Balancer

Abstract

A rotating object balancer may include an insert configured for securing to an object and having a chamber for placement of balancing elements and a curable solution, a rotational system configured to rotate the object at high-speed, a monitoring system for monitoring vibrations of the object rotating at high-speed, and a curing tool configured for curing the curable solution when the object has reached a balanced state. A method of balancing may be performed by the balancer and a balanced object may be created by the balancer.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 917,193 filed on Dec. 17, 2013 entitled Balancer, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present disclosure relates generally to balancing. More particularly, a system and method for balancing objects that rotate by adjusting the moment of inertia of the objects is described. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to dynamically balancing rotating objects such as propellers, fans, wheels, hubs, motors, sheaves, pulleys, and other rotating objects.BACKGROUND[0003]The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is mandated to open U.S. airspace for the commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by 2015. It is expected that any company or individual that wishes to use UAVs commercially will need to fill out a safety flight operations certificate (SFOC) that will need to be a...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a device and method to balance rotating objects to prevent vibration and instability during high-speed rotation. A baller is inserted into the object and has a chamber for placement of balancing elements and a curable solution. The device has a rotational system for rotating the object and a monitoring system to measure vibrations. A curing tool is used to cure the solution when the object reaches a balanced state. The device can achieve a stable and balanced object state while rotating at high speed. The technical effect is to provide a device and method to prevent instability and vibration during high-speed rotation of objects.

Problems solved by technology

Vibration due to propeller imbalance limits the effectiveness of on-board instrumentation (i.e., a high resolution camera would take unclear photos and video) and possibly causes mechanical failure of the aircraft.

Given the anticipated large number of UAV and other propellers that are to be in services as early as 2015, current approaches to balancing propellers or other objects are unduly time consuming and not cost effective.

Images