Aircraft electric taxi control interface and system
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorChristian D. Brinkley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A control interface for an aircraft electric taxi system (ETS) may be incorporated in a housing positioned in a flight deck of the aircraft. The control interface may include an actuator, an electronic control sensor interconnected with the ETS to provide speed and direction signals to the ETS and an extendable shaft interposed between the actuator and the electronic control sensor. The actuator may be configured to rotate around an axis of the shaft between a first rotational position, in which the actuator is stowed within the housing, and a second rotational position in which the actuator is outside of the housing.
Claims19
A control interface for an aircraft electric taxi system (ETS) comprising:
- an actuator;
- an electronic control sensor that provides speed and direction signals to the ETS;
- and
- an extendable shaft interposed between the actuator and the electronic control sensor;
- wherein the actuator is configured to rotate around an axis of the shaft between a first rotational position in which the actuator is non-operational and a second rotational position in which the actuator is operational;
- wherein the actuator has a longitudinal actuator axis;
- wherein the actuator axis is oriented in the first rotational direction, is in a first vertical position and is stowed within a housing when the actuator is non-operational;
- and
- wherein the actuator axis is oriented in the second rotational direction, orthogonal to the first rotational direction, is in a second vertical position, and is out of the housing when the actuator is operational.
A control interface assembly for use in an aircraft comprising:
- a shaft assembly extendable between a first length and a second length longer than the first length;
- an actuator attached to an end of the shaft assembly;
- a locking device for maintaining the shaft assembly at its first length;
- and
- a releasing device configured to disengage the locking device upon compression of the shaft assembly from the first length to a third length shorter than the first length so that the shaft assembly is free to expand to the second length.
A method for controlling an aircraft electric taxi system (ETS) comprising the steps of:
- releasing an actuator of a control interface by applying pilot-controlled pressure to the actuator;
- rotating the actuator to an active rotational position orthogonal to a stowed rotational position;
- and
- moving the actuator to produce a speed and direction signal to the ETS;
- wherein the releasing, the rotating and the moving steps are performed in a flight deck of an aircraft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.