ELECTRO-HYDROSTATIC ACTUATOR SYSTEM FOR RAISING AND LOWERING AIRCRAFT LANDING GEAR

Abstract

The electro-hydrostatic actuator system for raising and lowering aircraft landing gear (1) is provided with at least one hydraulic actuator (21, 22) that is constituted so as to perform retraction and deployment of landing gear (11), a hydraulic circuit (33), a hydraulic pump (32), an electric motor (31), a controller (4) constituted so as to control the operation of the electric motor upon receiving an instruction relating to retraction of the landing gear or an instruction relating to deployment of the landing gear, and a sensor (34) that detects the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump. The controller feeds back the discharge pressure that the sensor has detected, and controls the operation of the electric motor so that the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump becomes a target discharge pressure.

Claims

1-2. (canceled)

3. An electro-hydrostatic actuator system for raising/lowering a landing gear of an aircraft, the electro-hydrostatic actuator system comprising: at least one hydraulic actuator configured to retract and extend the landing gear of the aircraft; a hydraulic circuit connected to the hydraulic actuator, and configured to supply and exhaust operation oil to and from the hydraulic actuator; a hydraulic pump configured to raise a pressure of the operation oil to be supplied to the hydraulic actuator through the hydraulic circuit; an electric motor connected to the hydraulic pump, and configured to drive the hydraulic pump; a controller configured to control an operation of the electric motor at receiving a command to retract or extend the landing gear; and a sensor detecting a discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump, wherein: the controller, when receiving the command to retract or extend the landing gear, feeds back the discharge pressure detected by the sensor, and controls the operation of the electric motor such that the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump reaches a target discharge pressure, and the controller includes: a pressure control block receiving a pressure command of the operation oil to be supplied to the hydraulic actuator, and a feedback signal of the discharge pressure detected by the sensor to output a rotational speed command of the electric motor such that the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump reaches a target discharge pressure associated with the pressure command; a motor rotational speed control block receiving the rotational speed command from the pressure control block, and a rotational speed feedback signal of the electric motor to output a supply current command of the electric motor such that the rotational speed of the electric motor reaches a target rotational speed associated with the rotational speed command; and a current control block receiving the supply current command from the motor rotational speed control block, and a supply current feedback signal to the electric motor to supply the electric motor with a current such that the current reaches a target supply current associated with the supply current command.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a mechanism for extending/retracting a landing gear.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the EHA system for raising/lowering the landing gear.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a comparison between a retraction operation of the landing gear in a comparative example and a retraction operation of the landing gear in an example when operation oil is at an ordinary temperature (20° C.).

[0024] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a comparison between a retraction operation of the landing gear in a comparative example and a retraction operation of the landing gear in an example when operation oil is at a high temperature (70° C.).

[0025] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a comparison between a retraction operation of the landing gear in a comparative example and a retraction operation of the landing gear in an example when operation oil is at a low temperature (−55° C.).

DETAILED DESRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

[0026] An embodiment of the electro-hydrostatic actuator (EHA) system for raising/lowering the landing gear of an aircraft will now be described with reference to the drawings. The EHA system described here is an example. FIG. 1 illustrates a landing gear raising/lowering mechanism to which an EHA system 1 is applied. It is assumed here that the raising/lowering mechanism retracting a landing gear 11 into an aircraft body 12 and extending the landing gear 11 from the aircraft body 12 includes at least a gear actuator 21 raising/lowering the landing gear 11, and a door actuator 22 opening/closing a door 14 of a landing gear bay 13 storing the landing gear 11. These actuators 21 and 22 sequentially operate in retraction/extension of the landing gear 11. Specifically, when the landing gear 11 is retracted, the door actuator 22 opens the door 14, and then, the gear actuator 21 raises the landing gear 11. After the landing gear 11 is retracted into the landing gear bay 13, the door actuator 22 closes the door 14. In this way, a sequence of operations of retracting the landing gear 11 is completed. When the landing gear 11 is extended, the door actuator 22 opens the door 14, and then, the gear actuator 21 lowers the landing gear 11. After the landing gear 11 is extended, the door actuator 22 closes the door 14. The landing gear raising/lowering mechanism may further include a down-lock release actuator for releasing a mechanism for maintaining a landing gear down state.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the EHA system 1. The EHA system 1 includes: the gear actuator 21; the door actuator 22; a hydraulic circuit 33 connected to the gear actuator 21 and the door actuator 22; a hydraulic pump 32 supplying operation oil to the gear actuator 21 and the door actuator 22 through the hydraulic circuit 33; an electric motor 31 connected to the hydraulic pump 32; an EHA controller 4 controlling the operation of the electric motor 31; and a pressure sensor 34 detecting the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 32.

[0028] The hydraulic circuit 33 is configured to selectively supply the gear actuator 21 or the door actuator 22 with the operation oil supplied from the hydraulic pump 32. The hydraulic circuit 33 is also configured to exhaust the operation oil from the gear actuator 21 and the door actuator 22. The specific configuration of the hydraulic circuit 33 is not particularly limited, and can have various configurations as appropriate.

[0029] The hydraulic pump 32 is configured to raise the pressure of the operation oil to be supplied to the gear actuator 21 and the door actuator 22. The hydraulic pump 32 may be a fixed-capacity hydraulic pump. Specifically, examples of the pump may include a swash plate-type or bent-axis type piston pump, a gear pump, a screw pump, and a vane pump. The hydraulic pump 32 may be a variable-capacity hydraulic pump.

[0030] The electric motor 31 is connected to the hydraulic pump 32 and is configured to drive the hydraulic pump 32. The electric motor 31 may be, e.g., a three-phase motor. The EHA controller 4 controls the operation of the electric motor 31, thereby controlling the drive of the hydraulic pump 32, which will be described later.

[0031] The pressure sensor 34 detects the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 32. The pressure sensor 34 can have arbitrary configurations as appropriate. The pressure sensor 34 outputs the discharge pressure detected as a feedback signal to the EHA controller 4.

[0032] The EHA controller 4 includes a pressure control block 41, a motor rotational speed control block 42, and a current control block 43.

[0033] The pressure control block 41 is configured to receive a pressure command output from a system of the aircraft body, and a discharge pressure feedback signal from the pressure sensor 34. The pressure command corresponds to the pressure of the operation oil to be supplied to each of the gear actuator 21 and the door actuator 22 sequentially operating in the retraction/extension of the landing gear 11. The pressure control block 41 outputs a rotational speed command of the electric motor 31 by, e.g., a proportional-integral (PI) control such that the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 32 reaches a target discharge pressure based on the pressure command.

[0034] The motor rotational speed control block 42 is configured to receive the rotational speed command from the pressure control block 41, and the rotational speed of the electric motor 31 as a feedback signal. The motor rotational speed control block 42 outputs a supply current command of the electric motor 31 by, e.g., a PI control such that the rotational speed of the electric motor 31 reaches a target rotational speed based on the rotational speed command.

[0035] The current control block 43 is configured to receive the supply current command from the motor rotational speed control block 42, and a value of a supply current to the electric motor 31 as a feedback signal. The pressure control block 43 supplies the electric motor 31 with a current by, e.g., a PI control such that the current reaches a target supply current based on the supply current command.

[0036] In this way, the EHA controller 4 includes three feedback loops, namely, a pressure feedback loop based on the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 32, a motor rotational speed feedback loop based on the rotational speed of the electric motor 31, and a current feedback loop based on the supply current of the electric motor 31.

[0037] According to the EHA system 1 having such a configuration, if the EHA controller 4 receives the pressure command regarding the retraction/extension of the landing gear 11 from the system in the aircraft body, the electric motor 31 is controlled such that the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 32 reaches the target discharge pressure. That is to say, the EHA controller 4 decreases the rotational speed of the electric motor 31 if the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 32 is higher than the target discharge pressure, and increases the rotational speed of the electric motor 31 if the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 32 is lower than the target discharge pressure.

[0038] When the temperature drop of the operation oil due to an extremely low temperature of its vicinity increases the viscosity thereof, the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 32 becomes too high though the leakage of the operation oil is reduced. The pressure feedback control regarding the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 32 prevents such too high discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 32. In particular, during an aircraft flight in which the aircraft is exposed to an extremely low-temperature environment, the EHA system 1 for raising/lowering the landing gear is stopped, and the temperature of the operation oil is significantly decreased. Thus, there may be a situation where the landing gear 11 has to be extended during landing with the temperature of the operation oil significantly decreased. Even in such a case, the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 32 can be prevented from being too high. This prevents the pressure of the gear actuator 21 and the pressure of the door actuator 22 from being too high beforehand.

[0039] Conversely, even when the temperature rise of the operation oil due to a high temperature of its vicinity decreases the viscosity thereof, and increases the leakage of the operation oil in the hydraulic pump 32, the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 32 can be kept identical with the target discharge pressure. In this way, regardless of the high or low temperature of the operation oil, the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 32 can be kept identical with the target discharge pressure. This prevents variations of the retraction and extension operations of the gear actuator 21 and the door actuator 22.

[0040] Furthermore, in the mechanism of raising/lowering the landing gear 11, an aerodynamic load along with the operation condition of an aircraft is applied to the landing gear 11 and the door 14. The direction or magnitude of the aerodynamic load applied to the gear actuator 21 and the door actuator 22 driving the landing gear 11 and the door 14 varies according to the wind power in the outside and the speed of advance of the aircraft. As described above, the discharge pressure feedback control allows the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 32 to be kept identical with the target discharge pressure, thereby stably operating the gear actuator 21 and the door actuator 22 regardless of the direction or magnitude of the aerodynamic load applied to the gear actuator 21 and the door actuator 22. This prevents variations of the operations of the gear actuator 21 and the door actuator 22.

[0041] In this way, performing the feedback control of the rotational speed of the electric motor 31 and the supply current feedback control to the electric motor 31 in addition to the discharge pressure feedback control can further reduce the variations of the operations of the gear actuator 21 and the door actuator 22. This allows the time taken to retract the landing gear 11 and the time taken to extend the landing gear 11 to be within a predetermined range of time.

[0042] In this way, according to the above configuration, the EHA controller 4 includes the three feedback loops, namely, the pressure feedback loop, the motor rotational speed feedback loop, and the current feedback loop. Regarding the rotational speed control of the electric motor 31, a feedforward control may be adopted. If this configuration is adopted, the motor rotational speed feedback loop and the current feedback loop are omitted in FIG. 2.

EXAMPLES

[0043] Next, examples of the EHA system 1 for raising/lowering the landing gear of an aircraft will be described. FIGS. 3-5 show simulation results regarding the retraction operation of the landing gear 11 in the EHA system 1 for raising/lowering a landing gear. FIG. 3 is a simulation result when the temperature of the operation oil is 20° C., FIG. 4 is a simulation result when the temperature of the operation oil is 70° C., and FIG. 5 is a simulation result when the temperature of the operation oil is −55° C. The diagram on the left-hand side of each of FIGS. 3-5 shows a comparative example, and shows how the motor rotational speed changes (top), how the pressure of the bore chamber of the gear actuator 21 changes (middle), and how the pressure of the annulus chamber of the door actuator 22 changes (bottom) if the EHA controller 4 includes the motor rotational speed feedback loop and the current feedback loop and does not include the pressure feedback loop. The diagram on the right hand side of each of FIGS. 3-5 shows an example, and shows, if the EHA controller 4 includes the motor rotational speed feedback loop, the current feedback loop, and the pressure feedback loop (see FIG. 2), how the motor rotational speed changes (top), how the pressure of the bore chamber of the gear actuator 21 changes (middle), and how the pressure of the annulus chamber of the door actuator 22 changes (bottom).

[0044] As described above, when the landing gear 11 is retracted, the operation in which the door actuator 22 opens the door 14 (door opened), the operation in which the gear actuator 21 raises the landing gear 11 (gear up), and the operation in which the door actuator 22 closes the door 14 (door closed) are sequentially performed. The EHA controller 4 receives commands associated with respective operations.

[0045] First, the comparative examples shown in FIGS. 3-5 are compared with one another. In the comparative examples, the motor rotational speed feedback control is performed, as described above. In the door open operation, the EHA controller 4 receives a motor rotational speed command associated with the operation of the door actuator 22, and controls the electric motor 31 such that the rotational speed of the electric motor 31 reaches a target motor rotational speed associated with the motor rotational speed command. When the operation oil is at an ordinary temperature, the motor rotational speed is substantially constant during the door open operation, as shown in the top left view of FIG. 3. As shown in the bottom left view of FIG. 3, the operation oil is supplied from the hydraulic pump 32 to increase the pressure in the door actuator 22.

[0046] Likewise, in the gear up operation following the door open operation, the EHA controller 4 receives a motor rotational speed command associated with the operation of the gear actuator 21, and controls the electric motor 31 such that the rotational speed of the electric motor 31 reaches a target motor rotational speed associated with the motor rotational speed command. As shown in the top left view of FIG. 3, the motor rotational speed is substantially constant though it is different from that in the door open operation. As shown in the middle left view of FIG. 3, the operation oil is supplied from the hydraulic pump 32 to increase the pressure in the gear actuator 21.

[0047] Subsequently, likewise, in the door close operation, the EHA controller 4 receives a motor rotational speed command associated with the operation of the door actuator 22, and controls the electric motor 31 such that the rotational speed of the electric motor 31 reaches a target motor rotational speed associated with the motor rotational speed command. As shown in the top left view of FIG. 3, the motor rotational speed is substantially constant though it is different from that in the door open operation and that in the gear up operation. As shown in the bottom left view of FIG. 3, the pressure of the annulus chamber of the door actuator 22 is decreased.

[0048] In this way, a sequence of the operations, namely, the door open, the gear up, and the door close operations is performed to allow the landing gear 11 to be retracted within the predetermined range of time.

[0049] In contrast, as shown on the left-hand side of FIG. 4, when the operation oil is at a high temperature, the EHA controller 4 also receives a motor rotational speed command in each operation, namely, the door open, the gear up, and the door close operations, and controls the electric motor 31 such that the rotational speed of the electric motor 31 reaches a target motor rotational speed associated with each of the commands. The temperature of the operation oil is high, and thus, the viscosity thereof is low. This increases the leakage of the operation oil in the hydraulic pump 32, thereby lowering the discharge rate of the hydraulic pump 32, compared with the discharge rate at the ordinary temperature. This increases the time taken to perform the gear up operation, compared with that at the ordinary temperature. This is remarkable in the gear up operation shown in the middle left view of FIG. 4. As a result, in the comparative examples in which the rotational speed feedback control of the electric motor 31 is performed, the time taken to retract the landing gear 11 including the door open, the gear up, and the door close operations are significantly longer than that at the ordinary temperature.

[0050] As shown on the left-hand side of FIG. 5, when the temperature of the operation oil is low, the viscosity thereof is increased. This reduces the leakage of the operation oil in the hydraulic pump 32, thereby increasing the discharge rate of the hydraulic pump 32, compared with the discharge rate at the ordinary temperature. This allows the operation oil to be excessively supplied to the door actuator 22, thereby significantly increasing the pressure in the door actuator 22. This is remarkable in the door open operation in the bottom left view of FIG. 5 (see a portion surrounded by the dotted line).

[0051] As shown in the top left view of FIG. 5, when the temperature of the operation oil is low, unlike the case where the operation oil is at the ordinary temperature (left view of FIG. 3), and the case where the operation oil is at a high temperature (left view of FIG. 4), the rotational speed of the electric motor 31 is not constant and is temporarily lowered during the gear up operation. That is because, when the energy supplied to the electric motor 31 exceeds the set upper limit value, a torque limit control decreasing the rotational speed is performed in addition to the rotational speed feedback control of the electric motor 31. As a result, the time taken to retract the landing gear 11 when the operation oil is at a low temperature is longer than that when the operation oil is at the ordinary temperature.

[0052] In contrast to such comparative examples, the discharge pressure feedback control of the hydraulic pump 32 is performed in the examples. In each of the door open, the gear up, and the door close operation, the EHA controller 4 receives pressure commands associated with the respective operations of the door actuator 22 and the gear actuator 21. The EHA controller 4 controls the electric motor 31 such that the pressure reaches a target discharge pressure associated with each of the pressure commands. That is to say, the rotational speed of the electric motor 31 is increased when the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 32 is low, and the rotational speed of the electric motor 31 is decreased when the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 32 is high. This allows the rotational speed of the electric motor 31 to vary during each operation, not to be constant, as shown in the top right views of FIGS. 3-5.

[0053] As it is clear from a comparison between right views of FIG. 3 and right views of FIG. 4, when the temperature of the operation oil is high and the viscosity thereof is low, the rotational speed of the electric motor 31 is set to high since a large amount of the operation oil is leaked from the hydraulic pump 32. This supplies the door actuator 22 and the gear actuator 21 with necessary and sufficient operation oil. In particular, as shown in the middle right view of FIG. 4, the time taken to perform the gear up operation is more significantly reduced than that in the conventional example. As a result, the example in which the discharge pressure feedback control of the hydraulic pump 32 is performed prevents the time taken to retract the landing gear 11 including the door open, the gear up, and the door close operations from being significantly longer than that at the ordinary temperature. That is to say, the examples can reduce the variation of the time taken to retract the landing gear 11.

[0054] When the temperature of the operation oil is low, the leakage amount of the operation oil from the hydraulic pump 32 is reduced as described above. In the examples, the rotational speed of the electric motor 31 is set to low, as shown in the right view of FIG. 5. This reduces excess supply of the operation oil to the door actuator 22 and the gear actuator 21, thereby making it possible to prevent a significant increase in the pressure of the door actuator 22, which is remarkable in the door open operation shown in the bottom left view of FIG. 5 (see a portion surrounded by the dotted line).

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0055] 1 EHA System for Raising/Lowering Landing Gear [0056] 11 Landing Gear [0057] 21 Gear Actuator (Hydraulic Actuator) [0058] 22 Door Actuator (Hydraulic Actuator) [0059] 31 Electric Motor [0060] 32 Hydraulic Pump [0061] 33 Hydraulic Circuit [0062] 34 Pressure Sensor [0063] 4 EHA Controller [0064] 41 Pressure Control Block [0065] 42 Motor Rotational Speed Control Block [0066] 43 Current Control Block