Aeronautics and astronautics – Landing gear
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-11
2001-11-06
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Aeronautics and astronautics
Landing gear
C244S1040FP
Reexamination Certificate
active
06311927
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to landing gear arrangements, and more particularly to a landing gear extension system that includes landing gear and doors covering the landing gear, and which uses a pyrotechnically initiated high pressure bottle to activate the extension system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Landing gear extension systems are well known in the art, as are pneumatic operating systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,758,807 to Ryan discloses an apparatus for effecting retraction of landing gear on an aircraft in which the apparatus uses an explosive cartridge to initiate operation of the apparatus. The system does not employ pressurized gas contained in a bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,024 to Smith discloses a pneumatic gear motor for use with aerospace vehicle control fins is controlled by a servo valve which is fed by pressurized gas from a reservoir. An inert gas in the reservoir is heated to further increase the pressure in the reservoir by an explosive charge housed adjacent the reservoir. The heated inert gas is then released to a pressure control valve before being passed to the gear motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,465 to Howard et al. teaches a hydraulically driven actuator for raising and lowering aircraft landing gear. The patent fails to disclose sequential operation of the landing gear and its housing doors.
Other control systems for high performance air vehicles include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,940 to Deter, U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,340 to White, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,137 to Musk.
While many of these previously proposed systems use pressurized gas from a reservoir and are useful for operation of aircraft landing gear, control fins and flaps, none disclose the use of pressurized gas to sequentially actuate the landing gear doors and then the landing gear itself. Further, the prior art devices include gas cannisters that are of significant size to achieve the desired action, and therefore require frequent replenishment to maintain the requisite pressure. Such service procedures are excessively labor-and cost-intensive.
Against this background of known technology, the applicant has developed a novel system for deploying aircraft landing gear and doors in the event of hydraulic or other failure. The system uses a high pressure gas bottle charged to very high pressure, on the order of 6500 psi or higher, which can be opened by a pyrotechnically fired disk cutter to allow the gas in the bottle to flow out. The gas is then regulated to safer pressures and passed to valving which sequentially controls hydraulically operated landing gear and associated housing doors.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel hydraulic system for deploying aircraft landing gear and associated housing doors, while overcoming many of the disadvantages and drawbacks of similar fuel tanks known in the art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pressurized gas system including novel discharge valving apparatus for initiating deployment of aircraft landing gear.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a landing gear system which uses gas pressurized to 6500 psi, and which employs a pyrotechnically initiated valve for releasing the pressurized gas to drive valving for sequentially operating the landing gear and housing doors.
These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become more apparent, as will equivalent structures which are intended to be covered herein, with the teaching of the principles of the invention in connection with the disclosure of the preferred embodiments thereof in the specification, claims and drawings in which:
REFERENCES:
patent: 2659555 (1953-11-01), Schlender
patent: 2758807 (1956-08-01), Ryan
patent: 3284031 (1966-11-01), Albright
patent: 4052024 (1977-10-01), Smith
patent: 4233652 (1980-11-01), Oswald
patent: 5058827 (1991-10-01), Dansereau et al.
patent: 5184465 (1993-02-01), Howard et al.
patent: 5460340 (1995-10-01), White
patent: 5907118 (1999-05-01), Jakubowski et al.
patent: 5944285 (1999-08-01), Royer et al.
Dinh Tien
Jordan Charles T.
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Schruhl Robert A.
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