Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ALTERNATIVE UPLOCK RELEASE ASSEMBLY
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to aircraft uplock assemblies in general including an
emergency release
mechanism for such assemblies.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Uplock assemblies are used on aircraft "utility door systems such as a landing
gear bay,
weapon bays, arresting gear systems or any other in-flight opening door
systems. Uplock
assemblies are designed to keep utility door systems securely in a
predetermined `locked'
closed position when use of the utility doors is not needed. Certain aircraft,
depending on
their applications, are fitted with a plurality of uplock assemblies to open
various doors to
allow for ultimate operation or deployment of landing gear, weapons or other
such aircraft
functions.
For example, when an aircraft is landing, a door covering an undercarriage
well is opened to
permit the landing gear to be deployed. When the landing gear is deployed, the
door is
usually open and an uplock assembly is unlatched, although on some types of
aircraft the
undercarriage well doors are closed when the landing gear is deployed. When
the aircraft is
flying, the landing gear is typically retracted into an undercarriage well for
stowage and when
an indication is given that the landing gear is fully stowed, a hydraulic
actuator is operated to
close the undercarriage well door until a catch member of the door cooperates
with a latch of
an uplock assembly to prevent the unintentional opening of the door(s) during
flight.
Prior to landing, the uplock assembly needs to be released to permit the door
to open and the
landing gear to be lowered and extended. The release occurs by hydraulically-
aided or other
means and/or with the aid of gravity. Therefore, an uplock release assembly is
a device which
allows an uplock assembly to go from a locked and closed position to an
unlocked and
opened position. Moreover, the normal uplock release assembly is referred to
as the primary
uplock release assembly as opposed to an alternate uplock release assembly.
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Back-up or emergency systems are also standard with uplock assemblies. For
ease of
language, a back-up or emergency release system will referred to as an
alternative uplock
release assembly. In the event the primary uplock release assembly should
fail, an alternate
unlocking means is required. For example, in order to lower the landing gear
manually, the
primary uplock release assembly can be bypassed. One way to achieve this is
through the
release of hydraulic fluid allowing the landing gear to move to the extended
position. Other
alternate assemblies such as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,027,070 to
Zambelli use
mechanical systems with cables and pulleys for sequential release of the door
uplock
assembly followed by release of the landing gear uplock assemblies. This
particular system
is mechanically complex, cumbersome and is implemented when more than one
uplock needs
to be actuated sequentially by some alternate means.
U.S. Patent No. 6,802,476 to Collet et at. discloses an alternative system
comprising a first or
primary actuator (eg. a motor) for normal mode operation and a second actuator
for
emergency operation which can enable the high torque required to unlock the
hook while the
assembly is under load. However, if numerous uplock assemblies are required in
the.
aircraft, the inclusion of a separate actuator for each uplock assembly
results in a heavier and
more cumbersome alternate release system.
There is therefore a need to provide a mechanically more simple and more
reliable alternative
uplock release' assembly for an uplock assembly which is not as complex or
heavy as the
systems discussed above.
SUMMARY OF TIC I VEN1'ION
An object of the present invention is to provide a new alternative uplock
release assembly
comprising: a pivot pin having a first end and a second end and an internal
bore, a release
system operatively connected to the first end of the pivot pin, said release
system comprising
a cylinder and a piston, said piston having a piston head and an elongated
member passing
longitudinally through said bore, said cylinder having a pressure port through
which a
pressure source can be fed, a hooking member, a torque member rotatably
mounted at the
second end of the pivot pin, a biasing system operatively connected to the
torque member,
said biasing system having a bias cylinder and a biasing means located within
the bias
cylinder, wherein biasing force is applied to the torque member, an
interlocking means to
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enable the rotatable interconnection between the torque member and the hooking
member in
a locked and first position, and an engaging means to interconnect the torque
member with a
link member, wherein when torque is applied to the link member, the torque is
transferred,
via the engaging means and interlocking means, to the hooking member forcing
the hooking
member to rotate around the pivot pin and wherein when pressure is fed through
the pressure
port, the piston counteracts the biasing force, thereby translating the torque
member
longitudinally over the pivot pin sufficiently to decouple the torque member
and the hooking
member from the said locked and first position, to an unlocked and second
position enabling
the hooking member to rotate around the pivot pin.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an alternate method
for releasing a
locked uplock assembly comprising a pivot pin having a first end, a second end
and an
internal bore, a release system operatively connected to the first end of the
pivot pin, said
release system comprising a cylinder and a piston, said piston having a piston
head and an
elongated member passing longitudinally through said bore, said cylinder
having a pressure
port through which a pressure source can be fed, a hooking member, a torque
member
rotatably mounted at the second end of the pivot pin, a biasing system
operatively connected
to the torque member, said biasing system having a bias cylinder and a biasing
means located
within the bias cylinder, wherein biasing force is applied to the torque
member, an
interlocking means to enable the rotatable interconnection between the torque
member and
the hooking member in a locked and first position, and an engaging means to
interconnect the
torque member with a link member, comprising the steps of: feeding pressure
through the
pressure port, counteracting the biasing force, translating the torque member
longitudinally
over the pivot pin, away from the hooking member, decoupling the torque member
and
hooking member, and allowing the hooking member to rotate around the pivot pin
from the
locked and first position to an unlocked and second position.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide an uplock release
assembly and
method of use in which the assembly comprises both a primary release as well
as an
alternative release as evidenced in the figures and description to follow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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Figure 1 shows a cut-out view of one embodiment of the hook release assembly
according to
the present invention.
Figure 2 shows a perspective view showing the inner disposition of the
connection means and
the interlocking means of the embodiment in Figure 1 in a locked and first
position.
Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the embodiment in Figure 1.
Figure 4 shows a cut-out view of the embodiment in Figure 1 in which the
torque member is
coupled with the hook member in the first position in a locked and first
position.
Figure 5 shows a cut-out view of the embodiment in Figure 1. in which the
torque member is
de-coupled from the hook member in the unlocked and second position.
Figure 6 shows a cut-out view of the embodiment in Figure 1. in which the
torque member is
de-coupled from the hook member in the unlocked and second position and the
hook member
is rotated around the pivot pin.
Figure 7 shows a cut-out side view of a lifting uplock assembly incorporating
the
embodiment in Figure 1.
Figure 8 illustrates a side view of an uplock assembly incorporating one
embodiment of the
hook release assembly according to the present invention, wherein the uplock
is closed and
locked.
Figure 9 illustrates a side view of the embodiment of Figure 8 wherein the
uplock is opened.
Figure 10 illustrates a side internal view of the embodiment of Figure 8
wherein the uplock is
closed and locked.
Figure 11 illustrates a side view of a non-lifting uplock assembly capable of
incorporating
one embodiment of the hook release assembly according to the present
invention.
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Figure 12 illustrates a perspective view of an uplock assembly incorporating
one embodiment
of the hook release assembly according to the present invention.
Figure 13 is a cross-section view of another embodiment of the hook release
assembly
according to the present invention in a locked and first position.
Figure 14 is a perspective exploded view of the embodiment illustrated in
Figure 13.
Figure 15 is a cross-section view of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 13
during normal
mode of operation of the uplock in a locked and first position.
Figure 16 is a cross-section view of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 13
during alternate
release operation of the uplock in an unlocked and second position.
Figure 17 depicts a shear cartridge as used in one embodiment of the present
invention.
Figure 18 depicts a bias cylinder as used in one embodiment of the present
invention.
Figure 19 depicts a torque member as used in one embodiment of the present
invention
showing torque member projections.
Figure 20 depicts a link member as used in one embodiment of the present
invention.
Figure 21 depicts a hooking member as used in one embodiment of the present
invention
showing hooking member projections.
Figure 22 depicts a support link as used in one embodiment of the present
invention.
Figure 23 depicts a pivot pin as used in one embodiment of the present
invention.
Figure 24 depicts a piston cylinder as used in one embodiment of the present
invention.
Figure 25 depicts a thrust bearing as used in one embodiment of the present
invention.
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Figure 26 depicts a piston as used in one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have
the same
meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which
this invention
belongs.
The present invention provides a new alternative uplock release assembly for
release of a
hooking member 10 from an uplock assembly 2, that can be used, for example,
during an
emergency or following a failure of the primary uplock assembly release
assembly during the
normal mode of operation. The alternative hook release assembly comprises a
pivot pin 20
having a first end 22 and a second end 24, a release system 65, a hooking
member 10, a
torque member 30 rotatably mounted at the second end 24 of the pivot pin 20, a
link member
40 and a biasing system 50. The hooking member 10 and the torque member 30
include an
interlocking means 60 enabling the rotatable interconnection between the
hooking member
and a torque member 30 in a locked and first position. The torque member 30
further
includes an engaging means 32 to interconnect the torque member 30 with a link
member 40
such that when torque is applied to the link member 40, the force is
translated, via the
engaging means 32 and interlocking means 60, to the hooking member 10 allowing
the
hooking member 10 to rotate around the pivot pin 20. A biasing system 50 is
operatively
coupled to the torque member 10. The biasing system 50 includes a bias
cylinder 52 housing
and a biasing means 54 located within the bias cylinder 52 housing to bias the
torque
member 30 in a locked and first position with the hooking member 30. A release
system 65
is operatively connected to the first end 22 of the pivot pin 20. The release
system 65
includes a piston cylinder 70 and a piston 72. The piston 72 further comprises
a piston head
74 at one end and an elongated member 76 which extends longitudinally through
an internal
bore 78 in the pivot pin 20. During operation of the alternate uplock release
assembly, the
pivot pin 20 is operatively connected with the torque member 30 such that when
sufficient
pressure is fed into the piston cylinder 70, the piston 72 moves
longitudinally towards the
opposite end of the assembly and counteracts the force applied by the biasing
means 54. The
torque member 30 moves longitudinally away from the hooking member 10, thereby
decoupling the torque member 30 from the hooking member 10 from a locked and
first
position to an unlocked and second position. In the second position, the
hooking member 10
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is able to rotate around the pivot pin 20 since it is not fixed in place by
the torque member 30.
When pressure against the piston 72 is decreased or stopped, the force applied
by the biasing
means 54 returns the torque member 30 towards the hooking member 10.
It would be understood by a worker skilled in the art that the various
components of the
alternative uplock release assembly can be formed from one or more metals,
alloys and/or
ceramics, including, but not limited to, steel, stainless steel, aluminum and
titanium or any
combination thereof and the outside diameter of the various components may be
lined with a
low friction metal, alloy or ceramic.
Figures 1 to 7 depict various views of one embodiment according to the present
invention.
Figure 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an alternate uplock release
assembly according
to one embodiment of the present invention. The alternate uplock release
assembly includes
a pivot pin 20, a release system 65, a hooking member 10, a torque member 30,
a biasing
system 50 and a link member 40.
Pivot Pin
Figures 1 and 2 show a release assembly comprising a cylindrical pivot pin 20
longitudinally
disposed along a pivot axis A. The pivot pin 20 includes a first end 22, a
second end 24, and
an internal bore 78 extending there-through from the first end 22 to the
second end 24. The
internal bore 78 is centrally located within the pivot pin 20. The pivot pin
20 further includes
a means to engage with the release system 65, such as, according to one
embodiment of the
present invention, a plane annular flange 90 located proximate the first end
22 of the pivot
pin 20.
Release System
As illustrated, for example in Figures 1 to 6, the release system 65 according
to an
embodiment of the present invention includes a piston 72 having a piston head
74 which is
received in a piston cylinder 70. The piston cylinder 70 further includes a
pressure port 80
(see Figures 2 and 3), and a means for receiving the pivot pin 20, such as,
according to one
embodiment of the present invention, a recessed annular ridge 75 along the
circumference of
the opening of the piston cylinder 70 (see Figure 1). The piston 72 further
includes an
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elongated member 76 passing through the internal bore 78 of the pivot pin 20,
wherein said
elongated member 76 is capable of translating longitudinally within said pivot
pin internal
bore 78. The elongated member 76 includes, at the end opposite to the piston
head 74, a
piston stud 77 which is positioned within the torque member aperture 33 (see
Figuresl and
26).
The piston cylinder 70 may further comprise a mounting flange 100 (Figures 1,
2 and 3)
extending radially outwards from the opening of the piston cylinder 70. The
mounting flange
100 further includes mounting apertures 102 wherein fastening devices such as
mounting
bolts 104 (see Figure 3), may be used to mount the piston cylinder 70 to the
uplock assembly.
Other fastening devices, including but not limited to, rivets, pins or other
traditional devices
may also be used to mount the piston cylinder 70 to the uplock assembly 2. In
an alternative
embodiment of the present invention, the piston cylinder 70 can be integrally
formed with an
uplock assembly housing 5. The piston cylinder 70 is not limited to a
cylindrical shape, but
rather can be of any shape or configuration which would allow to fulfill the
utility explained
herein. Correspondingly, piston head 74 is not limited to a circular shape.
In yet a further alternative embodiment, the present invention comprises an
overall integrated
assembly where the alternative uplock release assembly and the primary uplock
release
assembly are combined into one assembly. This integration of alternative and
primary
assemblies results in a functional combination that is an improvement over
other assemblies
that operate in a non-synergistic manner. The primary release assembly and the
alternative
release assembly are integrated to work in a complementary fashion. Should the
primary
assembly not function properly, the alternative uplock release assembly
overrides the primary
assembly link between the linking member 40 and the hooking member 10 to
achieve the
desired release. This complementary integration is well illustrated and
described below.
Hooking Member
The hooking member 10 comprises a mounting end 14 and a hook 12 (Figures 3, 4
and 5).
The mounting end 14 comprises a first lateral surface, a second lateral
surface 17 and an
aperture 18 (Figures 3 and 21). The second lateral surface 17 further
comprises an
interlocking means 60 (Figure 2) to rotationally and releasably interconnect
the hooking
member 10 with the torque member 30.
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In one embodiment of the present invention, the interlocking means 60 is
comprised of two or
more hooking member projections 19 associated with the second lateral surface
17
surrounding the aperture 18, which are designed to complementarily mate with
two or more
torque member projections 35 (Figures 3 to 6).
In another embodiment (not shown) of the present invention, the projections of
each member
(hooking member projections 19 and torque member projections 35) may be angled
so as to
facilitate engagement with the respective projections of the other and to
minimize free play
between these respective projections. Other configurations wherein the hooking
member 10
and the torque member 30 can releasably and complementarily mate are also
contemplated.
The hooking member 10 rotationally mounts onto the pivot pin 20 (Figures 1 and
3) via the
aperture 18 and, in a decoupled position, is capable of independent rotation
around axis A
(Figures 1 and 2). A stop means positioned proximate to the hooking member 10
can limit
the degree of rotation of the hooking member 12 to a desired amount. In one
embodiment of
the present invention, the stop means can be an actuating end 42 of the link
member 40.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the hooking member 10
comprises a
plurality of hooks 12. A worker skilled in the art would understand that a
plurality of hooks
might add stability and strength to the uplock assembly 2.
Torque Member
As shown in Figure 19, the torque member 30 comprises a cylinder having a
first end, second
end, and an internal bore 31 at the first end wherein the torque member
internal bore 31
extends longitudinally the length of the torque member 30 to the second end of
the torque
member 30 for translationally connecting with the pivot pin 20. The torque
member 30
further comprises a means to matingly interlock or couple with the projections
19 of the
hooking member 10, thereby providing a means for rotational interconnection.
In one
embodiment of the present invention, the means to interlock comprises one or
more torque
member projections 35 extending along axis A (Figures 1 and 2) to form a
rotational
interlock with the hooking member projections 19, thereby creating an
interlocking means 60
(Figure 2).
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The outer circumference of the cylinder wall of the torque member 30 further
comprises an
engaging means 32 to slidably connect and rotationally interlock with the link
member 40. In
one embodiment of the present invention, the connection means is provided by
one or more
keys 34 on the torque member 30 which can matingly connect to one or more
keyways 36
formed in the link member 40 (Figure 3). In one embodiment the engaging means
32
comprises a plurality of radially positioned trapezoidal ridges around axis A
(Figures 1 and 2)
which extend outwardly from the outer circumference of the cylinder wall of
the torque
member 30.
The torque member 30 is mounted proximate to the second end 24 of the pivot
pin 20 and
receives said pivot pin 20 within the torque member internal bore 31, wherein
the torque
member 30 is capable of sliding along and, independently, rotating around axis
A (Figures 1
and 2).
Biasing System
The biasing system 50 includes a biasing means 54 disposed within a bias
cylinder 52. The
bias cylinder 52 includes an opening at one end to bias the torque member 30
into a coupled
position with the hooking member 10. The biasing means 54 can be any device
with resilient
means, for example, one or more metal springs, elastomer springs, BellevilleTM
washers,
concentric compression return springs, detent mechanisms or any other suitable
device that
achieves this same means.
In a first coupled position, the torque member 30 is biased into an
interlocked orientation
with the hooking member 10 such that the torque member 30 and the hooking
member 10 are
rotationally coupled. In the first coupled position (during normal operation),
torque applied
to the link member 40 will transfer via the engaging means 32 and the
interlocking means 60
to rotate the hooking member 10 interlocked to the torque member 30 around
axis A (Figures
1 and 2).
The bias cylinder 52 (Figures 1 to 7, and 18) may further comprise a mounting
flange 101
extending radially outwards from the opening of the bias cylinder 52. The
mounting flange
101 further includes mounting apertures 103 wherein fastening devices such as
mounting
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bolts 104 (Figures 3 and 7), may be used to mount the bias cylinder 52 to the
uplock
assembly 2. Other fastening devices, including but not limited to, rivets,
pins or other
traditional means may also be used to mount the bias cylinder 52 to the uplock
assembly 2.
When both the bias cylinder 52 and the piston cylinder 70 are mounted to the
uplock
assembly 2, the pivot pin 22 is secured from any translational movement along
axis A
(Figures 1 and 2).
In one embodiment of the present invention (Figures 1 to 7), a first flange
bushing 110 is
mounted on the uplock assembly housing 5 to receive the pivot pin 20 proximate
to its first
end 22. One or more spacers 114 can be mounted between the first flange
bushing 110 and
the hooking member 10. A second bushing 112 is mounted on the uplock assembly
housing
to receive the torque member 30 proximate to its second end between the link
member 40
and the biasing system 50.
The bias cylinder 52 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, but rather can be
of any shape or
configuration which would allow to fulfill its utility as explained herein.
Correspondingly,
biasing means 54 is not limited to a circular shape.
Link Member
The link member 40 links the alternative uplock release assembly to an
actuating means 43 of
the uplock assembly 2 (Figure 7). The link member 40 can take many shapes or
designs
depending on the design of the uplock assembly 2 and size constraints or
requirements, as
long as it provides a linking means. Generally, the link member 40 comprises a
link member
actuating end 42 and an opposite torque member end 44 (see Figures 2, 3, 4 and
20). The
torque member end 44 comprises an engaging means 32 (Figures 1 and 2) to
slidably connect
and rotationally interlock with the torque member 30. In one embodiment,
illustrated in
Figure 3, the engaging means 32 is provided by one or more link member keyways
36 that
mate with the one or more torque member keys 34 -located on the torque member
30. In
another embodiment shown at Figure 20, the keyways 36 have an alternate
configuration
which mates with the corresponding torque member keys 34 of an alternatively
configured
torque member 30.
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In one embodiment of the present invention, the means to slidably connect with
the torque
member 30 includes an annular aperture having a plurality of radially formed
trapezoidal
ridges on its inner circumference which can mate with the trapezoidal ridges
on the torque
member 30 to form a rotational interlock capable of providing translational
movement.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the actuating end 42 comprises
a means to
pivotally connect the link member 40 to the uplock actuating means 43 of the
uplock
assembly 2.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a pivotal connection means is an
aperture for
receiving a pivotal connection 46 (Figure 7), for example, but not limited to,
a pin, bolt or
stud.
Operation
Upon actuating, such as in an emergency situation that requires release of the
uplock,
pressurized fluid, for example, hydraulic fluid or pressurized air or other
gas or liquids, is fed
into the piston cylinder 70 to longitudinally move the piston head 74 within
the piston
cylinder 70 along axis A (Figures 1 and 2).
One embodiment of the present invention provides for an hydraulic pump that
feeds
hydraulic fluid into the piston cylinder 70 through the pressure port 80
(Figures 2 and 3),
thereby moving the piston head 74. The piston 72 in turn, translationally
engages with the
torque member 30 thereby sliding the torque member 30 along the pivot pin 20
from a first
coupled position shown in Figure 4 to a second decoupled position shown in
Figure 5,
thereby decoupling the mating interlocking means 35 of the torque member 30
from the
interlocking means 19 of the hooking member 10, and allowing the hooking
member 10 to
rotate freely. It would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to
which this
invention belongs that, in order to decouple the torque member 30 from the
hooking member
10, the force required to act on the piston head 74 must be greater than and
opposite to the
force applied to the torque member 30 by the biasing means 54 in addition to
any frictional or
other resistance, otherwise longitudinal movement of the torque member 30
would not occur.
Once the torque member 30 and the hooking member 10 are decoupled, the hooking
member
is allowed to rotate around axis A into an unlocked position, independent of
the uplock
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assembly 2, as shown in Figure 6. In an embodiment, the weight of the hooking
member 10 is
sufficient to allow the hooking member 10 to rotate around axis A.
Other embodiments of the present invention can use different translational
pressure sources to
cause the piston 72 to translationally engage with the torque member 30
thereby sliding the
torque member 30 along the pivot pin 20 from a first coupled position to a
second decoupled
position. Such translational pressure sources may be activated by means
including but not
limited to hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical (exothermic or endothermic),
magnetic,
mechanical (automatically or manually activated) and electromechanical means.
An
exothermic chemical means could involve and explosive chemical reaction to
push the piston
72 and an endothermic means could involve a contracting chemical reaction to
pull the piston
72.
The bias force from the biasing means 54 automatically moves the torque member
30 into the
first position to recouple the torque member 30 and the hooking member 10 when
there is a
decrease in pressure such as when the pressurized fluid is released from the
pressure port 80
and the hooking member projections 19 and the mating torque member projections
35 are
aligned. The mating hooking member projections 19 of the hooking member 10 can
be
recoupled to the mating torque member projections 35 of the torque member 30
by
repositioning or rotating the hooking member, for example through manual
movement of the
hooking member 10 into a mating position. There are alternate ways for
recoupling the
hooking means and the torque member 30 that would be known to a worker skilled
in the art
to which the present invention belongs and such ways are incorporated herein.
Upon the decoupling of the hooking member 10 and the torque member 30, the
hooking
member 10 is urged into the unlocked position, through rotation around the
pivot pin 20.
This urging of the hooking member 10 can be provided by a door preload, for
example,
where the door associated with the uplock assembly 2 is spring-loaded against
its frame,
thereby forcing the hooking member 10 into the unlocked position once it is
allowed to rotate
around the pivot pin 20. Alternatively, gravitational force or a second
biasing system
associated with hooking member 10 could assist the rotation of hooking member
10 around
the pivot pin 20.
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In an embodiment, upon decoupling of the hooking member 10 from the torque
member 30,
the hooking member 30 may rotate around the pivot pin 20 to the unlocked
position based on
the force of gravity and, as such, the optimum orientation for the alternate
uplock release
assembly is for axis A to be substantially perpendicular to the force of
gravity.
It would be appreciated by one skilled in the art that bushings 110, 112,
spacers 114, bearings
116 and/or washers 118 may be added to support, guide, or align any of the
components of
the present invention. A combination of such devices can be used at different
locations
throughout the alternate uplock release assembly to also minimize operational
interference
and surface wear between components, without departing from the present
description of the
invention.
The alternative uplock release assembly can be integrated within the uplock
assembly 2 or,
alternatively, it can be complementarily adapted to an existing uplock
assembly 2.
In reference now to Figures 8 to 12, other embodiments of the present
invention incorporated
in various uplock assemblies are disclosed.
Figure 8 illustrates a side view of an uplock assembly 2 incorporating one
embodiment of the
alternative uplock release assembly, wherein the hooking member 10 is in a
locked and first
position. Figure 9 illustrates a side view of the embodiment of Figure 8
wherein the hooking
member 10 is in a second opened position. Figure 10 illustrates a side
internal view of the
embodiment of Figure 8, wherein the hooking member 10 is in a locked and first
position.
Figure 11 illustrates a side view of a non-lifting uplock assembly 2 capable
of incorporating
one embodiment of the alternative uplock release assembly according to the
present
invention.
Figure 12 illustrates a perspective view of an uplock assembly 2 incorporating
one
embodiment of the alternate uplock release assembly according to the present
invention. The
embodiment represented in Figure 12 shows the relative positioning of the
uplock assembly 2
and components of the alternate uplock release assembly such as the hooking
member 10, the
hook 12, the hydraulic pressure port 80, the bias cylinder 52, the mounting
flange 101, the
mounting bolts 104 and an optional shear cartridge 125. The shear cartridge
125, also shown
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at Figure 17, is provided to offer increased protection against a potential
sudden increase in
the pressure through the pressure port 80 which would tend to extend the
piston 72. The
shear cartridge 125 comprises a shear pin sized to resist the maximum pressure
spike
condition. When the alternative uplock assembly is effected, the shear
cartridge 125 needs to
be replaced with a new one before future use can occur if the pressure
exceeded the
maximum pressure associated with the shear pin. The alternative uplock release
assembly is
located at the pivot point of the hooking member 10 and is mounted externally
on the side of
the uplock assembly 2, facilitating the shear cartridge 125 replacement.
Figures 13 to 16 illustrate another embodiment of the alternative uplock
release assembly
according to the present invention. The alternative uplock release assembly is
comprised of a
torque member 30 engaging into a lateral surface 17 of the hooking member 10
and sliding
inside a link member 40. The torque member 30 incorporates a set of torque
member
projections 35 serving a dual purpose; it allows the torque member 30 to
engage a set of
complementary hooking member projections 19 on the lateral surface 17 of the
hooking
member 10 allowing the torque member 30 to become operatively connected to the
link
member 40 and to slide inside the link member 40. A support link 41 can be
incorporated to
add further support against loads encountered during the normal operation of
the uplock and
to avoid detrimental deflections of components of the alternative uplock
release assembly.
During normal operation of the uplock, the torque member 30 is maintained in
its extended
position by the two concentric compression return springs (inner return spring
55 and outer
return spring 56) with its torque member projections 35 engaging the hooking
member
projections 19. This allows the uplock assembly internal mechanism connecting
to the link
member 40 to drive the hooking member 10 open or close around the hook pivot
pin 22
during normal operation of the uplock. The relative position X of the piston
head 74 in said
normal operation is illustrated in Figure 15.
During an emergency operation of the uplock, the piston cylinder 70 is
pressurized by the
pressure source fed through the pressure port 80, thus forcing the piston 72
to move the
torque member 30 against two concentric compression return springs (inner
return spring 55
and outer return spring 56). This is in effect disengaging the torque member
30 from the
hooking member 10 allowing it to rotate freely around the hook pivot pin 22
thus by-passing
any condition which might be preventing the uplock to open under its normal
mode of
CA 02610490 2007-08-02
WO 2006/081664 PCT/CA2006/000139
operation. The relative position X of the piston head 74 in said emergency
operation is
illustrated in Figure 16.
The piston cylinder 70 incorporates a pressure port 80 depicted as a beam seal
type fitting
AS1986-04. Other types of pressure ports could alternatively be used depending
on the
hydraulic or other connections used with the alternate uplock release
assembly. The piston
cylinder 70 is mounted onto the side of the uplock housing and retained with
three standard
bolts. The piston 72 can incorporate a lightning hole at one end and a groove
on the piston
head 74 outside diameter to allow for the installation of an elastomeric seal
73 compatible
with the type of hydraulic fluid (or other substance used to pressurize the
piston 72) used with
the alternate uplock release assembly.
The bias cylinder 52 incorporates a pair of concentric compression return
springs (55, 56) to
provide a pre-load force maintaining the torque member 30 engaged with the
hooking
member 10. The compression return springs (55, 56) are sitting against a
thrust bearing 116
to allow for free rotation of the torque member 30 during normal uplock
operation. In
addition to the compression return springs (55, 56), a shear cartridge 125 is
provided to offer
increased protection against a potential pressure spike in the pressure
source, which would
tend to extend the piston 72. The shear cartridge 125 comprises a shear pin
sized to resist the
worst case pressure spike condition. In the event that an alternate release of
the uplock is
activated, the shear cartridge 125 needs to be replaced before the next
alternate release of the
uplock.
The uplock housing 5 is fitted with a pair of flange bushings 110 composed of
a suitable alloy
such as an aluminum-nickel-bronze alloy, to minimize wear and friction. The
hook pivot pin
22 is made of a high strength steel alloy and is coated with a self-lubricant
TeflonTM based
liner to minimize wear and friction. Other known self-lubricant materials can
also be used.
The torque member 30 is made of a high strength bronze alloy offering good
wear
characteristics and a low coefficient of friction. During normal operation of
the uplock, the
torque member 30 rotates inside the flange bushing 110 with the rotation of
the hooking
member 10. During an alternate release of the uplock, torque member 30
longitudinally
translates inside the same flange bushing 110 to compress the two return
springs (55, 56). It
would be understood by a worker skilled in, the art that many other materials
and alloys,
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WO 2006/081664 PCT/CA2006/000139
sharing similar characteristics, could also be used to make the aforementioned
components
without departing from the scope of the present invention.
A series of washers 118 can be used at different locations in the alternate
uplock release
assembly to control running clearances and minimize surface wear between
various
components thereof.
Once the alternative uplock release assembly has been activated and the
hooking member 10
allowed to rotate open to release the door roller 130 (see for example Figure
9), the
alternative uplock release assembly has the ability to reset itself either in-
flight or on the
ground by: 1) depressurizing the release system 65 and 2) conducting a normal
opening of the
uplock (after the failure condition preventing the normal mode to be used has
been
corrected). Once the torque member projections 35 are aligned with the hooking
member
projections 19, the torque member 30 will retract and re-engage under the load
of the
compression return spring (55, 56).
Figures 17 to 26 depict individual components of an embodiment of the
alternate uplock
release assembly according to the present invention. Figure 17 depicts a shear
cartridge 125
as used in one embodiment of the present invention. The shear cartridge 125,
operatively
connected to the piston cylinder 70, is provided to offer increased protection
against a
potential pressure spike in the pressure source which would tend to extend the
piston 72.
Figure 18 depicts a bias cylinder 52 as used in one embodiment of the present
invention. The
bias cylinder 52 is operatively connected to and houses the biasing means 54.
Figure 19
depicts a torque member 30 as used in one embodiment of the present invention.
The torque
member 30 has torque member projections 35 and its functionality has been
previously
explained in the description of various embodiments of the present invention
above. Figure
20 depicts a link member 40 as used in one embodiment of the present
invention. The link
member 40 comprises a link member actuating end 42 and link member keyways 36;
its
functionality has been previously explained in the description of various
embodiments of the
present invention above. Figure 21 depicts a hooking member 10 as used in one
embodiment
of the present invention. The hooking member 10 comprises a hook 12 and
hooking member
projections 19; its functionality has been previously explained in the
description of various
embodiments of the present invention above. Figure 22 depicts a support link
41 as used in
one embodiment of the present invention its utility is explained in the
description of various
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WO 2006/081664 PCT/CA2006/000139
embodiments of the present invention above. Figure 23 depicts a pivot pin 22
as used in one
embodiment of the present invention and as described above. Figure 24 depicts
a piston
cylinder 70 as used in one embodiment of the present invention. The piston
cylinder 70
comprises mounting flange 100, mounting apertures 102 and a pressure port 80;
its
functionality has been previously explained in the description of various
embodiments of the
present invention above. Figure 25 depicts a thrust bearing 116 as used in one
embodiment
of the present invention and described above. Figure 26 depicts a piston 72 as
used in one
embodiment of the present invention. The piston 72 comprises a piston head 74
an elongated
member 76 and a piston stud 77; its functionality has been previously
explained in the
description of various embodiments of the present invention above.
Thus it can be appreciated by a worker skilled in the art that the compact
nature of the
alternate uplock release assembly according to the present invention renders
it useful and
adaptable to almost any uplock assembly design where it is required to have an
emergency
release, for example, for aircraft landing gears, emergency or service doors.
The device is
also easily adaptable for use in any other application where an uplock
assembly and an
alternative release assembly are required is provided.
The embodiments of the invention being thus described, it will be obvious that
the same may
be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure
from the spirit
and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to
one, skilled in
the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.
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