Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation

Derick S Balsiger

Keith Bloxham

Nicholas R Van De Veire

Zaffir A Chaudhry

Andrzej Ernest Kuczek

Parag M Kshirsagar

Xin Wu

Huan Zhang

Stepan V Lunin

Ravi Adimula

A harmonic gear system, having: a housing; an input shaft having an aft end within the housing that defines a wave generator; a wave generator bearing; first and second nested cup-shaped flex splines that are grounded to the housing, the first and second flex splines are biased by the wave generator via the wave generator bearing; an output shaft having a forward end that is within the housing, and a radial flange at the forward end; first and second nested circular splined shafts within the housing, the first and second circular splined shafts are connected to the radial flange of the output shaft and are driven by ones of the first and second flex splines, to thereby drive the output shaft; and a bearing between the first and second circular splined shafts.

Harmonic gear systems having redundant load paths between input and output shafts

A harmonic drive, having: a housing; an output shaft within the housing; an input shaft within the housing, the input shaft is configured for being in a first position in which rotation of the input shaft rotates the output shaft, and a second position that is axially offset from the first position, in which rotation of the input shaft does not rotate the output shaft; a solenoid coil within the housing that, when energized, moves the input shaft to the second position; and a spring within the housing that, when the solenoid coil is not energized, moves the input shaft to the first position.

Balanced harmonic drive with output shaft disconnect

A harmonic drive, having a housing extending from first to second outer ends, the housing has radial outer and inner walls that extend axially between the first and second outer ends of the housing to define an annular channel having first and second ends that taper toward the first and second outer ends of the housing; a flex spline that extends axially between first and second ends and has a radial outer surface, and the first and second ends of the flex spline taper radially outwardly, the flex spline is located within the annular channel so that the first end of the flex spline is located within the first end of the annular channel and the second end of the flex spline is located within the second end of the annular channel; and first and second clamps that are clamped against the first and second ends of the annular channel.

Harmonic drive with flex spline end clamps

A harmonic drive, having: a ground ring; a first flex spline extending axially from the ground ring; a first input shaft that is radially exterior to the first flex spline, the first input shaft includes a first wave generator that engages the first flex spline; a second flex spline, radially within the first flex spline and rotationally coupled to the first flex spline, a second input shaft that is radially within the second flex spline, the second input shaft includes a second wave generator that engages the second flex spline; an output shaft coupled to the second flex spline, the first flex spline includes a first spline that faces radially inward; the second flex spline includes a second spline that faces radially outward; a circular gear having a third spline that face outwardly and engages the first spline; a fourth spline that faces radially inward and engages the second spline.

Strain wave gear differential with high gear reduction

A failsafe electro-mechanical actuator, the actuator having: an output shaft having a first and second ends spaced apart from each other along a shaft axis, and outwardly facing helical grooves formed along the first end; a motor shaft surrounding the output shaft; a harmonic drive between the motor and output shafts that transfers motion between these shafts in a first mode of operation; ball bearings seated at the first end of the motor shaft and project inwardly from the motor shaft; in the first mode of operation: the ball bearings are disengaged from the output shaft and the output shaft rotates with the motor shaft, and in a second mode of operation, the motor shaft axially moves toward the first end of the output shaft; the motor shaft is rotationally fixed; and the ball bearings engage the helical grooves in the output shaft, whereby the output shaft rotates.

Failsafe electro-mechanical actuator

A gear system, having: first and second ground gear; a drive shaft disposed along a rotation axis of the gear system and configured to rotate about the rotation axis; and an output gear supported by the first and second ground gear and configured to rotate by engagement between a wave generator portion of a drive shaft, a wave generator bearing, a flex spline, the output gear and the first and second ground gear, the output gear defining: an output gear body; and first and second output arms respectively extending radially outward from opposite sides of the output gear body to respectively define first and second radial inner ends and radial outer ends of the first and second output arms, so that the first and second radial outer ends are disposed on a radial axis that extends through a radial center of the gear system.

Compound harmonic gear system with dual output arms

Assemblies having a first structure, a second structure movable relative to the first structure, and an actuator system arranged therebetween and configured to control relative movement therebetween. The actuator system includes a drive shaft, a first element configured to be driven in a first direction, and a second element configured to be driven in a second direction. A spar is fixedly connected to the first structure and a spar connection pivotably connects the first element to the spar at a fixed coupler. The drive shaft, the first element, and the second element are housed within the second structure. Rotation of the second element causes a translation motion of the drive shaft away from the first structure and rotation of the first element about the fixed coupler such that the second structure is translated and rotated relative to the first structure.

Aircraft control surface actuation mechanism

A harmonic gearset, having: a drive shaft; first and second ground gears spaced apart from each other along the drive shaft; an output gear disposed on the drive shaft, between the first and second ground gears; a first flexspline disposed radially between the drive shaft, the first ground gear and the output gear; and a second flexspline disposed radially between the drive shaft, the second ground gear and the output gear, wherein the first and second flexsplines are axially adjacent to each other.

Harmonic gearset with split flexspline

A hinge-line actuator has: a drive shaft; first and second ground gears spaced apart along the drive shaft, wherein the first and second output gears include first and second contoured outer gear surfaces; and an output gear disposed on the drive shaft and disposed between the first and second ground gears, wherein the output gear includes a third contoured outer gear surface; an actuator housing that includes: contoured first, second and third gear seats that, respectively, seat the first, second and third outer gear surfaces.

Hinge-line actuator for rotating an aircraft control surface

Disclosed is a compound harmonic gear motor having: first and second ground gears connected by a stationary shaft; a wave generator including an outer surface that can rotate completely around the stationary shaft, the wave generator including a rotor and a stator, wherein rotation of the rotor causes rotation of the outer surface; a flex spline surrounding the outer surface of the wave generator that is driven to rotate by rotation of the outer surface of the wave generator; and an output flange including internal teeth that mate with the flex spline to cause rotation of the output flange completely around the stationary shaft.

Compound harmonic gear motor configured for continuous output rotation

Disclosed is a compound harmonic gearbox having: a first ground gear and a second ground gear being interconnected about a stationary shaft to form a housing, wherein only the first ground gear includes gearbox mounting features; an output flange partially encased within the housing; a flex spline within the housing that drives the output flange; a wave generator within the housing that drives the flex spline; an input shaft with an input gear that drives the wave generator, the input shaft extending through the first ground gear, wherein the output flange is configured to rotate completely around the stationary shaft by rotating the input shaft.

Compound harmonic gearbox configured for continuous output rotation

Disclosed is a compound harmonic drive including: an inner ring gear including a first set of gear teeth; a flex spline including a flex spline inner ring and a flex spline outer ring, the flex spline inner ring forms a second set of gear teeth that engage the first set of gear teeth and the flex spline outer ring forms a third set of gear teeth; an outer ring gear including a fourth set of gear teeth that are engaged by the third set of gear teeth; and a wave generator disposed between the flex spline inner ring and the flex spline outer ring, wherein the gear system rotates about an axis and each set of gear teeth is axially aligned with each other and radially offset from each other about the axis.

Compact compound harmonic drive assembly configured for continuous output rotation

A method of developing a flex spline and circular gear tooth profile for a harmonic actuator is provided. The method includes defining circular gear and flex spline centroids based on gear ratio calculations, finding mid-points between the centroids of the circular gear and the centroids of the flex spline and transforming the mid-points into a mapping of the tooth profile for respective teeth of the circular gear and the flex spline.

Method of developing spline profile

An inverted compound harmonic drive including: a wave generator configured to receive rotational input; a flex spline disposed radially within the wave generator that receives energy due to the rotation of the wave generator, the flex spline including a plurality of inner facing splines that include an axial center spline, a first axial end spline being adjacent to and forward of the axial center spline, and a second axial end spline adjacent to and aft of the axial center spline; an output gear meshes with the axial center spline; a first ground gear adjacent to and forward of the output gear that meshes with the first axial end spline; and a second ground gear adjacent to an aft of the output gear that meshes with the second axial end spline.

Inverted compound harmonic drive

A compound harmonic actuator is provided and includes a motor, a flex spline disposed about the motor and a wave generator radially interposable between the motor and the flex spline. The wave generator being rotatably drivable by the motor and shaped to form the flex spline into an elliptical shape with an axis such that wave generator rotations drive rotations of the axis of the ellipse of the flex spline.

Growing community of inventors

Mayer, AZ, United States of America

Derick S Balsiger