses from the cavities.
Claims20
A method for jam release of an electromechanical actuator having a screw and an actuating nut comprising:
- providing a plurality of bosses extending from a circumferential surface of the actuating nut;
- engaging the actuating nut with a segmented expandable drive coupling having a plurality of segments equal to the plurality of bosses, each segment having a cavity to receive a respective one of the plurality of bosses in a first active position with the plurality of segments radially compressed to concentrically engage the bosses;
- maintaining the drive coupling in the first active position with a release mechanism;
- receiving a control signal indicating a jam;
- and,
- releasing the drive coupling from the nut with the release mechanism responsive to the control signal thereby expanding the segmented drive coupling to a second expanded position to disengage the bosses from the cavities.
A method for releasing an electromechanical actuator responsive to a jam signal comprising:
- providing a plurality of bosses extending from a surface of an actuating nut;
- engaging the actuating nut with a concentrically disposed segmented expandable drive coupling having a plurality of segments in a first radially compressed active position by receiving one boss of the plurality of bosses in one of a plurality of cavities in a respective one of the plurality of segments;
- and,
- activating a plurality of push plates in operative engagement with the segments, each push plate being received for sliding motion in a first groove and second groove, respectively, of adjacent segments of the segmented drive coupling, wherein the push plates are operative between a first radially compressed active position to engage the bosses in the cavities and a second radially expanded position to disengage the bosses from the cavities.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.