PITCH TRIMMER

Abstract

A landing gear assembly (12) includes a primary load bearing strut including a shock absorber having a slider part (15) arranged to slide within a cylinder part (17). A link assembly (50) is attached between the slider part (15) and the cylinder part (17). A bogie (16) supporting wheels is mounted on the strut. The bogie may adopt different pitch angles. A pitch trimmer device (70) is attached to the bogie and to the link assembly, for example thus providing a relatively long moment arm (96) for control of the bogie pitch angle. The arrangement may be such that the pitch trimmer (70) is near mid-stroke as the aircraft achieves the full weight on wheels condition, whereas the pitch trimmer is at a fullest extent for flight case and for retraction. Onset of pitch trimmer closure/movement is used to detect the weight-on-wheels condition.

Claims

1. A landing gear assembly including: a primary load bearing strut comprising a shock absorber including a slider part arranged to slide within a cylinder part, a link assembly which attaches at a first end to the slider part and at a second end to the cylinder part, a bogie configured to support aircraft landing wheels, wherein the bogie is mounted on the primary load bearing strut such that the bogie may adopt different pitch angles, and a pitch trimmer device arranged to set a pitch angle of the bogie, wherein the pitch trimmer device is attached at a first end to the bogie and at a second end to the link assembly.

2. The landing gear assembly according to claim 1, wherein the link assembly is a primary torque link assembly of the landing gear assembly.

3. The landing gear assembly according to claim 1, wherein the landing gear assembly comprises a further link assembly which attaches at a first end to the slider part and at a second end to the cylinder part, the further link assembly being the primary torque link assembly of the landing gear assembly.

4. The landing gear assembly according to claim 1, wherein the link assembly includes a first link member which extends from a first end of the link assembly and a second link member which extends from a second end of the link assembly, the first and second link members being rotatably attached to each other at a hinge location, the second end of the pitch trimmer device being attached to the link assembly at a location that, along the length of the link assembly when at its most open, is closer to the hinge location than to the first end of the link assembly and is also closer to the hinge location than to the second end of the link assembly.

5. The landing gear assembly according to claim 4, wherein the second end of the pitch trimmer device is attached to the link assembly at, or directly adjacent to, the hinge location of the link assembly.

6. The landing gear assembly according to claim 1, wherein the geometry of the landing gear assembly is such that the pitch trimmer device is able, in use, to adopt a position in which a line of action of the pitch trimmer device is at an angle of more than 30 degrees to a longitudinal axis of the bogie.

7. The landing gear assembly according to claim 1, wherein a geometry of the landing gear assembly enables the pitch trimmer device to adopt a position in which a line of action of the pitch trimmer device is at an angle of more than 30 degrees to a longitudinal axis of the primary load bearing strut

8. The landing gear assembly according to claim 1, wherein the landing gear assembly is a retractable landing gear assembly.

9. The landing gear assembly according to claim 8, wherein the landing gear assembly has a configuration for retraction in which the bogie is pitched at a particular angle and a geometry of the landing gear assembly is such that if the bogie has not moved so that it is pitched at that particular angle immediately before the landing gear is retracted, the pitch trimmer device is only ever required to extend to move so that it is pitched at that particular angle.

10. The landing gear assembly according to claim 9, wherein the geometry of the landing gear assembly is such in the full weight-on-the aircraft landing wheels configuration in equilibrium the pitch trimmer device is in or near a midway position of the landing gear assembly.

11. The landing gear assembly according to claim 1, wherein the pitch trimmer device has a length when fully extended that is at least five times a widest diameter of its cylinder.

12. The landing gear assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a flexible joint providing two degrees of freedom of movement between at least one of (a) the first end of the pitch trimmer device and the bogie and (b) the second end of the pitch trimmer device and the link assembly.

13. The landing gear assembly according to claim 1, wherein the pitch trimmer device includes a measuring system which produces a signal from which at least one of movement and position may be detected.

14. A wing assembly comprising the landing gear assembly of claim 1.

15. An aircraft including the landing gear assembly of claim 1.

16. A method of moving a landing gear assembly for an aircraft, wherein the landing gear assembly includes a landing gear leg, at a bottom of the landing gear leg, a bogie on which is mounted aircraft landing wheels via multiple axles, the landing gear leg including a shock absorber moveable between a compressed configuration and an extended configuration, and a link assembly which accommodates movement of the shock absorber between the compressed and extended configurations, wherein the link assembly attaching at a first end to an upper part of the landing gear leg and attaching at a second end to a lower part of the landing gear leg, and wherein the method includes, after take-off of the aircraft, moving the bogie to a target pitch angle for retraction by a powered device having a line of action extending between a position on the bogie and a position on the link assembly.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein a pitch trimmer device moves the bogie to the target pitch

18. The method of claim 16 including varying a pitch angle of the bogie of the landing gear assembly with the use of a pitch trimmer.

19. The method of claim 16 including varying a pitch angle of the landing gear bogie by using a pitch trimmer while the landing gear assembly is deployed and the aircraft landing wheels are on ground.

20. A The method of claim 16 including: moving a pitch trimmer in response to a touch-down of a wheel on the bogie, one or more sensors detecting at least one of (a) the movement of the pitch trimmer due to the aircraft landing wheels touching-down during the landing, and (b) a new position of the pitch trimmer due to the movement of the pitch trimmer, and one or more signals from the one or more sensors are received by a control system of the aircraft and are used to detect a weight on the aircraft landing wheels.

21. (canceled)

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings of which:

[0037] FIG. 1 is a side view of an aircraft comprising a landing gear and a bogie on which a pitch trimmer may be mounted;

[0038] FIG. 2 is a side view of a first example landing gear of the prior art;

[0039] FIG. 3 is a side view of a second example landing gear of the prior art;

[0040] FIG. 4 is a side view of a third example landing gear of the prior art;

[0041] FIG. 5 is a side view of a fourth example landing gear of the prior art;

[0042] FIG. 6 is a side view of a landing gear in accordance with a first embodiment;

[0043] FIG. 7 is a side view of a landing gear and pitch trimmer in accordance with a second embodiment;

[0044] FIG. 8 is a side view of the landing gear of FIG. 7 showing the line of action of the pitch trimmer;

[0045] FIGS. 9 and 10 are side views showing the position of the pitch trimmer shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when landing the aircraft in accordance with a method of a third embodiment, during which the weight on wheels condition is detected;

[0046] FIG. 11 is a side view showing the position of the pitch trimmer of the landing gear during a method of changing a wheel on the ground in accordance with a fourth embodiment;

[0047] FIG. 12 is a side view showing the position of the pitch trimmer of the landing gear, in accordance with a fifth embodiment, during collapse of the nose of an aircraft on the ground; and

[0048] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the steps of method of retracting a landing gear assembly from a deployed position to a stowed position of an aircraft on the ground in accordance with a sixth embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] FIG. 1 shows an aircraft 10 comprising a main landing gear 12, the aircraft being of a type that may be employed as the aircraft with which the landing gear of any of the illustrated embodiments may be used. The aircraft 10 thus includes a landing gear assembly 12 including a bogie, which is mounted on the lower end of the landing gear leg in such a way that the bogie may adopt different pitch angles.

[0050] FIGS. 2 to 5 are drawings showing schematically types of pitch trimmer arrangements of the prior art.

[0051] FIG. 6 shows a side view of a landing gear assembly 12 in accordance with a first embodiment. The forward direction in FIG. 6 is shown by arrow F. The landing gear assembly has a leg 14 which includes a bogie 16 mounted on the lower end of the leg 14 in such a way that the bogie may adopt different pitch angles. FIG. 6 shows the bogie pitched up at a pitch angle of about 25 degrees to the horizontal. The bogie, in this example, carries two sets of wheels 18. The landing gear leg 14 has a slider part 15 arranged to slide within a cylinder part 17, the slider and cylinder forming an oleo-type shock absorber. The landing gear assembly 12 includes a torque link assembly 50 having a first (lower) torque link 52 attached to the slider part 15 and a second (upper) torque link 54 attached to the cylinder part 17 of the landing gear leg 14. The lower torque link 52 is coupled to the upper torque link 54 via a hinge at the apex 58 of the torque link assembly 50. There may also be a false torque link set (not shown in FIG. 6) to the rear of the landing gear leg 14. The pitch angle of the bogie 16 is able to be varied by means of a pitch trimmer device 70. The pitch trimmer device 70 is mounted at one end 72 to an attachment joint at an end of the bogie 16. The pitch trimmer device 70 is mounted at the other end 74 to an attachment joint 56 located on the upper torque link at a location nearer the apex than to the attachment location of the upper torque link 54 to the cylinder. The attachment joint 56 may be provided in and/or on the torque link specifically for the purpose of attaching one end of the pitch trimmer device. FIG. 6 shows that the pitch trimmer device extends directly between a mounting location on the bogie and a mounting location on the torque link assembly.

[0052] FIGS. 7 and 8 relate to a retractable landing gear and pitch trimmer in accordance with a second embodiment. Like reference numerals denote like elements, and only those elements of the landing gear of FIGS. 7 and 8 which differ significantly with respect to those of FIG. 6 will now be discussed. The beam of the bogie 16 is labelled with reference number 19. The bogie beam 19 supports three sets of wheels 18, one set 18f at the front, one set in the middle, and one set 18r at the rear. The bogie beam 19 pitch changes as it rotates about a pivot point 19a at the lower end of the landing gear leg. The torque link set 50 is provided to the rear of the landing gear leg. The pitch trimmer device 70 is mounted at one end 72, via a ball and socket type joint to an end of the bogie 16. The other end 74 of the pitch trimmer device 70 is mounted to an attachment joint located at the apex 58 of the torque link assembly 50. A false torque link set 80, of lower strength and mass, is provided to the front of the landing gear leg 14. The false torque link set 80 has a first (lower) torque link 82 attached to the slider part 15 of the landing gear and a second (upper) torque link 84 attached to the cylinder part 17. FIGS. 7 and 8 show the longitudinal axis 14a of the landing gear leg 14. The axis 14a is shown angled to the vertical.

[0053] It will be seen that the pitch trimmer has been positioned to the rear, which may provide protection against, for example, bird strike by means of the shielding provided during flight by the landing gear leg.

[0054] The free-in-air bogie beam angular position (trail angle) is set to facilitate the retraction of the landing gear into the available space within the wheel well in the airframe of the aircraft. As shown in FIG. 7, the trail angle means that all tyres do not touch the ground at the same time on landing, because the rear (aft) wheel 18r is closer to the flat horizontal ground, labelled G in FIG. 7, than the front wheel 18f. Thus, when the wheels first touchdown, the trail angle of the bogie beam 19 changes. The pitch trimmer 70 controls the trail angle of the bogie beam 19 with the landing gear assembly 12 in flight. It also permits the bogie 16 to adjust its angular position as required as the aircraft contacts the ground G in various attitudes, and also provides a damping function to control bogie pitching vibrations during take-off and landing. In this embodiment, the pitch trimmer is able to actively position the bogie trail at the correct angle for landing gear retraction after take-off (by means of driving the bogie to the correct pitch angle under the power of the linear hydraulic actuator powered by a hydraulic circuit of the aircraft). The hydraulic pipes 90 for supplying hydraulic power to the pitch trimmer 70 (illustrated only in FIG. 7) are routed via the false torque links 80. Local means 92 (again, illustrated only in FIG. 7) may be provided to provide control and/or provide a local fluid reservoir for the hydraulic power fed to the pitch trimmer device 70 by the hydraulic pipes 90.

[0055] FIG. 8 shows some of the forces that act on the landing gear and pitch trimmer in accordance with the second embodiment. Various parts of the landing gear assembly are omitted from FIG. 8 for the sake of clarity. The pitch trimmer (represented by arrow 70 in FIG. 8) pushes in a line of action 70a that extends between the attachment joint at the end of the bogie 16 and the apex 58 of the torque link assembly 50. The moment arm (illustrated by arrow 96) is aligned with axis 95, which is perpendicular to axis 70a and intersects pivot point 19a in FIG. 8. The moment arm 96 is about one metre long and therefore compares favourably with the equivalent moment arm of the prior art arrangement of FIG. 2. The geometry of the landing gear assembly is such that when the pitch trimmer is fully extended and the landing gear leg is fully extended (i.e. in flight) the angle (labelled as angle A in FIG. 8) between the longitudinal axis 14a of the landing gear leg and the line of action 70a is about 45 degrees. In such a configuration, the angle (labelled as angle B in FIG. 8) between the bogie beam axis 16a and the line of action 70a is about 40 degrees. When the aircraft is on the ground with the landing gear leg compressed, the angles A and B may change by a few degrees or so.

[0056] The pitch trimmer is provided in the form of a lightweight linear hydraulic actuator having a mass very roughly of the order of 25 Kg (less than 40 Kg), a length between attachment points of over 1.0 m when fully open/extended to under 1.0 m when fully closed/compressed. The diameter of the hydraulic cylinder of the pitch trimmer, at its widest is of the order of 10 cm (less than 20 cm). The pitch trimmer is thus relatively lightweight and slender, which is made possible by the improved moment arm mentioned above, which enables the same effective hinge moment with a lower mass actuator.

[0057] Use of the pitch trimmer, of a type similar to that shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in a method of landing an aircraft will now be described in connection with a third embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated by FIGS. 9 and 10. The apparatus shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 can be assumed to be substantially identical to that shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and as such like reference numerals are used to denote like elements. Some elements are not shown for the sake of clarity.

[0058] FIG. 9 shows the landing gear assembly 12 immediately after touchdown of the rear wheel 18r of the bogie 16. The front wheel is still off the ground G. The main oleo shock absorber of the landing gear leg 14 is about to start to compress. Any movement of the slider 15 into the cylinder 17 would cause the torque link to close (the included angle getting smaller), thus urging the apex 58 of the torque link assembly away from the landing gear leg 14. The bogie 16 has just started to rotate as a result of touchdown of the rear wheel 18r. The pitch trimmer devices thus compresses by a distance d.sub.1. It will be seen that either (a) compression of the oleo shock absorber or (b) rotation of the bogie beam clockwise (as seen in FIG. 9) as the front wheel approaches the ground (or both) would cause the pitch trimmer to compress. It is therefore permissible for the pitch trimmer to be at its fullest extent immediately before landing. Such a geometry means that touchdown of the wheels of the bogie will only cause a compression of the pitch trimmer device. Such a compression is detected by a sensor (not shown) in the pitch trimmer, simply as a change in position (as between the position immediately before touchdown and the position immediately after touchdown)i.e. a movement. An output from the sensor is then used by an aircraft control system as part of the information used to determine when touchdown has occurred and when deceleration of the aircraft can be initiated (e.g. by braking the wheels and/or engaging reverse thrust). FIG. 10 shows the position adopted by the torque link assembly 50, the pitch trimmer 70 and the oleo shock absorber (parts 15, 17) after the aircraft has landed and is stationary on the ground. The oleo shock absorber is compressed and the torque link closed. In this state, the pitch trimmer is part compressed (roughly mid-way along its stroke length) and has moved by a further distance d2 as compared to the position shown in FIG. 10. It will be seen that compression of the pitch trimmer may first be caused by bogie pitching movement alone and then, later, as the oleo breaks out, the pitch trimmer is moved further in the same direction, so that the oleo movement and the bogie pitch movement are summed together at the pitch trimmer device.

[0059] The bogie trail angle change during the initial part of the landing may thus be used as an early means of detecting that the aircraft has achieved weight-on wheels (WonW) without needing to wait for sufficient weight to be on the gears such that the shock absorbers begin to compress (which may also be independently detected, but only later on). Early and reliable confirmation of WonW may be important as, in certain aircraft, it can be the trigger for deployment of the means of stopping the aircraft (reverse thrust, lift dumpers, maximum wheel braking). Waiting for detection of shock absorber compression, in particular for a lightweight kiss landing, perhaps on an icy runway such that the tyres do not spin up, will delay the initiation of the various retardation devices and thus negatively impact the stopping performance of the aeroplane.

[0060] Arranging the pitch trimmer such that its end stop position is the position required for retraction (and also for landing) enables the device to be designed so as to be driven in one direction only, which may simplify its design and operation. Also, arranging the pitch trimmer such that it is compressed on landing (and not extended) by bogie pitch, by oleo stroke or by a combination of both bogie pitch and oleo stroke allows for a simple and reliable weight on wheels detection system to be implemented using the pitch trimmer stroke change as a measure of touch-down.

[0061] To summarise, firstly, the kinematics of the torque links, the bogie and the pitch trimmer are such that the pitch trimmer is arranged to be approximately centralised (i.e. at or near mid-stroke) as the aircraft achieves the full weight on wheels condition. This then allows adequate stroke in both directions from the on ground position to accommodate all the ground-based bogie pitching cases, such as for example jacking one end of the bogie for tyre change, nose gear collapse and the like. Secondly, the kinematics of the torque links, the bogie and the pitch trimmer are such that the pitch trimmer is at its outstop (fullest extent) for the flight cases and for retraction. No case exists in flight where the bogie can be pitched nose down (as the pitch trimmer is already at its fullest extent). Thus the trimmer only needs to function in one direction (i.e. closing from the fully extended condition) for all landing cases. Furthermore, in order to ensure that the bogie is pitched at the correct angle for retraction, the pitch trimmer is required simply to extend to its outstop. Consequentially, the pitch trimmer may be a simple, single acting (one direction) device in lieu of a complex mid-position, dual action device. Lastly, the present embodiment enables the use of onset of pitch trimmer closure/movement as a reliable means of early WonW detection.

[0062] Use of the pitch trimmer, of a type similar to that shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in a method of changing a wheel will now be described in connection with a fourth embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated by FIG. 11. The apparatus shown in FIG. 11 can be assumed to be substantially identical to that shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and as such like reference numerals are used to denote like elements. Some elements are not shown for the sake of clarity. The method of this fourth embodiment may be used, for example, if a tyre needs changing on a given wheel of the bogie.

[0063] The landing gear assembly 12 is shown in FIG. 11 in a position with the aircraft stationary and on the ground. The rear wheel is held in position on the ground by suitable means 97. There is also provided a method of repositioning a landing gear bogie on a landing gear assembly of an aircraft when the landing gear assembly is deployed and the aircraft is on the ground. The method may for example include varying the pitch angle of the landing gear bogie with the length of the pitch trimmer being varied accordingly. Such movement may be effected by means of jacking up the bogie front wheel, with the change in pitch angle of the bogie being taken up by the pitch trimmer operating in a passive mode. As a result of the geometry of the landing gear assembly 12 and the pitch trimmer 70, there may be sufficient stroke length of the pitch trimmer 70 to accommodate at least 200 mm ground clearance (distance d.sub.3 shown in FIG. 11) of the front wheel.

[0064] A fifth embodiment, in which a nose gear collapse is accommodated is shown in FIG. 12 (similar to FIG. 11). In the nose gear collapse case, the nose of the aircraft is lower than it would normally be such that the axis 14a of the landing gear leg 14 is inclined to be closer to the horizontal (than in the case shown in FIG. 10 for example), thus causing a change in bogie pitch and extension of the pitch trimmer 70. Such an extension of the pitch trimmer 70 can readily be accommodated by the pitch trimmer 70, as a result of the geometry of the landing gear assembly 12 including the connection of the pitch trimmer 70 to the torque assembly 50.

[0065] A flowchart 300 showing the steps performed in a method of retracting a landing gear assembly in accordance with a sixth embodiment is illustrated by FIG. 13. The landing gear assembly employed in the method may be as shown in any of the illustrated embodiments. Thus, the landing gear assembly includes for example a landing gear leg incorporating an oleo shock absorber, a pitchable bogie with multiple sets of wheels, and a link assembly for accommodating movement of the oleo shock absorber while resisting relative rotation of the bogie about the landing gear leg axis. The landing gear is initially (step 301) in its deployed position following take-off. In step 302, the bogie is moved, if necessary, so that it adopts the optimum pitch angle for retraction. This is performed by means of extending the pitch trimmer to its fullest extent. The pitch trimer thus pushes along a line of action that extends between the attachment point on the bogie (at one end of the pitch trimmer) and the attachment point on the link assembly (at the opposite end of the pitch trimmer). The landing gear is then retracted as step 303.

[0066] Whilst the present invention has been described and illustrated with reference to particular embodiments, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention lends itself to many different variations not specifically illustrated herein. Some examples of such variations will now be described by way of example only.

[0067] The torque link assembly of the landing gear might alternatively connect to different parts of the landing gear yet still provide the function of accommodating translational relative movement of the bogie along the axis of the landing gear leg whilst resisting relative rotational movement of the bogie about that axis.

[0068] It may be possible for the pitch trimmer device to be operated without any power being provided. For example, the geometry of the landing gear assembly may be designed such that, when deployed, the pitch trimmer extends to its outstop under the influence of sufficient hydraulic pressure present in the device. Additionally or alternatively, the geometry of the landing gear assembly may be designed such that the natural weight of the bogie and landing gear parts cause the pitch trimmer to be extended to its outstop, under the influence of gravity, when the landing gear is deployed and the aircraft is in flight.

[0069] The landing gear shown in the accompanying Figures have two-wheel axles and three-wheel axles. It will be appreciated that landing gear in accordance with the present invention may include a different number of wheels, for example a larger number of wheels, for example eight wheels mounted on a bogie.

[0070] The false links and principal torque links may be located the other way around.

[0071] It may be preferable in certain aircraft, for example in view of particular requirements of the landing gear retraction kinematics, for the bogie to be pitched nose-down on landing (such that the foremost wheel touches down in advance of the aft wheel).

[0072] Where in the foregoing description, integers or elements are mentioned which have known, obvious or foreseeable equivalents, then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth. Reference should be made to the claims for determining the true scope of the present invention, which should be construed so as to encompass any such equivalents. It will also be appreciated by the reader that integers or features of the invention that are described as preferable, advantageous, convenient or the like are optional and do not limit the scope of the independent claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that such optional integers or features, whilst of possible benefit in some embodiments of the invention, may not be desirable, and may therefore be absent, in other embodiments.