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:
Apr. 14, 2009
Filed:
Jul. 30, 2004
Dan J Clingman, Auburn, WA (US);
Robert T Ruggeri, Kirkland, WA (US);
W. Dean Clingman, Renton, WA (US);
Dan J Clingman, Auburn, WA (US);
Robert T Ruggeri, Kirkland, WA (US);
W. Dean Clingman, Renton, WA (US);
The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method for providing a torque to an external member to assist in twisting or deforming the external member. In one implementation the apparatus is useful for providing a force to a torque tube to assist in rotating, bending or twisting a wing, an airfoil, or a rotorcraft blade. The apparatus includes at least one biasing member which provides a biasing force to a linkage assembly, where the linkage assembly is pivotally coupled to a torque tube. The torque tube is fixedly coupled to the structure which needs to be bent, twisted or flexed. The energy stored in the biasing member provides the great majority of mechanical force required to rotate the torque tube and bend, twist or deform the structure when the structure is urged back into an unflexed or un-deformed state, the energy stored in the structure is transferred back to the apparatus. Thus, an actuator that would normally be employed for this purpose can be made much smaller, lighter and less expensive due to the significant mechanical energy provided by the apparatus.