Education and demonstration – Vehicle operator instruction or testing – Flight vehicle
Patent
1990-04-12
1990-12-18
Apley, Richard J.
Education and demonstration
Vehicle operator instruction or testing
Flight vehicle
G09B 906
Patent
active
049782991
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to simulator mechanism. In particular it relates to a simulator mechanism such as an aircraft simulator which operates in three degrees of freedom e.g. heave, pitch and roll. The mechanism may be used to simulate movement of types of vehicle such as a car, boat, space craft, skis etc. as desired.
GB No. 2068322 discloses a motion system providing three or four degrees of freedom for a flight simulator. However, the problem with such a system is that the extendible members are mounted on a base apart from one another. Any stresses set up between the extendible members are transmitted from one to another through the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,387 discloses a motion simulator of a rather complicated nature operating in four, five and six degrees of freedom. GB No. 1187857 operates in several degrees of freedom but requires two separate support and operating mechanisms to do so.
According to the present invention there is provided a simulator mechanism capable of operating in three degrees of freedom, including a base having a fixed plane, a simulator operating plane and three independent extendible actuators capable of changing the operating plane, characterized in that; around, a substantially single point on one of the planes; planes; substantially coincident with the other plane.
It is preferred that the three actuators are pivotally coupled with universal freedom around substantially a single point on the base plane and that the spaced apart points are on the simulator operating plane.
The single point or substantially single point of coincidence may be above the base plane, on the base plain or below the base plane.
The simulator operating plane preferably includes a simulator capsule or other means to allow the operator of the simulator mechanism to be comfortably seated.
In a preferred embodiment the actuators are coupled to operate in heave, and about the pitch and roll axes and the mechanism has restraining means to prevent unwanted motion in yaw, surge and sway axes. The motion is not required in these axes because by this invention, it is possible to simplify the apparatus without losing the impression of motion in these directions.
The actuators are preferably hydraulic rams having extendible pistons.
However other types of actuators may also be used such as pneumatic pistons, electric actuators, rack and pinion operated by electric motors and ball and nut operating in a rotating screw rod.
The restraining means are preferably frames such as A frames or equivalents thereto e.g. rigid T or Y frames, referred to herein generally as A frames, to provide stiffness, the A frames being pivotally mounted at each apex of the frame. However other restraining means are contemplated such as a fixed post extending perpendicularly from the base plane such that a coupling in the form of a sliding bearing attached to the simulator capsule can slide vertically along the post. Other examples of restraining means are described below.
The purpose of the restraining mechanism surrounding the actuators is to allow the simulator mechanism to operate in the three degrees of freedom required i.e. the heave, pitch and roll axes but at the same time to control the system in the three uncontrolled axes which are the yaw, surge and sway axes. The principal forces between the plane on which the simulator is mounted i.e. the simulator operating plane and the fixed base plane are preferably not coupled through the simulator structure but are passed simply and directly through the actuators themselves. Forces transmitted by the linkages are therefore second order forces only. These are caused by the out of balance masses and inertia of the simulator capsule. The principle of the mechanism is to take the restraining forces out of the base to enable it to be made of a lighter construction and to prevent vibration and unnecessary stresses being passed through the base.
As indicated, the actuators are preferably hydraulic rams connected preferably through a single point or substantially a single point on
REFERENCES:
patent: 1789680 (1931-01-01), Gwinnett
patent: 3967387 (1976-07-01), Marchegiani
patent: 4509743 (1985-04-01), Lie
patent: 4749180 (1988-07-01), Boomer
patent: 4838540 (1989-06-01), Ouellet
patent: 4850588 (1989-07-01), Desjardins et al.
Apley Richard J.
Richman Glenn E.
Super X Limited
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