An actuator assembly may comprise a screw shaft having a shaft axis; a drive arrangement pivotally supported about the screw shaft axis for driving the screw shaft, e.g., about the shaft axis or along the shaft axis, and a rod mounted to the drive arrangement at a location off the shaft axis for providing a primary function of reacting torque about the shaft axis on the drive arrangement. The rod may comprise a rod axis and provide a load path along the rod axis for reacting torque. The rod may also comprise a device for which provides a secondary function for the actuator assembly based on the load experienced along the load path provided by the rod.

A wing for an aircraft, comprising a main wing, a slat, and a connection assembly for movably connecting the slat to the main wing. The connection assembly comprises first and second link elements. The first link element has a first link end rotatably mounted to the slat via a first joint, and a second link end rotatably mounted to the main wing via a second joint. The second link element has a first element end rotatably mounted to the slat via a third joint, and a second element end rotatably mounted to the main wing via a fourth joint. The first joint, the second joint and the third joint are formed as spherical joints or as universal joints, while the fourth joint is formed as a hinged joint, wherein the hinge axis is inclined between a wing thickness direction and a wing span direction.

Distributed trailing edge wing flap systems are described. An example wing flap system for an aircraft includes a flap and first and second actuators. The flap is movable between a deployed position and a retracted position relative to a fixed trailing edge of a wing of the aircraft. The first and second actuators are configured to move the flap relative to the fixed trailing edge. The first actuator is actuatable via pressurized hydraulic fluid to be supplied from a hydraulic system of the aircraft to the first actuator via a hydraulic module operatively coupled to the first actuator. The first actuator is operatively coupled to a first shaft. The second actuator is actuatable via an electric motor of the second actuator. The electric motor is operatively coupled to an electrical system of the aircraft. The second actuator is operatively coupled to a second shaft. The first and second shafts are selectively operatively couplable via a clutch operatively positioned between the first and second shafts. The clutch is actuatable between a disengaged position in which the second shaft is operatively uncoupled from the first shaft and an engaged position in which the second shaft is operatively coupled to the first shaft.

An actuator system for controlling a movable surface has a main shaft connected between a power drive unit and the movable surface to transmit a command from the power drive unit to move the movable surface. If a failure in the main shaft is detected a failure control device connects a secondary shaft from the movable surface to the power drive unit e.g. by releasing a solenoid which releases gears so as to permit differential rotations between an outer ring and a sun gear of a planetary gear system, within prescribed limits. When these limits are exceeded, the solenoid brake is de-energised braking the planetary gear outer ring and tying the gears through an epicycle ratio corresponding to the ratio of gears connecting the main and secondary shafts. The gear system acts as a low mass asymmetry brake that allows post-failure operation of the surface control.

A jam-tolerant electromechanical linear actuator having a contra-rotating axial flux permanent magnet (PM) motor having a first and second rotor shafts in a motor housing. The actuator also includes a first speed reduction mechanism operably coupled to the first rotor shaft and a second speed reduction mechanism operably coupled to the second rotor shaft; a first output shaft operably coupled to a output of the first speed reduction mechanism and a second output shaft operably coupled to an output of the second speed reduction mechanism. The actuator also includes a housing enclosing the PM motor, first speed reduction mechanism and second speed reduction mechanism and a slide mechanism operably coupled to the housing. The slide mechanism permit the housing to slide when the motor housing is fixed to the housing or the motor housing to slide with respect to the housing when the housing is held fixed.

An artificial force feel generating device for generation of an artificial feeling of force on an inceptor of a vehicle control system, the inceptor being adapted for controlling a servo-assisted control unit of the vehicle control system via a mechanical linkage, wherein at least one first force generating device and at least one second force generating device are mechanically connected to the inceptor, the first force generating device being provided for generating a nominal force acting in operation on the inceptor and the second force generating device being provided for generating a tactile cue force acting in operation on the inceptor, the first and second force generating devices being arranged in parallel. The invention relates further to an aircraft comprising such an artificial force feel generating device.

An actuator assembly includes a primary load path for tightly coupling an actuated surface to a reference structure, and a secondary load path having a backlash portion for coupling the actuated surface to the reference structure with backlash, wherein the secondary load path is unloaded during an operative state of the primary load path and loaded during a failure state of the primary load path. A first sensor is configured to sense relative displacement between a portion of the primary load path and a portion of the secondary load path. A controller is operatively coupled to the first sensor, the controller configured to determine a load on the primary load path based on relative displacement sensed by the first sensor.

An electric control device having manipulation means. The electric control device has a first measurement system and a second measurement system respectively taking a first measurement and a second measurement of the current position of the manipulation means. A processor unit compares the first and second measurements in order to generate a control signal as a function of said current position, said processor unit considering that the manipulation means are in a neutral position when the first and second measurements do not correspond to the same position for the manipulation means.

An actuator for aviation may include an electromechanical drive unit connected with an output drive via a gearbox. The drive unit may have at least two partial drives that can be operated independently from one another. The gearbox may be located at least partially between the at least two partial drives such that the at least two partial drives are spaced apart from one another.

Various flight control components can be operated through gearbox driven rotary actuators. In the event of a jam occurring the gearbox, the gearbox can be decoupled from a surrounding support housing to enable free-trailing or limited motion relative to the support housing. The motion may or may not be damped. Decoupling the gearbox enables the flight control component to move to a neutral or non-interfering position even when user control over the component has been lost.