The Garrett Corporation

The United States of America

The United States Government

Thomas B Tippetts

Francis M Manion

Donald W Chapin

Michael F Cycon, Jr

The piezoelectrically driven diaphragm of an air pump is extended through a chamber and commmunicating outlet passage of the pump's housing. During vibration of the diaphragm, air pulses are alternately expelled through the outlet passage portions positioned on opposite sides of the diaphragm. The air pulses are collected in a rectifying device, carried by the housing, for delivery to a fluidic device or system.

Compact piezoelectric fluidic air supply pump

A three-axis navigational guidance system utilizes three specially designed internal jet-type fluidic angular rate sensors which simultaneously sense the rotational rate of a guided body relative to three mutually perpendicular control axes. Fluidic output signals from the sensors are converted to electrical signals which are used to maintain the body in a preselected attitude relative to each of the three axes. The sensors are rendered extremely accurate by means of unique calibration mechanisms associated therewith which compensate for or correct for fabricational inaccuracies in the sensors. The operation of the rate sensing portion of the guidance system is environmentally stabilized by a novel jet-control system which automatically maintains the Reynolds number of each sensor jet within a predetermined range to thereby substantially eliminate jet drift.

Angular rate sensing apparatus and methods

A pressure-to-electric output system is used to convert the dual outlet pressure signals of a fluidic angular rate sensor to a pair of oscillating electrical signals whose relative frequency differential is very accurately indicative of the sensor outlet pressure differential. The sensor outlets are fluidically coupled to the control ports of the first amplifier in a cascaded series of fluidic proportional amplifiers. The outlet ports of the terminal amplifier are coupled to the inlet ports of a pair of fluidic oscillators. A pair of microphone type pressure-to-electric transducers are driven by the oscillators to produce the oscillating electrical signals.

Pressure-to-electric output system for an angular rate sensor or the like

A fluidic system for stabilizing movement of a body subject to oscillation at its natural frequency, such as a tank-mounted gun, with appropriate circuitry and controls for notch filtering control output signals at the natural frequency.

Fluidic stabilization control

A fluidic control system which automatically schedules and controls power developed by an aircraft during landing approach operation. Fluidic signals are generated in relation to sensed aircraft flight parameters, and these signals are combined in a preselected manner which includes integration of one of the signals by a series feedback capacitance fluidic integrator, to produce a single input signal indicative of a desired rate of fuel flow to schedule aircraft power to the desired level. The single input signal is temperature compensated, then discretely selectively modified in relation to ambient conditions by selectively varying the impedance of fluidic resistive networks to alter the gain of a fluidic amplifier driven by the single input signal. An error signal is then generated and amplified to produce a power output signal which drives a fuel control servo actuator in proportion to the error signal when the latter is small, and drives the servo in a digital manner when the error is large.

Fluidic approach power compensator control system

An electrofluidic transducer which utilizes an electromagnetic device that is energizable by electric currents of opposite polarity to shift a fluid beam in opposite directions away from a central position. In its central position the beam deflector is between a pair of fluid nozzles, and shifts to deflect respective fluid beam from the two nozzles upon opposite energization of the electromagnet, so that three different pressure differential signals may be selectively impressed upon a pair of fluid output ports registering with the pair of fluid nozzles.

Growing community of inventors

Mesa, AZ, United States of America

Thomas B Tippetts