Individual blade control utilizing pneumatic muscles
AssigneeBell Helicopter Textron Inc.
InventorTroy Schank
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
One example of a rotorcraft blade control system includes a mechanical linkage to connect to a rotorcraft blade including a feather axis and a pneumatic muscle connected to the mechanical linkage. The system also includes a movement member connected to the mechanical linkage, the pneumatic muscle and the movement member to move the mechanical linkage to control movement of the rotorcraft blade on the feather axis. The pneumatic muscle can be a first pneumatic muscle and the movement member can be a second pneumatic muscle or a bias spring.
Claims20
A rotorcraft blade control system comprising:
- a mechanical linkage to connect to a rotorcraft blade comprising a feather axis;
- a pneumatic muscle having a first end connected to the mechanical linkage and a second end to connect to a rotorcraft member such that the pneumatic muscle and the rotorcraft member are external to the rotorcraft blade and the pneumatic muscle is not parallel to the feather axis;
- and
- a movement member having a third end connected to the mechanical linkage and a fourth end to connect to the rotorcraft member such that the movement member is external to the rotorcraft blade, the movement member is not parallel to the feather axis, the feather axis extends between the movement member and the pneumatic muscle, and the pneumatic muscle and the movement member are operable to move the mechanical linkage to control movement of the rotorcraft blade on the feather axis.
A rotorcraft blade control system comprising:
- a mechanical linkage connected to a rotorcraft blade having a feather axis;
- a rotorcraft member that is external to the rotorcraft blade;
- a pneumatic muscle having a first end connected to the mechanical linkage and a second end connected to the rotorcraft member such that the pneumatic muscle is external to the rotorcraft blade and not parallel to the feather axis;
- a movement member having a third end connected to the mechanical linkage and a fourth end connected to the rotorcraft member such that the movement member is external to the rotorcraft blade, the movement member is not parallel to the feather axis, and the feather axis extends between the movement member and the pneumatic muscle;
- and
- a controller to connect to the rotorcraft blade and the pneumatic muscle, the controller to actuate the pneumatic muscle to control movement of the rotorcraft blade on the feather axis.
A method of controlling movement of rotorcraft blades, the method comprising:
- connecting a rotorcraft blade control system to a plurality of rotorcraft blades, wherein the rotorcraft blade control system comprises:
- a mechanical linkage connected to the respective rotorcraft blade having a feather axis,
- a rotorcraft member that is external to the respective rotorcraft blade,
- a pneumatic muscle having a first end connected to the mechanical linkage and a second end connected to the rotorcraft member such that the pneumatic muscle is external to the respective rotorcraft blade and not parallel to the respective feather axis,
- a movement member having a third end connected to the mechanical linkage and a fourth end connected to the rotorcraft member such that the movement member is external to the respective rotorcraft blade, the movement member is not parallel to the respective feather axis, and the respective feather axis extends between the movement member and the pneumatic muscle, and
- a controller connected to the rotorcraft blades and the pneumatic muscles;
- and
- actuating the pneumatic muscles using the controller to independently control movement of each respective rotorcraft blade on the respective feather axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.