A method and apparatus for positioning a control surface. A desired position for the control surface associated with an aerodynamic aircraft structure is identified. The control surface is moved to the desired position using an electronically controlled rotary actuator system located inside of the aerodynamic aircraft structure, wherein a shape of the aerodynamic aircraft structure with the electronically controlled rotary actuator system has a desired aerodynamic performance.

A control system may be used to control actuators that actuate movement of flight control surfaces of an aircraft. Each actuator is couplable to a flight control surface and includes a motion control assembly having a hydraulic motor and a drive path from the hydraulic motor to the flight control surface. Each hydraulic motor includes an extend port and a retract port. The system includes a hydraulic control module fluidly connected to the extend port and the retract port of each hydraulic motor and a controller operable to output hydraulic power from the hydraulic control module to the motion control assembly to actuate movement of the flight control surfaces. The controller is configured to identify an actuator that positionally leads the other actuators and reduce hydraulic power to the motion control assembly assigned to such actuator.

A hydraulic actuator system of an aircraft includes a hydraulic actuator having a housing with a piston having a piston shaft with a piston head attached thereto and arranged within the housing. The piston head divides in internal volume of the housing into an extend cavity and a retract cavity and the extend cavity is configured to be connected to low pressure fluid source. The system also includes a pressure selector unit fluidly connected to the retract cavity and configured to be connected to the low pressure fluid source and to a high pressure fluid source. The unit include three solenoids with the first and second connected in parallel to the fluid sources and the third solenoid having a third solenoid first input connected to the first solenoid output, a third solenoid second input connected to the second solenoid output, and a third solenoid output connected to the retract cavity.

A rotary actuator includes a housing having an interior boundary that defines a central bore and has interior recesses, a chamber housing assembly disposed in the central bore and having an arcuate chamber, the arcuate chamber comprising a cavity, an exterior boundary of the chamber housing assembly having exterior recesses, each of the exterior recesses aligned with a respective one of the interior recesses, pins residing between the interior boundary and the exterior boundary, each of the pins mated to one of the exterior recesses and a corresponding one of the interior recesses to maintain an orientation of the chamber housing assembly with respect to the housing, a rotor assembly rotatably journaled in the chamber housing assembly and comprising a rotary output shaft and a rotor arm, and an arcuate-shaped piston disposed in the chamber housing assembly for reciprocal movement in the arcuate chamber.

The present invention regards a fluid actuator arrangement comprising a first and second cylinder of a cylinder arrangement, a piston rod arrangement, a first and second piston device associated with the piston rod arrangement, wherein respective first and second piston device divides respective first and second cylinder into a first and second chamber provided for connection to a valve device of a fluid supply device. The first piston device comprises a piston rod engagement and disengagement device, which is adapted to engage or disengage the first piston device to/from the piston rod arrangement. The invention can be put into use for aircraft, such as commercial aircraft designed for long distance flights, for construction industry, jacking systems for oil well drilling and service platforms, agricultural equipment industry, marine industry, crane manufacture industry, and others.

A rotary actuator includes a housing having an interior boundary that defines a central bore and has interior recesses, a chamber housing assembly disposed in the central bore and having an arcuate chamber, the arcuate chamber comprising a cavity, an exterior boundary of the chamber housing assembly having exterior recesses, each of the exterior recesses aligned with a respective one of the interior recesses, pins residing between the interior boundary and the exterior boundary, each of the pins mated to one of the exterior recesses and a corresponding one of the interior recesses to maintain an orientation of the chamber housing assembly with respect to the housing, a rotor assembly rotatably journaled in the chamber housing assembly and comprising a rotary output shaft and a rotor arm, and an arcuate-shaped piston disposed in the chamber housing assembly for reciprocal movement in the arcuate chamber.

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to provide accurate, low lag, and reliable autopilot autorelease in a hydraulic steering system for mobile structures. A hydraulic steering system includes a logic device configured to communicate with an autopilot pump controller, a control surface reference sensor, an orientation sensor, and/or a gyroscope. Control and sensor signals provided by the pump controller and/or the various sensors are used to selectively enable and/or disable an autopilot release signal. The autopilot release signal enables or disables the autopilot pump controller and/or an autopilot pump, or controls the autopilot pump controller to enable or disable the autopilot pump.

A hydraulic valve (3, 3) of a servo-control for feathering the blades (1) of a rotorcraft rotor. The hydraulic valve (3, 3) comprises a main valve member (5) and an emergency valve member (6) blocked relative to a valve cylinder (4) of the hydraulic valve (3, 3) by means of a pin (23) in sliding thrust engagement in a cavity (24) of the emergency valve member (6). Relative movement between the emergency valve member (6) and the valve cylinder (4) initiating sliding movement of the pin (23) inside the cavity (24) and causing mover means (27) for moving the pin (23) to be put into operation, thereby releasing the emergency valve member (6) to move freely.

A hydraulic cylinder system 1 is provided with a plurality of cylinders 3a and 3b, valves 4a and 4b provided at each of the cylinders 3a and 3b for adjusting amounts of operating fluid into and out of the cylinders 3a and 3b, driving systems 5a and 5b having motors 6a and 6b provided at each of the valves 4a and 4b for driving the valves 4a and 4b, and a connecting member 8 for connecting the motors 6a and 6b of the driving systems 5a and 5b in a manner capable of interlocking with each other.

An actuator system includes an actuator which is configured to generate a loading on a control surface, as a function of an actuation order received, a command unit of the actuator, which is configured to compute an actuation order of the actuator, a reception element for receiving a current value of the loading generated by the actuator, and a limitation unit configured to reduce the control authority of the command unit as a function of the current value of the loading and to limit the loading of the actuator to a predetermined setpoint value.