CN215752985U - Adjusting and locking device and aircraft - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to an adjustment locking device for adjusting the neutral position of an actuator on an aircraft, and to an aircraft, the actuator comprising: a cylinder body; a piston rod capable of reciprocating within the cylinder body, having a head portion located outside the cylinder body; a joint part connected with the head part through threads, wherein the piston rod can rotate relative to the joint part, the free end of the head part is formed with a concave part, the joint part is formed with a key groove, and the adjusting and locking device comprises a key which is arranged in the key groove of the joint part and comprises a first end part close to one side of the head part and a second end part far away from the head part; a spacer having a recess for receiving the first end of the key and a boss for engaging the recess in the tip portion; a locking nut configured to fit over the head portion to lock the spacer between the locking nut and the head portion.

Description

Adjusting and locking device and aircraft

Technical Field

The utility model relates to an adjusting and locking device for adjusting the neutral position of an actuator on an aircraft and the aircraft.

Background

The tolerances of the outer shape of control surfaces of aircraft, such as civil aircraft, affect their aerodynamic performance. For this reason, in aircraft design, the requirements for contour control are usually achieved by constraining the control surfaces to the level differences and clearances between adjacent structures in the neutral position. In this case, the control surfaces are typically driven by actuators with position feedback, so that the adjustment of tolerances and clearances of the control surfaces to adjacent structures in the neutral position is achieved by adjusting the length of the actuators in the neutral position. However, this requires adjustment without affecting the stroke of the actuator piston rod.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The object of the present invention is to provide an adjusting and locking device for an actuator of an aircraft, which at least partially meets the above-mentioned requirements.

According to the utility model, there is provided an adjustment locking device for adjusting the neutral position of an actuator on an aircraft, the actuator comprising: a cylinder body; a piston rod capable of reciprocating within the cylinder, the piston rod having a head portion located outside the cylinder, a free end of the head portion being formed with a recess; a joint part threadedly connected to a tip part of the piston rod, the piston rod being rotatable relative to the joint part to adjust a mechanical length of the actuator in a neutral position, wherein a key groove is formed on the joint part, and the adjustment locking device includes: a key disposed in the keyway of the connector portion, the key including a first end portion on a side proximal to the head portion and a second end portion distal from the head portion; a spacer having a recess for receiving the first end of the key and a boss for engaging the recess of the tip portion; a locking nut configured to be disposed over the head portion to enable locking of the spacer shim between the locking nut and the head portion.

By the proposed solution, when the setting washer takes up the correct position with respect to the key and the head part of the piston rod, i.e. the recess of the setting washer receives the first end of the key and the projection of the setting washer engages in the recess of the head part, the position of the joint part with respect to the piston rod can be locked by tightening the locking nut to prevent unintentional relative rotation thereof. The adjusting and locking device described above can be considered as at least part of an actuator for connecting two components, the relative positions of which need to be adjusted if necessary, wherein the cylinder can be connected to one component, for example a fixed component, and the joint part can be connected to another component, for example a movable component. By varying the telescopic length of the piston rod and/or joint part of the actuator, the relative position of the two members, e.g. the distance and/or angle, can be varied.

According to an embodiment of the utility model, the key has a U-shape, wherein, in the mounted state, a first end of the key, which is received in the recess of the spacer, is at least partially covered by the locking nut. This ensures that the position of the key in the axial direction of the piston rod is reliably defined.

According to an embodiment of the utility model, the distance between the opposite faces of the U-shaped wall of the key corresponds to the thickness of the locking nut. The open side of the U-shaped wall of such a key may face the threaded inner wall surface of the lock nut during assembly, and the two ends of the key may be at opposite end surfaces of the lock nut, respectively, so that the key may hook onto the lock nut, which is advantageous for assembly, in particular to prevent the key from falling out of the keyway of the joint part during assembly.

According to an embodiment of the utility model, the recesses are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction of the tip portion. For example, four, five, six, or other suitable number of an integer number of recesses may be provided along the circumferential direction of the tip portion. The number of recesses can be set according to the minimum adjustment step of the joint portion to be adjusted in the neutral position of the actuator.

According to an embodiment of the utility model, a plurality of bosses are provided, which are arranged in the circumferential direction of the shim so that they can be accommodated in the recesses of the head part, respectively. When the projection engages in the recess, it is possible to achieve that the shim and the head part are not rotatable relative to one another. When the position adjustment is required, it is only necessary to disengage the tabs of the spacer from the recesses of the tip segment and rotate and reengage them relative to each other.

According to an embodiment of the utility model, the head portion is in the shape of a regular polygonal prism, the recess being arranged centrally with respect to the edge of the end face of the head portion.

According to an embodiment of the utility model, the shim is in the shape of a regular polygonal prism, wherein the number of recesses is equal to the number of edges on the shim, the recesses being arranged at the inner circumference of the shim at the location where a plane formed by the central axis of the shim and the edges of the shim intersects the inner circumference of the shim. This makes it easy to recognize the recess of the spacer to be fitted with the key in operation, thereby facilitating assembly. Alternatively, the shim may also be annular, the recesses being arranged evenly distributed in the circumferential direction at the inner circumference of the shim.

According to an embodiment of the utility model, the number of recesses differs from the number of recesses. In this case, more precise adjustment of the actuator can be achieved by changing the position of the adjustment pad relative to the head portion.

According to an embodiment of the utility model, the spacer is provided with ridges and/or grooves at its periphery, which are arranged on the line connecting the respective boss and the center of the spacer. By such a ridge or groove, the position of the boss which engages with the recess of the tip portion can be indicated.

According to an embodiment of the utility model, the key has a first through hole at a second end opposite to the first end and the lock nut is provided with a second through hole, wherein the adjustment locking device has a fuse which passes through the first through hole and the second through hole to connect the key and the lock nut together. In this way, the locking reliability of the adjustment locking device after adjustment is further improved.

According to a further aspect of the utility model, an aircraft is proposed, which has an adjustment locking device as described above.

Drawings

The utility model is further elucidated below with the aid of the drawing, in which,

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a representation of an actuator;

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a diagram of an actuator having an embodiment of an adjustment locking device according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a diagram of an actuator having another embodiment of an adjustment locking device according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a joint portion of an actuator;

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a key for adjusting the locking device; and

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a trim washer of the trim lock; and

fig. 7 schematically shows a head portion of the actuator.

Detailed Description

The utility model is further described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The following description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. In the figures, functionally identical components are provided with the same reference numerals.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of an actuator 1. The two ends of the actuator 1 are respectively used for connecting a first member and a second member, and the position of the first member or the second member is adjusted by changing the length L of the actuator 1, wherein at least one of the first member and the second member is a movable member. For example, when the actuator 1 is used in an aircraft, such as a passenger aircraft, the first member may be an airfoil whose position needs to be adjusted. Thus, one of the opposite ends of the actuator 1 may be regarded as a fixed end, and the other end may be regarded as a movable end. To this end, the actuator 1 of fig. 1 comprises a cylinder 4 and a piston rod 5, the piston rod 5 being accommodated reciprocatingly in the cylinder 4, wherein one end of the cylinder 4 is connected to a connecting portion of the fixed second member and a free end of the piston rod 5 is connected to the first member. In order to vary the length of the piston rod 5 protruding from the cylinder 4 in order to adjust the position of the first member relative to the second member, this state of the actuator can be set to neutral, for example by means of electronic command adjustment, by commanding the piston rod to be driven in predetermined steps so that the first member is moved to a desired position, such as in the field of aircraft so that the airfoil is moved to a theoretical position, thereby meeting the shape tolerance and clearance requirements. However, with such an actuator 1 of fig. 1, a sufficient stroke of the piston rod is required, which in the case of a large distance of the first and second member results in an oversize of the cylinder 4 and the piston rod 5, thereby also resulting in a heavy weight of the actuator 1.

Fig. 2 shows a diagrammatic representation of an actuator with an embodiment of the adjusting and locking device 3 according to the utility model. The actuator likewise comprises a cylinder (not shown), a piston rod 35 accommodated in the cylinder and movable relative to the cylinder 4. Here, the piston rod 35 is not only reciprocatingly movable within the cylinder 4, but also rotatably movable relative thereto, as will be explained further below. The piston rod 35 has a head portion 351 located outside the cylinder 4, and a free end surface of the head portion 351 is formed with a recess 352. The actuator also has a joint part 31 connected with the end part 351 of the piston rod 35 by a thread, wherein the piston rod 35 is rotatable relative to the joint part 31, so that the rotational movement of the piston rod 35 can be converted into a linear movement of the joint part 31, i.e. a linear movement along the axial direction of the actuator, whereby the mechanical length of the actuator, for example in neutral position, can be adjusted. In order to lock the relative movement of the piston rod 35 with respect to the joint part 31, an adjustment locking device 3 is provided, which has a key 32 and a locking nut 33, the key 32 being lockingly insertable into a recess 352 of the end portion 351 of the piston rod 35 by means of the locking nut 33. Therefore, the joint portion 31 is formed with a key groove 311 (see fig. 4), the key 32 is arranged in the key groove 311 in the longitudinal direction of the joint portion 31, and the end portion of the key 32 on the side close to the tip end portion 351 is engaged into the recess 352 of the tip end portion 351 of the piston rod 35, and the lock nut 33 is screwed on the joint portion 31 to fix the key 32.

To prevent the lock nut 33 from being inadvertently rotated, a fuse 25 is provided. The fuse may pass through an eyelet 331 provided in the lock nut 33 and may, for example, be connected to the other end of the key 32, thereby preventing undesired rotation of the lock nut 33.

To facilitate adjustment of the length of the extension of the joint portion 31 from the head portion 351, the head portion 351 preferably has a regular prism-like geometry. For example, the end portion 351 may have a regular hexagonal prism shape. For this purpose, recesses 352 corresponding to the number of edges of the regular prism can be provided in the head portion 351. In this case, the recess 352 is preferably arranged centrally with respect to the edge of the end face of the regular prism. When the piston rod 35 is rotated such that the key 32 is engaged from one recess 352 into, for example, the adjacent recess 352, the joint portion 31 is extended from the head portion 351 or retracted by one-sixth of the regular prism of the lead of the thread, that is, in the case of a regular hexagonal prism, the joint portion 31 is extended from the head portion 351 or retracted by one-sixth of the lead of the thread. In other words, with respect to the regular prism-shaped tip part 351, when adjustment is made such that the key 32 is engaged from the first recess 352 into the nth recess 352, which is a recess originally occupied by the key 32 and which is occupied next time by the key 32 when the tip part 351 is rotated in the circumferential direction, is taken as the first recess, the distance by which the tab part 31 is extended or retracted from the tip part 351 is proportional to N-1.

Alternatively, the head portion 351 may also be provided in other shapes, but the recesses 352 formed at the head portion 351 are still arranged evenly distributed in the circumferential direction. The head portion 351 leaves an operative surface for facilitating the operation of the tool. For example, the head portion 351 may be cylindrical, but at least a pair of opposing truncated faces are left on the outer peripheral side of the head portion 351.

In the above embodiment, the adjustment step size of the adjustment locking means is mainly determined by the number of the recesses provided in the head portion 351.

In fig. 3, a diagrammatic representation of an actuator with a further embodiment of the setting lock according to the utility model is shown, the setting lock of fig. 3 differing from that of fig. 2 primarily in that an additional setting shim 34 is provided, which is only explained in detail below, with reference to the above description for the rest.

The adjustment locking device of fig. 3 additionally has an adjustment washer 34 which is locked between the locking nut 33 and the head part 351 by the locking nut 33. For this purpose, the shim 34 has a recess 341 for receiving the first end 321 of the key 32, and a boss 342 for engaging into a recess 352 provided in the head portion 351, wherein the recess 341 is provided at the inner periphery of the shim 34, and the boss 342 protrudes from a face of one end side of the shim 34. Preferably, a plurality of recesses 341 are provided at the inner periphery of the shim 34, evenly distributed in the circumferential direction. The width of the recess 341 matches the width of the first end 321 of the key and the width of the boss 342 matches the width of the recess 352, thereby ensuring a rotationally fixed connection of the joint part 31 and the piston rod 35 relative to each other in the engaged state.

As can be seen in fig. 6, the key 32 has a U-shape, wherein the key 32 includes a first end 321 near one side of the head portion 351 and a second end 322 remote from the head portion 351. The first end 321 may be received in a recess 341 of the spacer 34. In the mounted state, the first end 321 of the key 32 received in the recess 341 of the spacer 34 is at least partially covered by the lock nut 33, which prevents the key 32 from coming out of the keyway 311 of the joint part 31 in the axial direction.

Preferably, the distance between the opposing faces of the two ends of the U-shaped key 32 corresponds to the thickness of the locking nut 33. This makes it possible to hook the key 32 at the inner wall of the lock nut 33 before installation, and when installing the lock nut 33 and the key 32, it is only necessary to align the intermediate portion between the other end portions of the key 32 with the key groove 311 and rotate the lock nut 33, which makes it possible to bring the key 32 into movement in the key groove 311 by the rotational movement of the lock nut 33 and to hold the key 32 at the lock nut 33. The lock nut 33 may be a common nut commercially available.

Preferably, the shim 34 is in the shape of a regular polygonal prism, wherein the number of the recesses 341 is equal to the number of the edges of the shim 34, and the recesses 341 are arranged at the inner circumference of the shim 34 at the positions where the plane formed by the central axis of the shim 34 and the edges of the shim 34 intersects the inner circumference of the shim 34, respectively. Therefore, when mounted, the position of the recess 341 of the spacer 34 to be engaged with the first end 321 of the key 32 can be easily identified, which is advantageous for assembly.

The spacer shim 34 may be provided with a plurality of bosses 342, the plurality of bosses 342 being arranged in the circumferential direction of the spacer shim 34 such that they can be respectively received in the recess 352 of the head portion 351. Although 3 adjacently arranged bosses 342 are shown in fig. 6, other numbers of bosses 342, such as 2, 4, may be provided. Adjacent bosses 342 may have different angular spacings therebetween. In other words, the boss 342 of the spacer shim 34 and the recess 352 of the head portion 351 are matingly arranged such that the spacer shim 34 and the head portion 351 may rotationally occupy different positions relative to each other, but the boss 342 is able to be received in the recess 352.

Preferably, a protrusion 343 and/or a groove 344 may be provided on the outer circumference of the shim 34, the protrusion 343 and/or the groove 344 being disposed on a line connecting the corresponding boss 342 and the center of the shim 34. Therefore, the position of the boss 342 of the shim 34 to be engaged with the recess 352 of the head part 351 can be seen from the outside, which makes the mounting simple. In the case where both the protrusion 343 and the groove 344 are provided, they may be arranged at the outer periphery of the shim 34 opposite to the line connecting the centers of the shim 34 along the corresponding boss 342.

The recesses 341 of the spacer 34 and the recesses 352 of the head portion 351 may have different numbers. Assuming that the number of recesses 341 of the spacer shim 34 is n, the number of recesses 352 of the head part 351 is m, and the lead of the thread of the head part 351 is X, the minimum adjustment step X of the actuator or the adjustment locking device is: x min { X |1/n-1/m | }. This allows for a finer adjustment of the actuator or the adjusting locking device.

For example, referring to fig. 6 and 7, if there are 7 recesses 341 and 6 recesses 352 in the rod end portion of the shim, the minimum adjustment step size of the actuator can reach a lead value of 1/42. Thus, applications requiring fine adjustment or requiring a high adjustment step size can be realized. The specific number of recesses 341 of the tuning shim 34 and the recesses 352 of the tip portion 351 may be selected according to practical needs.

Preferably, for the U-shaped key 32, which may have a first perforation 323 at a second end 322 opposite the first end 321, the lock nut 33 is provided with a second perforation 331, wherein the fuse 25 is provided, the fuse 25 passing through the first and second perforations 323, 331 to connect the key 32 and the lock nut 33 together.

When the zero adjustment of the actuator is carried out, the method can be realized by the following steps: shearing a fuse that may be attached to the key 32 and lock nut 33; rotating the locking nut 33, so that the locking nut 33 drives the key 32 to move towards the free end of the joint part 31, which is opposite to the end head part of the piston rod, and the key 32 is disengaged from the recess 341 of the adjusting gasket 34; moving the adjusting washer 34 in the direction of the free end of the joint part 31 so that the boss 342 thereof is disengaged from the recess 352 of the rod end part 35; turning the piston rod end part 35 with a tool, such as a wrench, until the new actuator neutral length is satisfactory; optionally rotating the adjustment washer 34 as necessary to engage the boss 342 in the recess 341 of the piston rod end portion 35, while the end 321 of the key 32 is engaged in the adjustment washer recess 341, during which the piston rod position is finely adjusted by a wrench as required; turning the lock nut 33 to move the key 32 toward one end of the rod end portion 35 to engage a first end of the key 321 into the recess 341 of the adjuster shim 34; tightening the lock nut 34 using a tool; the fuse is connected as necessary so that the fuse passes through the through holes 323 and 331 to connect the key 32 and the lock nut 3.

In this adjustment locking device, the adjustment step length can be changed by changing the fitting positions between the key, the adjustment washer, the piston rod key groove and the piston rod end portion 35. In this kind of adjustment locking device, the spare part structure that uses is simple, has advantages in weight also, and the size that axial direction occupied is little in addition, can reduce the size of joint portion, and it is less to be fit for the space (length) of arranging, and the adjustment step is less.

While specific embodiments of the utility model have been described above, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that these are by way of example only. The scope of protection of the utility model is defined by the appended claims. Variations, combinations, or modifications of the embodiments described herein may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the utility model.

Claims (12)

1. An adjustment locking device (3) for adjusting the neutral position of an actuator on an aircraft, the actuator comprising:

a cylinder body (4);

a piston rod (35) reciprocally movable within a cylinder (4), said piston rod (35) having a head portion (351) located outside said cylinder (4);

a joint part (31) connected with a head part (351) of the piston rod (35) through threads, wherein the piston rod (35) can rotate relative to the joint part (31) so as to adjust the mechanical length of the actuator in a neutral position,

characterized in that a recess (352) is formed at a free end of the head portion (351), a key groove (311) is formed at the joint portion (31), and the adjustment locking device (3) includes:

a key (32), the key (32) being disposed in a keyway (311) of the joint portion (31), the key (32) including a first end (321) proximate one side of the head portion (351) and a second end distal from the head portion (351);

a spacer (34), the spacer (34) having a recess (341) for receiving the first end (321) of the key (32) and a boss (342) for engaging the recess (352) of the head portion (351);

a locking nut (33), the locking nut (33) configured to fit over the head portion (351) to lock the adjustment washer (34) between the locking nut (33) and the head portion (351).

2. The adjustment locking device (3) according to claim 1, characterized in that the key (32) has a U-shape, wherein in the mounted state a first end (321) of the key (32) received in a recess (341) of the adjustment shim (34) is at least partially covered by the locking nut (33).

3. The adjustment locking device (3) according to claim 2, characterized in that the distance between the opposite faces of the U-shaped wall of the key (32) corresponds to the thickness of the locking nut (33).

4. The adjustment locking device (3) according to claim 2, characterized in that the recesses (352) are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction of the head part (351).

5. The trim lock arrangement (3) according to claim 4, characterized in that a plurality of bosses (342) are provided, which bosses (342) are arranged in the circumferential direction of the trim washer (34) such that they can be accommodated in recesses (352) of the head part (351) respectively.

6. The adjustment locking device (3) according to claim 5, characterized in that the head part (351) is regular polygonal prism-shaped, the recess (352) being arranged centrally with respect to the edge of the end face of the head part (351).

7. The trim lock arrangement (3) according to claim 6, characterized in that the trim washer (34) is in the shape of a regular polygonal prism, wherein the number of recesses (341) is equal to the number of edges on the trim washer (34), and the recesses (341) are arranged in each case on the inner circumference of the trim washer (34) at the location where a plane formed by the central axis of the trim washer (34) and the edges of the trim washer (34) intersects the inner circumference of the trim washer (34).

8. The trim lock (3) according to claim 6, characterized in that the trim washer (34) is annular, the recesses (341) being arranged evenly distributed in the circumferential direction at the inner circumference of the trim washer (34).

9. The adjustment locking device (3) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the number of recesses (352) and recesses (341) is different.

10. The trim lock (3) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that a ridge (343) and/or a groove (344) is provided at the periphery of the trim washer (34), the ridge (343) and/or the groove (344) being arranged on the line connecting the respective boss (342) and the center of the trim washer (34).

11. The adjustment locking device (3) according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the key (32) has a first perforation (323) at a second end (322) opposite to the first end (321), and the locking nut (33) is provided with a second perforation (331), wherein the adjustment locking device (2) further comprises a fuse (25), the fuse (25) passing through the first perforation (323) and the second perforation (331) for connecting the key (32) and the locking nut (33) together.

12. An aircraft, characterized in that it has an adjustment locking device (3) according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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