US20060289695A1 - Device with remote motor for controlling an aerodynamic control surface of a missile - Google Patents
Device with remote motor for controlling an aerodynamic control surface of a missile Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20060289695A1 US20060289695A1 US11/176,303 US17630305A US2006289695A1 US 20060289695 A1 US20060289695 A1 US 20060289695A1 US 17630305 A US17630305 A US 17630305A US 2006289695 A1 US2006289695 A1 US 2006289695A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- control surface
- controlling
- motor
- aerodynamic control
- missile
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
- B64C—AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS
- B64C13/00—Control systems or transmitting systems for actuating flying-control surfaces, lift-increasing flaps, air brakes, or spoilers
- B64C13/24—Transmitting means
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
- F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
- F42B10/00—Means for influencing, e.g. improving, the aerodynamic properties of projectiles or missiles; Arrangements on projectiles or missiles for stabilising, steering, range-reducing, range-increasing or fall-retarding
- F42B10/60—Steering arrangements
- F42B10/62—Steering by movement of flight surfaces
- F42B10/64—Steering by movement of flight surfaces of fins
Definitions
- the subject of this invention is a device with a remote motor for controlling an aerodynamic control surface of a missile.
- Some aircraft and particularly missiles include control surfaces controlled by motors to change the flight direction.
- the electric motor or other type of motor is coupled to the control surface through a reduction gear and/or a transmission element that may include control rods, levers or other elements, or devices for transformation of the rotating movement into a linear movement.
- the assembly is voluminous: the space available close to the control surface is sometimes insufficient to contain it.
- the motor then needs to be moved away to a remote location, for example in a fairing at a variable distance.
- thermomechanical conditions make it impossible to place the motor close to the control surface, and such fairing is then used as thermal protection.
- the transmission then needs to be modified and extended.
- control rods and levers for which the performances may be insufficient: these embodiments are complex and heavy, and in particular they transmit high forces to the aircraft structure in more or less statically indeterminate arrangements that can apply forces to parts in bending. This is incompatible with mechanical deformations of the structure in flight in the case of missiles for which temperature rises are much greater than in other aircraft. Furthermore, the system will not operate correctly in practice unless parts are made flexible and unless functional clearances are added that reduce the precision of control and encourage the occurrence of vibrations.
- Another difficulty specific to missiles and their high accelerations is based on vibrations applied to control surfaces. In some circumstances, particularly when bending and torsion modes are combined, resonance can appear that can destroy the control surfaces.
- the invention at least partially overcomes this risk by making control surface assemblies more rigid due to a particular arrangement of the transmission.
- the new device comprises a transmission extending between the two to communicate a movement to the control surface correlated to the motor rotation movement; it is innovative in that the transmission comprises mainly a linear device rigid in torsion but flexible in tension, compression and bending; the linear device is limited by a speed reduction gear between the linear device and the control surface and at least one sliding connecting element.
- Prior art includes transmissions flexible in bending and rigid in torsion, usually in aircraft, to transmit rotation movements from a motor to a control surface or a series of remote control surfaces; but these transmissions do not have the flexibility in tension and compression necessary to absorb thermal expansions that occur in missiles.
- the reduction gear acts as a mechanical filter.
- This transmission does not need to be supported by the adjacent structure of the aircraft, it only transfers low forces to the adjacent structure, and it is not influenced by the deformations of the aircraft.
- the transmission can then be compact and perfectly statically determinate.
- the transmission may also comprise a jack to convert the rotation movement into a translation movement, comprising a portion subject to the translation movement and articulated to a control lever of the control surface and a portion submitted to the rotation movement and coupled to the linear device.
- the linear device may include shaft segments assembled together and through universal joints, for example three segments and two universal joints; it may also include a flexible shaft or any other equivalent means that those skilled in the art might envisage. The result with these two particular embodiments is satisfactory bending flexibility of the linear device.
- the connecting elements with a sliding coupling may each include a grooved pin and bushing, which enable deformations of the device without applying the force on the linear device, the ends of which simply slide on the connecting elements.
- the transmission may also include other parts such as bevel gears.
- a bevel gear may be arranged within the previous reduction gear if a movement conversion jack is used: in this case, the control surface control lever does not have to be in line with the linear device, which gives a much wider choice for the layout of the device.
- the motor may be a brushless electric motor.
- FIG. 1 is an overview of the device
- FIGS. 2 and 3 show the arrangement of the device in a missile.
- FIG. 1 shows the device according to the invention.
- a first motor module 1 is composed of a brushless electric motor 4 , at the output of which there is a first bevel speed reduction gear 5 and an output shaft 6 .
- a second transmission module 2 is composed of a linear device 7 , a bevel reduction gear 9 and a linear jack 10 .
- the ends of the linear device 7 are connected to the output shaft 6 and to an input shaft 8 of the bevel reduction gear 9 by couplings 16 and 17 with a grooved shaft and bushing placed concentrically so that they can slide one in the other, while maintaining perfect transmission of the rotation movement.
- the linear jack 10 comprises a ball screw 11 or a roller screw immobile in rotation and that moves in a nut 18 associated with a toothed wheel of the bevel reduction gear 9 .
- the device also includes a third reception module 3 comprising a control surface 26 , a rotation shaft 14 of the control surface 26 and a drive lever 15 for said control surface 26 .
- the lever 15 and the screw 11 are assembled by an articulation 13
- the reduction gear 9 is assembled free to rotate at a fixed point of the aircraft by another articulation 12 .
- the linear device 7 is composed of successive segments 20 , 21 and 22 attached to each other through two universal joints 23 and 24 . It can also be formed from a single flexible shaft extending between the same ends and that can curve and straighten depending on deformations applied to it.
- FIGS. 2 and 3 show a missile fitted with a fuselage 25 and four control surfaces 26 at the back, projecting radially outwards.
- a ramjet engine 27 occupies most of the section of the fuselage 25 at the control surfaces 26 and further forwards.
- the missile also comprises two external fairings 28 acting as air inlets and located behind two of the control surfaces 26 .
- the four motors 4 controlling the control surfaces 26 are placed in pairs in the two air inlet fairings 28 .
- the motors that control the control surfaces 26 located in front of the air inlets 28 control them through an ordinary short transmission.
- the other control surfaces 26 are controlled according to the invention; the linear devices 7 extend in a portion of the annular space at a spacing of a quarter of a turn, between the fuselage 25 and the ramjet engine 27 .
- the universal joints 23 and 24 curve the linear device 7 such that it remains near the centre of the annular space, with no support with the fuselage 25 or the wall of the ramjet engine 27 .
Abstract
An aircraft comprising at least one aerodynamic control surface (26) controlled using a remote motor (4), through a transmission comprising a linear device (7) rigid in torsion but flexible in bending and in tension and compression, to absorb thermomechanical deformations. This transmission comprises small clearances, good flexibility, does not require any additional support and makes favourable use of a reduction gear (9) located near the control surface (26) rather than near the motor (4).
Description
- The subject of this invention is a device with a remote motor for controlling an aerodynamic control surface of a missile.
- Some aircraft and particularly missiles include control surfaces controlled by motors to change the flight direction. In the state of known art, the electric motor or other type of motor is coupled to the control surface through a reduction gear and/or a transmission element that may include control rods, levers or other elements, or devices for transformation of the rotating movement into a linear movement. The assembly is voluminous: the space available close to the control surface is sometimes insufficient to contain it. The motor then needs to be moved away to a remote location, for example in a fairing at a variable distance. In other cases, thermomechanical conditions make it impossible to place the motor close to the control surface, and such fairing is then used as thermal protection. The transmission then needs to be modified and extended.
- Conventional embodiments then use combinations of control rods and levers, for which the performances may be insufficient: these embodiments are complex and heavy, and in particular they transmit high forces to the aircraft structure in more or less statically indeterminate arrangements that can apply forces to parts in bending. This is incompatible with mechanical deformations of the structure in flight in the case of missiles for which temperature rises are much greater than in other aircraft. Furthermore, the system will not operate correctly in practice unless parts are made flexible and unless functional clearances are added that reduce the precision of control and encourage the occurrence of vibrations.
- Another difficulty specific to missiles and their high accelerations is based on vibrations applied to control surfaces. In some circumstances, particularly when bending and torsion modes are combined, resonance can appear that can destroy the control surfaces. The invention at least partially overcomes this risk by making control surface assemblies more rigid due to a particular arrangement of the transmission.
- One solution to these difficulties is proposed with the invention. Apart from the motor and the aerodynamic control surface, the new device comprises a transmission extending between the two to communicate a movement to the control surface correlated to the motor rotation movement; it is innovative in that the transmission comprises mainly a linear device rigid in torsion but flexible in tension, compression and bending; the linear device is limited by a speed reduction gear between the linear device and the control surface and at least one sliding connecting element.
- Prior art includes transmissions flexible in bending and rigid in torsion, usually in aircraft, to transmit rotation movements from a motor to a control surface or a series of remote control surfaces; but these transmissions do not have the flexibility in tension and compression necessary to absorb thermal expansions that occur in missiles.
- If the reduction gear is placed close to the control surface instead of being adjacent to the motor as it usually is in known arrangements, vibrations are not transmitted to the linear device and the result is a more stable assembly of the control surface, which very much reduces the amplitude that the vibrations would reach if they propagated along the transmission towards the motor: the reduction gear acts as a mechanical filter.
- One advantage of this transmission is that it does not need to be supported by the adjacent structure of the aircraft, it only transfers low forces to the adjacent structure, and it is not influenced by the deformations of the aircraft. The transmission can then be compact and perfectly statically determinate.
- The transmission may also comprise a jack to convert the rotation movement into a translation movement, comprising a portion subject to the translation movement and articulated to a control lever of the control surface and a portion submitted to the rotation movement and coupled to the linear device. With this design, it becomes possible to benefit from conventional control surface construction techniques, in which the rotation movement is controlled by pressing on the lever.
- The linear device may include shaft segments assembled together and through universal joints, for example three segments and two universal joints; it may also include a flexible shaft or any other equivalent means that those skilled in the art might envisage. The result with these two particular embodiments is satisfactory bending flexibility of the linear device.
- The connecting elements with a sliding coupling may each include a grooved pin and bushing, which enable deformations of the device without applying the force on the linear device, the ends of which simply slide on the connecting elements.
- The transmission may also include other parts such as bevel gears. A bevel gear may be arranged within the previous reduction gear if a movement conversion jack is used: in this case, the control surface control lever does not have to be in line with the linear device, which gives a much wider choice for the layout of the device.
- The motor may be a brushless electric motor.
- The invention will now be described and will be more easily understood considering its various aspects with reference to the following figures:
-
FIG. 1 is an overview of the device, - and
FIGS. 2 and 3 show the arrangement of the device in a missile. -
FIG. 1 shows the device according to the invention. A first motor module 1 is composed of a brushlesselectric motor 4, at the output of which there is a first bevelspeed reduction gear 5 and anoutput shaft 6. - A
second transmission module 2 is composed of alinear device 7, abevel reduction gear 9 and alinear jack 10. The ends of thelinear device 7 are connected to theoutput shaft 6 and to aninput shaft 8 of thebevel reduction gear 9 bycouplings - The
linear jack 10 comprises aball screw 11 or a roller screw immobile in rotation and that moves in anut 18 associated with a toothed wheel of thebevel reduction gear 9. - The device also includes a
third reception module 3 comprising acontrol surface 26, arotation shaft 14 of thecontrol surface 26 and adrive lever 15 for saidcontrol surface 26. Thelever 15 and thescrew 11 are assembled by anarticulation 13, and thereduction gear 9 is assembled free to rotate at a fixed point of the aircraft by anotherarticulation 12. Thelinear device 7 is composed ofsuccessive segments universal joints -
FIGS. 2 and 3 show a missile fitted with afuselage 25 and fourcontrol surfaces 26 at the back, projecting radially outwards. Aramjet engine 27 occupies most of the section of thefuselage 25 at thecontrol surfaces 26 and further forwards. The missile also comprises twoexternal fairings 28 acting as air inlets and located behind two of thecontrol surfaces 26. - The four
motors 4 controlling thecontrol surfaces 26 are placed in pairs in the twoair inlet fairings 28. The motors that control thecontrol surfaces 26 located in front of theair inlets 28 control them through an ordinary short transmission. Theother control surfaces 26 are controlled according to the invention; thelinear devices 7 extend in a portion of the annular space at a spacing of a quarter of a turn, between thefuselage 25 and theramjet engine 27. Theuniversal joints linear device 7 such that it remains near the centre of the annular space, with no support with thefuselage 25 or the wall of theramjet engine 27. There are very easily adapted to displacements produced by thermomechanical deformations between themotor 4 and thecontrol surfaces 26, by modifying the angles of theuniversal joints couplings transmission module 2 to match the variable distance between the motor module 1 and thereceiving module 3.
Claims (8)
1. Device for controlling a missile aerodynamic control surface also comprising a motor element (1) performing a rotation movement and a transmission element (2) extending between the motor and the control surface (26) to transfer a movement correlated to the motor rotation movement to the control surface, device characterised in that the transmission element comprises a linear device (7) rigid in torsion, but flexible in tension, compression and bending, in that it comprises a reduction gear (9) located between the linear device and the control surface, and in that the linear device is limited by at least one sliding connecting element.
2. Device for controlling a missile aerodynamic control surface according to claim 1 , characterised in that the transmission element comprises a movement conversion jack (10) for converting the rotation movement into a translation movement, comprising a portion (11) subject to the translation movement and articulated to a lever (15) for controlling the control surface (26), and a portion (18) subject to the rotation movement and coupled to the linear device.
3. Device for controlling a missile aerodynamic control surface according to claim 1 , characterised in that the linear device comprises shaft segments (20, 21, 22) assembled together through universal joints (23, 24).
4. Device for controlling a missile aerodynamic control surface according to claim 1 , characterised in that the linear device comprises a flexible shaft.
5. Device for controlling a missile aerodynamic control surface according to claim 1 , characterised in that the sliding connecting element is a coupling with a grooved pin and bushing (16, 17).
6. Device for controlling a missile aerodynamic control surface according to claim 1 , characterised in that the reduction gear comprises an associated ball screw (11) and a nut (18) assembly.
7. Device for controlling an aerodynamic control surface according to claim 2 , characterised in that the reduction gear is a bevel reduction gear located between the jack (10) and the linear device (7).
8. Device for controlling an aerodynamic control surface according to claim 1 , characterised in that the motor is a brushless electric motor.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
FR0451488A FR2872783B1 (en) | 2004-07-09 | 2004-07-09 | AERODYNAMIC GOVERNMENT DEVICE WITH DEPTH MOTOR |
FR0451488 | 2004-07-09 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20060289695A1 true US20060289695A1 (en) | 2006-12-28 |
Family
ID=34946779
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/176,303 Abandoned US20060289695A1 (en) | 2004-07-09 | 2005-07-08 | Device with remote motor for controlling an aerodynamic control surface of a missile |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20060289695A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1614626A1 (en) |
FR (1) | FR2872783B1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20120091255A1 (en) * | 2010-10-13 | 2012-04-19 | Woodward Hrt, Inc. | Shift lock assembly |
Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3662550A (en) * | 1971-01-11 | 1972-05-16 | Sundstrand Corp | Actuator system |
US3986689A (en) * | 1973-12-11 | 1976-10-19 | Lucas Industries Limited | Drive arrangements for aircraft control surfaces |
US4256277A (en) * | 1978-09-12 | 1981-03-17 | Embree David G | Actuator system for aircraft control surfaces |
US4260121A (en) * | 1976-11-24 | 1981-04-07 | Lucas Industries Limited | Drive arrangement for lift control surfaces on all aircraft wings |
US5249761A (en) * | 1991-10-29 | 1993-10-05 | Diehl Gmbh & Co. | Setting device for a control surface |
US6276469B1 (en) * | 2000-03-20 | 2001-08-21 | Jason L. Smith | Light weight transporter propelling fluid levitated loads includes load weight absorption device to provide controllable wheel traction |
US6752352B1 (en) * | 2003-07-07 | 2004-06-22 | Michael C. May | Gun-launched rolling projectile actuator |
Family Cites Families (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB531411A (en) * | 1938-08-03 | 1941-01-03 | Rene Tampier | Improvements in or relating to aircraft |
GB1484865A (en) * | 1973-12-11 | 1977-09-08 | Lucas Industries Ltd | Drive arrangements for aircraft control surfaces |
-
2004
- 2004-07-09 FR FR0451488A patent/FR2872783B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2005
- 2005-07-08 US US11/176,303 patent/US20060289695A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2005-07-08 EP EP05106267A patent/EP1614626A1/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3662550A (en) * | 1971-01-11 | 1972-05-16 | Sundstrand Corp | Actuator system |
US3986689A (en) * | 1973-12-11 | 1976-10-19 | Lucas Industries Limited | Drive arrangements for aircraft control surfaces |
US4260121A (en) * | 1976-11-24 | 1981-04-07 | Lucas Industries Limited | Drive arrangement for lift control surfaces on all aircraft wings |
US4256277A (en) * | 1978-09-12 | 1981-03-17 | Embree David G | Actuator system for aircraft control surfaces |
US5249761A (en) * | 1991-10-29 | 1993-10-05 | Diehl Gmbh & Co. | Setting device for a control surface |
US6276469B1 (en) * | 2000-03-20 | 2001-08-21 | Jason L. Smith | Light weight transporter propelling fluid levitated loads includes load weight absorption device to provide controllable wheel traction |
US6752352B1 (en) * | 2003-07-07 | 2004-06-22 | Michael C. May | Gun-launched rolling projectile actuator |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20120091255A1 (en) * | 2010-10-13 | 2012-04-19 | Woodward Hrt, Inc. | Shift lock assembly |
US8624172B2 (en) * | 2010-10-13 | 2014-01-07 | Woodward Hrt, Inc. | Shift lock assembly |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
FR2872783B1 (en) | 2007-11-30 |
FR2872783A1 (en) | 2006-01-13 |
EP1614626A1 (en) | 2006-01-11 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: MBDA FRANCE, FRANCE Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:BOIS, GEORGES;ROSSI, RINALDO;REEL/FRAME:017037/0125 Effective date: 20050905 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |