Integrated vehicle wheel motor structured to manage heat
AssigneeBorealis Technical Limited
InventorIsaiah Watas Cox
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wheel design with heat management capability is provided for an aircraft landing gear wheel that is specifically configured to maximize the space available within a landing gear wheel well to support a geared motor assembly that drives the aircraft wheel when the aircraft is on the ground. A thermal interface between the geared motor assembly and a support wall effectively directs heat generated by brakes, motor, or gear components through the wheel ultimately to be shed entirely outside the aircraft to prevent damage to the wheel and motor components. The heat dissipating wheel and motor driver assembly described herein may be retrofitted in an existing aircraft wheel without changing existing landing gear components, including tires, piston, and axle.
Claims12
A system for managing heat in an aircraft landing gear drive wheel driven by an electric drive motor to produce optimal heat dissipation and prevent heat accumulation, comprising:
- a. an aircraft nose or other landing gear wheel assembly rotatably mounted on an axle, comprising at least an inboard wheel support wall and an outboard wheel support wall, wherein said inboard wheel support wall is positioned inwardly of a center of said wheel assembly adjacent to a landing gear piston and said outboard wheel support wall is positioned outwardly of the center of said wheel assembly adjacent to an outboard boundary of a landing gear wheel well to define an internal wheel space;
- and
- b. a compact drive motor assembly mounted completely within the defined internal wheel space, comprising at least an electric drive motor, a gear assembly, and a clutch assembly positioned to provide a selectively engaged or disengaged connection between said gear assembly and said electric drive motor, wherein said drive motor assembly is integrated with said wheel assembly to provide a solid thermal connection between components of said drive motor assembly, said axle, and said piston adapted to direct heat away from said drive motor assembly through said wheel assembly to said axle and said piston or into ambient air.
An aircraft landing gear drive wheel comprising a wheel assembly configured to support an integrated drive motor and gear assembly completely within a space defined by inboard and outboard boundaries of a landing gear wheel well, wherein said drive motor and gear assembly is supported within said wheel assembly to form a mating interface with and conforming to a shape of said wheel proximate to said inboard boundary to form thermal conduction means for directing heat generated by said drive motor to said mating interface toward said inboard boundary through said wheel assembly to ambient air in the landing gear wheel well environment or to landing gear structures adjacent to said wheel assembly, thereby maintaining said motor and gear assembly and said wheel assembly at an optimum safe temperature selected to prevent damage to said motor and gear assembly and to said wheel assembly.
A method for managing and limiting heat accumulation in an aircraft landing gear drive wheel comprising:
- (a) providing a thermal interface between a drive motor assembly and a wheel assembly positioned to promote heat conduction between an electric drive motor and the wheel support walls of the wheel assembly;
- (b) operating the drive motor assembly to drive the aircraft landing gear drive wheel and generating heat from operation of the electric drive motor within a defined internal space within the wheel support walls;
- (c) directing heat flow from the electric drive motor through the defined internal space through the wheel support walls and through said thermal interface;
- (d) providing a heat flow path from the wheel assembly to structures external to the wheel assembly and to the ambient air outside the wheel assembly, whereby heat can be shed entirely away from the aircraft landing gear drive wheel;
- and
- (e) maintaining the wheel assembly and the drive motor assembly below a temperature selected to prevent damage to said wheel assembly and said drive motor assembly during operation of said drive motor assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.