Power plants – Reaction motor – Condition responsive thrust varying means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-26
2001-01-09
Thorpe, Timothy S. (Department: 3746)
Power plants
Reaction motor
Condition responsive thrust varying means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170257
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a variable thrust nozzle system capable of continuously and differentially varying its thrust to be exerted on a flying object.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known attitude and diversion controller for controlling the attitude and diversion of a flying object flying at high altitudes makes outside nozzles attached to an airframe of the flying object jet a high-temperature high-pressure gas to control the attitude and diversion of the flying object about five axes without using aerodynamic force.
FIGS. 12 and 13
show a basic thrust generating mechanism for this known attitude and diversion controller. The thrust generating mechanism has four nozzles
30
each having a throat
31
, and four nozzle plugs
32
combined respectively with the nozzles
30
. Each nozzle plug
32
opens and closes the corresponding throat
31
to control the flow of a gas through the corresponding nozzle
30
. Therefore, the thrust generating mechanism needs one actuator for each nozzle
30
. An excessively large force is necessary for closing the nozzles
30
. The attitude and diversion controller operates in a PWM (pulse width modulation) control mode for a fast-response control operation. Accordingly, the attitude and diversion controller is large and has a complicated configuration. This known attitude and diversion controller has difficulty in continuously or differentialy varying the sectional area of the throat
31
of each nozzle by the operation of the nozzle plug
32
, so that the attitude and diversion controller has difficulty in continuously or differentially varying the thrust of the gas jetted through each nozzle
30
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a variable thrust nozzle system having an actuator capable of controlling two nozzles for alternate opening and closing, capable of operating smoothly, having a simple configuration and capable of continuously and differentially varying the respective sectional areas of the throats of the two nozzles to vary the respective thrusts of the two nozzles continuously and differentially.
With the foregoing object in view, according to one aspect of the present invention, a variable thrust nozzle system comprises a housing; a pair of nozzle skirts attached to an outer surface of the housing so as to open in opposite directions, respectively; a pair of nozzle plugs disposed in the pair of nozzle skirts so as to define a nozzle throat between an outer surface of each of the nozzle plugs and an inner surface of each of the corresponding nozzle skirts; a shaft supported for sliding in the housing and having opposite ends connected to the nozzle plugs, respectively; and an actuator linked to the shaft to drive the shaft for sliding motions to vary the sectional areas of the nozzle throats.
The variable thrust nozzle system of the present invention opens one of the two nozzles and closes the other nozzle by the single actuator. Thus, the variable thrust nozzle system operates smoothly, has a simple configuration and a lightweight construction, and can easily be designed and mounted on a flying object. Thrust exerted on the flying object can continuously and differentially be varied by continuously and differentially varying the respective sectional areas of the pair of nozzles by the single actuator. Accordingly, when six variable thrust nozzle systems in accordance with the present invention at the most are disposed symmetrically on the six sides of a platform, the platform can be controlled for operations in six degrees of freedom of motion, i.e., motions with respect to six axes including turning motions about three axes and translating motions along the three axes.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2613497 (1952-10-01), MacDonald
patent: 2974594 (1961-03-01), Boehm
patent: 3478965 (1969-11-01), Llewellyn
patent: 3647161 (1972-03-01), Draim
patent: 0 489 712 A2 (1992-06-01), None
patent: 1 559 055 (1969-03-01), None
Harada Ken
Nishida Yoshihiko
Watanabe Kiyoyuki
Gartenberg Ehud
Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Thorpe Timothy S.
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