The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 29, 2000
Filed:
Dec. 18, 1998
Lee N Hager, Southbury, CT (US);
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Stratford, CT (US);
Abstract
A drive system for a variable diameter rotor system that includes a plurality of rotor blade assemblies with inner and outer blade segments. The outer blade segment being telescopically mounted to the inner blade segment. The drive system engaging a jackscrew for telescoping the outer blade segment with respect to the inner blade segment. The drive system includes a rotor hub that is pivotally mounted to the upper end of a main rotor shaft about a pivot point. A gimbaled bearing is disposed between and attached to the main rotor shaft and the rotor hub. The gimbaled bearing permits the rotor hub to pivot about the pivot point. A blade actuation shaft is concentrically disposed within the main rotor shaft. The blade actuation shaft has a constant velocity joint pivotally attached to its upper end about the pivot point. A planetary gearset engages the blade actuation shaft with the jackscrew. The planetary gearset includes a sun gear that is attached to the housing and a ring gear that is attached to the rotor hub. A plurality of pinion gears are disposed between and intermesh with the sun gear and the ring gear. The pinion gears are rotatably mounted to a pinion cage which, in turn, is rotatable with respect to the housing and the ring gear. A lower hypoid bevel gear is rotatably driven by the pinion gears and adapted to intermesh with an output pinion on the jackscrew.