WO2016015871A1

WO2016015871A1 - Aircraft

Info

Publication number: WO2016015871A1
Application number: PCT/EP2015/001572
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wolfgang Braig
Original assignee: Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg Gmbh
Priority date: 2014-07-30
Filing date: 2015-07-30
Publication date: 2016-02-04
Also published as: DE102015009939A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an aircraft, comprising an actuator and/or comprising a brake having desiccant for absorbing liquid, in particular condensate, and/or having heating means for heating the actuator/the brake in order to evaporate liquid in or on the actuator/the brake and/or in order to de-ice the actuator/the brake, wherein the heating means are formed by one or more existing components of the actuator/the brake.

Description

aircraft

The present invention relates to an aircraft and in particular to an aircraft with at least one actuator and / or with at least one brake, preferably an actuator / brake for an actuator for actuating landing flaps or landing gear of aircraft, in particular of aircraft.

Brakes are used in mechanics to control or restrict movements of devices. Depending on the field of application, for example, hydraulic, electrical or mechanical brakes are possible. Actuators are needed, for example, for extending and retracting flaps, such as flaps, or lift systems, landing gear of aircraft, etc.

Depending on the environment of use of the actuator or the brake may have different problems in their operation. If the actuator or the brake, for example, operated in a cold and not completely free of liquid environment, there is a risk that liquid, which is located in the region of the actuator or the brake freezes and thus the mobility and thus the correct Functioning of the actuator or the brake impaired become. Depending on the field of application of the actuator / brake, this can not be used, for example, a landing flap system or a chassis on which the actuator or the brake can be provided, which concerns the safety of an aircraft in which said devices may be provided. Furthermore caused by the described impairments of the actuator / the brake costs for troubleshooting and maintenance of the actuator / the brake.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide an aircraft in which the risk of freezing or blocking of actuator / brake components or of the actuator / the brake is reduced. This object is achieved by an aircraft with the features of claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

Accordingly, an actuator / a brake with desiccant for receiving liquid, in particular condensate is provided.

The drying agent, the z. B. may be provided within a housing of the actuator / the brake can be z. B. may be a hygroscopic material which can absorb many times its own mass of liquid such as typically water.

Alternatively or additionally, the actuator / brake may be formed with heating means for heating the actuator / brake for the purpose of evaporating liquid in or on the actuator / brake and / or for defrosting the actuator / brake, the heating means be formed by one or more existing components of the actuator / the brake. These heating means may, for example, be one or more electromagnets, electric motors and / or transformers of an actuator or motor of the actuator / brake.

The term "the actuator / the brake" is to be understood as and / or link. In a preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that the desiccant is a superabsorbent material.

Superabsorbents are used in many areas of technology and the consumer goods industry. In applications such as air conditioners, diapers, dryer cabinets, dishwashers or as silica gel packets in packages to be kept dry, they withdraw liquid from areas in which it is not desired and store the extracted liquid.

In a preferred exemplary embodiment, it is conceivable that the actuator / brake is an electrically actuated actuator / brake with at least one, for example, electric actuator or drive or that the actuator / brake is connected to a preferably electrically operated actuator or to another drive stands or forms part of.

In the device qualification of devices in which electrically actuated actuators / brakes are used, it is frequently found that these actuators / brakes perform their function during the icing or water resistance test ("icing test" or waterproof test) due to penetrating moisture This applies in particular to devices that are operated without oil filling, where condensate can accumulate due to differences in pressure and temperature on the inside of the device.The provision of drying agents on electric actuators / brakes should advantageously impair the actuator / brake prevent the condensate.

In a further preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that means for regenerating the drying agent are provided. Since the drying agent for the purpose of the longest possible use a z. B. can be regenerated by heat desiccant, it may be advantageous to provide means which cause a regeneration of the drying agent, also on the actuator / the brake. This makes it possible to reduce the service life of the drying by further extending and minimizing the effort required to regenerate the desiccant.

In a further embodiment, it is conceivable that the means for regenerating the desiccant comprise at least one electromagnet and / or at least one electric motor and / or at least one transformer. Such electronic components can usually be provided on an electrically actuated actuator / brake and can be used by appropriate activation as resistance heating elements and thus regenerate the desiccant by heating.

The components for the regeneration of the drying agent may thus be the same components which serve as heating means for the actuator / brake.

In a further preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that at least one preferably permeable membrane is provided for the exchange of air during a regeneration of the drying agent.

Since the liquid bound therein is heated and vaporized during the regeneration of the desiccant, it is necessary to remove this evaporated or evaporated liquid from the area of the actuator / brake. The use of a preferably permeable membrane thereby simplifies the actuator / the brake in that it is not necessary to act on the outside of the actuator / the brake to allow removal of the evaporated or evaporated liquid. Rather, it allows the permeable membrane that the liquid vapor can escape from the actuator / brake without difficulty.

In a further preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that a display device is provided for determining the saturation of the drying agent, wherein the display device comprises an electrical sensor and / or a sight glass.

The display device allows the operating or maintenance personnel to check whether or how much the desiccant is saturated with moisture. For this, the actuator / the brake because of the display device must not be removed or opened, which simplifies a corresponding review.

In a further preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that the external regeneration device comprises a generator.

The generator of the external regeneration device makes it possible to feed a defined electric power into the actuator / brake and thus carry out a regeneration process of the drying agent. It can thereby be ensured, irrespective of the infrastructure present at the aircraft or at the location of the aircraft, that a regeneration of the drying agent can be carried out.

In a further preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that the external regeneration device is an aircraft control computer and / or comprises an aircraft control computer.

This combination of an actuator / a brake and an existing in an aircraft or other aircraft computer infrastructure simplifies the operation of an actuator / brake according to the invention, since z. B. can be dispensed with additional computer capacity.

In a further preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that the drying agent is provided in at least one replaceable dryer capsule. As a result, the drying agent is particularly easy against a new and z. B. better desiccant can be replaced, it only needs to be replaced the dryer capsule. The invention is further directed to a dryer capsule for an actuator / brake having the features of any one of claims 1 to 12 and a method for deicing and / or drying an actuator / brake, preferably having the features of any one of claims 1 to 12 with the steps:

- Generation of heat in the actuator / brake, wherein parts of the actuator / the brake act as a heating resistor and

Thawing of liquid frozen in and / or on the actuator / brake and / or evaporation of liquid contained in and / or on the actuator / brake, in particular in the desiccant.

A further process step may be the deposition of the vaporized liquid from the actuator / brake through a seal, which is preferably a permeable membrane or the like.

The method for drying and / or deicing the actuator / the brake can be realized regardless of whether a desiccant or a capsule is used with superabsorber material, even during flight operation by the use of a suitable circuit.

In addition, the step can:

- Departure of a drying program in which the actuator / the brake is subjected to sequences of different levels of electrical currents; be provided, which precedes, for example, the other steps. The invention is also directed to devices such as flaps or slats, flaps or other high-lift systems or suspensions or actuators of an aircraft, in particular an aircraft with at least one actuator / a brake according to the features of one of claims 1 to 12.

Furthermore, the present invention relates to a controller for controlling a brake according to the invention and / or an actuator according to the invention.

Further properties of the controller, as well as further details and advantages of the entire invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the figure.

The single FIGURE shows a brake 1 according to the invention in a schematic representation. The brake discs 10 can in this case absorb unwanted fluid, which can lead to freezing of the brake discs 10 and thus to loss of function of the brake 1 at low temperatures.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the brake disks 10 can be moved via electromagnet 4, whereby a braking power of the brake 1 is generated. In an inner region of the brake 1 there is a dryer capsule 2 with desiccant 3 contained therein. The dryer capsule 2 is embedded in an open-pore membrane or in an open-pored housing 12 so that liquid (also vaporized or evaporated liquid) from different areas of the Brake 1 can penetrate into the dryer capsule 2.

A regeneration device 6 actuates the brake 1 and is connected to it via electrical plug 13 or via an electronic connection 13.

When a drying program is run on the brake 1, the regeneration device 6 ensures that z. B. the solenoid 4 is acted upon by sequences of different levels of electrical currents and thereby heating of the electromagnet 4 takes place. The thus heated solenoid 4 heats again the stored liquid in the dryer capsule 2 and evaporates or evaporates them. Vaporous moisture can then escape from the brake via a permeable membrane 5.

On the right side of the brake 1, a display device 14 is provided, via which the saturation of the drying agent 3 or of the superabsorbent material from which the drying agent 3 may consist can be determined. In the embodiment shown, the display device 14 consists of a sight glass or a viewing window, through which a color change of the superabsorber material is visible when saturated with water. In the vicinity of the display device 14, a vent plug 15 is further provided, via which the interior of the brake 1 can be opened to the environment and vented. Instead of the manual vent plug 15 or in addition to the said permeable membrane 5 may be provided for venting or drying.

The regeneration of the drying means 3 can be carried out, for example, by an external tool, such as a maintenance box with a power generator, for which purpose this tool can be connected to the electronic connection 13. Alternatively, however, an aircraft control computer can include the regeneration program of the brake 1 and execute it automatically as required.

According to the invention, the aircraft control computer may be the controller for controlling / regulating the brake, but a controller independent of the aircraft control computer may also be provided. In addition to a drying function, these can also include a "break-off function" by heating the internal components and, if necessary, melting iced components by moisture that has penetrated In practice, it is repeatedly shown that components can freeze through very small amounts of water in such a way that a central drive unit is no longer in A corresponding de-icing function makes it possible, when an icing occurs, to remove or thaw it, with the result that an additional defrosting system can be used Heating function can be achieved by using existing components for added reliability and safety.

The appropriate control of an electromagnet is done with DC or a pulse width modulated DC. The following electrical power is converted:

If the solenoid z. As a brake during cruising, can be used as a heating element to melt ice from moisture penetrated or evaporate, resulting in the use of DC or PWM power sources, the following points should be considered:

The DC current used must be reduced so much that when the brake is closed (1 = 0A), a tightening of the magnet armature (= opening of the brake) is prevented. As a result, the amount of energy introduced and thus the heating effect is low.

However, even a low energization of the electromagnet leads to a weakening of the spring biasing force, since the developing magnetic field counteracts the spring force. This weakening of the spring force must be taken into account in the design and leads to larger-sized components.

Faulty current supply with nominal current must be excluded for safety reasons. A robust current limiter is therefore required.

The subject of the present invention is thus also a corresponding control concept of the electromagnet with alternating current. In this case, direct current or PWM current is to be converted into alternating current. The amplitude of the AC current can be maintained at a high level to ensure the highest possible energy input.

Decisive for the realization of the heating function without the above-mentioned disadvantages is the frequency of the alternating current. This must be set so that the sluggish armature mass can not follow the resulting alternating magnetic field and also no appreciable reduction in the spring force occurs. Advantages of this circuit are a high heat output, a slight influence on the spring preload and a low cost. Furthermore, advantageously no current limiter is necessary and relatively high reliability can be achieved.

Furthermore, it is possible to use the present brake using so-called Duplax magnets, i. Magnets with two coils, to realize. In this case, both coils can be operated in different current direction with DC current of the same amplitude, so that the resulting magnetic field cancels again. The magnetic fields can thus not interfere with the other components, a heating power is achieved anyway.

The embodiment is related to a brake of an aircraft, but applies accordingly also for an actuator of an aircraft.

Claims

claims

1. Aircraft, in particular aircraft, with at least one actuator and / or with at least one brake (1) with desiccant (3) for receiving liquid, in particular condensate, and / or with heating means for heating the actuator and / or the brake for the purpose the evaporation of liquid in or on the actuator and / or the brake and / or for the purpose of defrosting the actuator and / or the brake, wherein the heating means are formed by one or more existing components of the actuator and / or the brake.

2. An aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that the drying means (3) is a superabsorbent material (3).

3. Aircraft according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the actuator and / or the brake (1) is an electrically actuated actuator and / or brake (1) and / or that the actuator and / or the brake is connected to at least one preferably electric actuator or drive or forms part of it.

4. An aircraft according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that means for regenerating (4) of the drying means (3) are provided.

5. An aircraft according to claim 4, characterized in that the means for regenerating (4) of the drying means (3) comprise at least one electromagnet and / or at least one electric motor and / or at least one transformer.

6. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one permeable membrane (5) for the exchange of air during a regeneration of the drying means (3) is provided.

7. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that for determining the saturation of the drying means (3) a display device (14) is provided, wherein the display device (14) comprises an electrical sensor and / or a sight glass.

8. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an external regeneration device (6) is provided, which is connectable as an external device with the actuator and / or with the brake (1) for performing the regeneration of the drying means (3).

9. Aircraft according to claim 8, characterized in that the external regeneration device (6) comprises a generator (7).

10. An aircraft according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the external regeneration device (6) is an aircraft control computer and / or comprises an aircraft control computer.

11. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drying means (3) in at least one, preferably replaceable, dryer capsule (2) is provided.

12. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is the heating means to at least one electromagnet and / or at least one electric motor and / or at least one transformer of an actuator or motor of the actuator and / or the brake (1).

13. Dryer capsule (2) for an actuator and / or a brake (1) of an aircraft according to one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A method for deicing and / or drying an actuator and / or a brake (1) of an aircraft, preferably according to one of claims 1 to 12, comprising the steps:

- Generation of heat in the actuator and / or the brake (1), wherein parts of the actuator and / or the brake (1) act as a heating resistor;

Thawing of liquid frozen in and / or on the actuator and / or the brake (1) and / or evaporation of liquid contained in and / or on the actuator and / or the brake (1), in particular in the desiccant (3) ,

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that the method comprises the further step of depositing the evaporated liquid from the actuator and / or the brake (1) through a permeable membrane (5).

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that a de-icing and / or drying program is passed through, wherein the actuator and / or the brake is subjected to sequences of different high electric currents.

17 flap of a lift system, actuator or chassis of an aircraft, in particular an aircraft, with at least one actuator and / or at least one brake with the features of one of claims 1 to 12.

18. Controller for controlling / regulating an actuator and / or a brake (1) with the features according to one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the actuator and / or the brake (1) is connected to at least one preferably electric actuator or other drive or its component.

19. Actuator and / or brake (1) of an aircraft according to one of claims 1 to 12.