Ordnance – Mounts – Training mechanisms
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-13
2003-01-07
Eldred, J. Woodrow (Department: 3644)
Ordnance
Mounts
Training mechanisms
C089S041010, C248S638000, C248S610000, C248S636000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06502497
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a suspension device for connecting an item of on-board equipment to the structure of a vehicle.
Although not exclusively, said suspension device is more particularly intended to be arranged between the structure of a rotary-wing aircraft, particularly a helicopter, and a sighting apparatus of this helicopter, for example an infrared sight.
It is known that helicopter-mounted equipment such as in this preferred application is subjected to significant vibrational phenomena due in particular to the respective main and tail rotors, to their blades, to the transmissions, to the engine, etc., and to variable load factors of the helicopter which are due to its courses and to which said on-board equipment is subjected.
Hence, when the item of equipment is a sighting apparatus mounted on the structure of the helicopter, the impact of these various influences is detrimental to the effectiveness of said sighting apparatus. This often results in a degradation of the stabilization by direct action of the vibration, particularly on the gyroscope and the supports for the optical units, in a degradation in comfort, because the vibration is then transmitted to the images displayed to the sight operator, and in a reduction in the actual reliability of the apparatus, because, for example, the optoelectronic sensors in this sighting apparatus are subjected to constant vibration. What is more, the load factors corresponding to the accelerations of the helicopter also act directly on this equipment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Document EP-0 588 684 discloses a suspension device capable of overcoming these drawbacks. To this end, that known suspension device comprises:
first and second parts shaped at least approximately in the form of plates and capable of being fixed respectively to said structure and to said sighting apparatus; and
suspension means which are arranged between said first and second parts and which are capable of absorbing, on the one hand, relative linear displacements of said first and second parts along three reference axes in roll, pitch and yaw of said vehicle and, on the other hand, the relative angular excursions of said first and second parts about said three reference axes.
This known suspension device therefore constitutes a “six axes” suspension, making it possible to minimize both translational displacements along the three reference axes of the vehicle and angular excursions about these axes, which are produced by the vibrations and the load factors.
In consequence, by virtue of this known suspension device, it is possible to stabilize the sighting apparatus, and this in particular makes it possible to improve the visual comfort of the operator using this sighting apparatus and, above all, to improve the reliability of said apparatus. The line of sight can therefore be stabilized on an observed target and is no longer subjected to the aforementioned displacements and excursions.
However, this stabilizing of the line of sight, which therefore presents an advantage for most envisaged uses (observing the territory, observing and tracking a target, etc.) can, however, become a handicap in certain specific applications, or even not be suited to such applications at all.
Specifically, it may be useful or even necessary, in certain specific applications specified hereinbelow by way of example, to keep the line of sight in a given position with respect to a given reference axis which depends on the helicopter or on a particular item of equipment of said helicopter.
For this type of application, it is therefore necessary, if the operator, particularly the pilot of the helicopter, does not wish to or cannot make his observations with the naked eye, to provide an additional special-purpose sighting apparatus which is fixed appropriately to the structure of the helicopter, this of course increasing the cost and bulk and not being practical, because said operator then has to monitor two different sighting apparatuses.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a suspension device making it possible to overcome these drawbacks.
To this end, according to the invention, the suspension device for connecting an item of on-board equipment to the structure of a vehicle, particularly a rotary-wing aircraft, said suspension device comprising:
first and second parts shaped at least approximately in the form of plates and capable of being fixed respectively to said structure and to said item of equipment; and
suspension means which are arranged between said first and second parts and which are capable of absorbing, on the one hand, relative linear displacements of said first and second parts along three reference axes in roll, pitch and yaw of said vehicle and, on the other hand, the relative angular excursions of said first and second parts about said three reference axes, is noteworthy in that it additionally comprises:
a controllable locking system capable of bringing said suspension device into one of the following two positions:
a locked position in which said locking system immobilizes said first and second parts one with respect to the other in a given relative position; and
an unlocked position in which said locking system releases said first and second parts to move relative to one another; and
control means for controlling said locking system.
Thus, by virtue of the invention, the suspension device is capable of fulfilling a dual role, namely:
a conventional stabilizing role, such as the one fulfilled, for example, by the suspension device described in the aforementioned document EP-0 588 684, allowing the equipment item to be stabilized with respect to the structure; and
a securing role making it possible, by virtue of the action of the locking system, to secure the equipment item to the structure, respective reference planes of the equipment item and of the structure thus being fixed, for example parallel, one with respect to the other.
In addition, by virtue of said control means, it is possible to switch rapidly from one of said positions (locked position or unlocked position) to the other position. To this end, said control means can be actuated, either manually by an operator or automatically, for example according to the use of another item of equipment of the helicopter which is, for example, used simultaneously with said suspended equipment item.
According to the invention, said locking system comprises at least two, and preferably three, locking means as specified hereinbelow.
In a preferred embodiment, at least one of said locking means comprises:
a first element fixed to one of said first and second parts, facing the other of said parts;
a second element at least partially connected to said other part and capable of collaborating with said first element to obtain a fixed connection between said first and second parts, via said first and second elements; and
a controllable third element capable of bringing said first and second elements into collaboration to obtain said locked position, and capable of separating said first and second elements one from the other to obtain said unlocked position.
In the context of the present invention, said first, second and third elements may be embodied in different ways.
In a first embodiment, said first element comprises a tenon, said second element comprises a centering piece which is fixed to said other part facing said tenon and which comprises a mortise of a shape tailored to said tenon, and said third element comprises a means capable of bringing said two parts closer together in order to bring said tenon into said mortise.
In a second embodiment, said first element comprises a housing, said second element comprises a moving pin which can be guided by a guide fixed to said other part and which is capable of entering said housing which has a shape tailored to said pin, and said third element comprises a means of displacing said moving pin.
It will be noted that, in the latter instance:
in a first alternative form, said locking system comprises two locking
Durand François
Fontaine Bernard
Quechon Sylvie
Aerospatiale Matra Missiles
Eldred J. Woodrow
Stevens Davis Miller & Mosher LLP
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