Step-over blade-pitch control system

US8287237B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Textron Innovations Inc. · US

Inventors

• Frank B. Stamps · Colleyville, US
• Richard E. Rauber · Arlington, US
• David A. Popelka · Colleyville, US
• Patrick R. Tisdale · Keller, US
• Thomas C. Campbell · Wichita Falls, US
• Keith Alan Stanney · Fort Worth, US
• James L. Braswell, Jr. · Colleyville, US
• Mark Wasikowski · Keller, US
• Tom Donovan · Fort Worth, US
• Bryan Kenneth Baskin · Arlington, US
• John James Corrigan · Coppell, US
• Ryan Thomas Smith · Waukesha, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 8, 2006
• Grant date: Oct 16, 2012
• Expiry date: Dec 11, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B64C29/0033
• WIPO field: Transport
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A pitch control system for blades on a rotor of an aircraft has a gimballing rotor hub (31) and a plurality of step-over arms (61) connected to the hub and capable of pivoting relative to the hub about a pivot axis. Each of a plurality of pitch links (55) connects one of the step-over arms (61) to a flight control system for pivoting the connected step-over arm (61) about the pivot axis and relative to the hub in response to inputs from the control system. Each of a plurality of step-over links (69) connects one of the step-over arms (61) to one of the blades for rotating the associated blade about the pitch axis in response to pivoting of the associated step-over arm.