Unlocking mechanism, undercarriage and operation method

Abstract

The invention provides an unlocking mechanism, an undercarriage and an operation method. The unlocking mechanism comprises a shell, an emergency valve, a thermal control valve, a coordination valve and a main valve, the emergency valve, the thermal control valve, the coordination valve and the main valve are arranged in the shell, a port A and a port B communicated with the port A are formed in one end of the shell, a port E and a port D communicated with the port E are formed in the other end of the shell, a port C is further formed in the shell, and a port D is formed in the other end of the shell. The emergency valve axially displaces to close or communicate the port A and the port B, the coordinating valve axially displaces to communicate or close the port C, the outside of the coordinating valve and the port B, the thermal control valve is arranged in the coordinating valve, and the thermal control valve axially displaces along the coordinating valve to communicate or close the port C, the inside of the coordinating valve and the port B; and the main valve axially displaces to communicate or close the port B, the outside of the coordinating valve and the port C. An existing hydraulic control locking mechanism is improved, the space layout is optimized, and the emergency unlocking function is added.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of landing gears, and in particular to an unlocking mechanism, a landing gear and an operating method. Background Art

[0002] After the landing gear is lowered, the actuator should become a rigid strut to bear the external load transmitted by the landing gear horizontally. There is a mechanical lock inside the aircraft landing gear actuator, and at the same time, a hydraulic lock is also provided to ensure safety.

[0003] The existing hydraulic lock and emergency control functions of the actuator are independent control units, which are not integrated with the actuator as a whole. Matching connection devices are required between the systems, which occupy a large space and have a bulky structure; and the existing hydraulic lock does not have an emergency unlocking function. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an unlocking mechanism, a landing gear and an operating method, to improve the existing hydraulically controlled locking mechanism, to optimize the spatial layout and to increase the emergency unlocking function.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is: an unlocking mechanism, including an outer shell and an emergency valve, a thermal control valve, a coordination valve and a main valve arranged in the outer shell, one end of the outer shell is provided with a port A and a port B connected to the port A, the other end of the outer shell is provided with a port E and a port D connected to the port E, and the outer shell is also provided with a port C, the emergency valve is axially displaced to close or connect the port A and the port B, the coordination valve is axially displaced to connect or close the port C, the outside of the coordination valve and the port B, the thermal control valve is placed in the coordination valve, and the thermal control valve is axially displaced along the coordination valve to connect or close the port C, the inside of the coordination valve and the port B, and the main valve is axially displaced to connect or close the port B, the outside of the coordination valve and the port C.

[0006] Preferably, a first cavity, a second cavity and a third cavity are sequentially provided in the outer shell, a first hole is provided on the partition wall between the first cavity and the second cavity, a second hole is provided on the partition wall between the second cavity and the third cavity, the emergency valve is provided in the first cavity, the coordination valve is provided in the second cavity, the main valve is provided in the third cavity, the coordination valve is axially displaced to respectively block the first hole or the second hole, and the first hole can be respectively connected with port A, port B, the outside of the coordination valve, the second hole, and port C.

[0007] Preferably, a second spring is provided between the coordination valve and the housing, and the second spring is used to abut the coordination valve against the partition wall forming the second hole.

[0008] Preferably, the emergency valve includes a push rod and a first spring connected between the push rod and the inner wall of the shell, and a side surface of the push rod away from the first spring is adapted to the A port.

[0009] Preferably, a third hole is provided at one end of the coordination valve and a fourth hole is provided at the other end, the thermal control valve can close or open the third hole, one end of the main valve is mounted on the thermal control valve, and this end of the main valve is gap-matched with the fourth hole.

[0010] Preferably, the thermal control valve includes a steel ball, a push rod and a fourth spring, the push rod includes a first shaft portion, a second shaft portion and a third shaft portion which are arranged in sequence, the fourth spring is sleeved on the third shaft portion, and the fourth spring is respectively abutted between the second shaft portion and the coordination valve, a steel ball is arranged at one end of the first shaft portion, and the steel ball can abut or release against the inner wall of the coordination valve.

[0011] Preferably, a third spring is provided between the main valve and the inner wall of the shell, and the third spring is used to abut the main valve against the inner wall of the shell near the D port.

[0012] The present invention also provides a landing gear, including an actuating cylinder and the above-mentioned unlocking mechanism, wherein the actuating cylinder is provided with a rod cavity interface and a rodless cavity interface, the B port of the unlocking mechanism is connected to the rod cavity interface, and the E port of the unlocking mechanism is connected to the rodless cavity interface.

[0013] The present invention also provides an operating method of the landing gear, comprising: Hydraulic control locking: The coordination valve fits with the inner wall of the shell, closing the C port, the outside of the coordination valve and the B port. The thermal control valve fits with the coordination valve to close the B port and the oil circuit outside the coordination valve, locking the actuator; Action of the coordination valve: When oil is passed through port C and the pressure reaches the opening pressure of the coordination valve, the oil drives the coordination valve to move axially and separate from the inner wall of the shell. The oil then enters the rod chamber of the actuator from the outside of the coordination valve and port B, pushing the piston rod to move toward the rodless chamber. The oil in the rodless chamber flows back from ports E and D, causing the piston rod in the actuator to retract. Main valve action: When oil is not supplied to port C, the coordinating valve and the housing are in a close fit state. When oil is supplied to port D and the pressure reaches the main valve opening pressure, the oil drives the main valve to move axially and pushes the coordinating valve to move together. The hydraulic oil flowing into port D enters the rodless chamber from port E, and the oil in the rod chamber is discharged from port B, the outside of the coordinating valve and port C, causing the piston rod in the actuator to extend. Emergency unlocking action: air source is introduced into port A, driving the push rod to move axially to open port A, and the gas enters the rod chamber from ports A and B, pushing the piston rod to move toward the rodless chamber, causing the piston rod to retract.

[0014] Preferably, the operating method also includes the action of the thermal control valve: the actuator is in a hydraulically controlled locking state, the thermal control valve opening pressure is set, when the rodless chamber pressure rises and exceeds the set thermal control valve opening pressure, the thermal control valve is axially displaced to open the coordination valve, the oil at port B enters the interior of the coordination valve and is discharged from port C, and when the rodless chamber pressure drops to the set value of the thermal control valve opening pressure, the thermal control valve is driven to close the coordination valve.

[0015] Compared with the related art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. Improve the existing hydraulic locking mechanism and optimize the spatial layout. By setting a port A connected to port B and an emergency valve for blocking or opening port A on the housing, the unlocking mechanism is provided with an emergency unlocking function, a diversified design of the actuator is realized, and the function of isolating the gas circuit and the oil circuit is realized; 2. Improve the existing hydraulic locking mechanism to make the overall layout more compact and the mechanism safer and more reliable; 3. The functional units of the unlocking mechanism are integrated into the housing and can be integrated with the actuator, so the structure is compact and the occupied space is reduced; Fourth, improve the existing hydraulic locking mechanism and add a thermal control valve to achieve unloading when the load on the actuator increases due to changes in the external environment, avoid overpressure damage to the system and other accessories, and ensure safety. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of the unlocking mechanism provided by the present invention; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the coordination valve; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the ejector rod; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the actuator provided by the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the working principle of hydraulic control locking; Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the working principle of the coordination valve; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the working principle of the thermal control valve; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the working principle of the main valve; Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the working principle of the emergency valve.

[0017] In the accompanying drawings: 1, unlocking mechanism; 11, housing; 111, first cavity; 112, second cavity; 113, third cavity; 114, first hole; 115, second hole; 12, emergency valve; 121, push rod; 1211, rod; 1212, first head; 122, first spring; 123, vulcanized rubber; 13, thermal control valve; 131, steel ball; 132, push rod; 1321, first shaft; 1322, The second shaft portion; 1323, the third shaft portion; 1324, the first oil circuit; 133, the fourth spring; 14, the coordinating valve; 141, the fourth shaft portion; 142, the second head portion; 143, the fifth shaft portion; 144, the second oil circuit; 145, the third hole; 146, the fourth hole; 15, the main valve; 16, the second spring; 17, the third spring; 2, the actuator; 21, the rod chamber interface; 22, the rodless chamber interface; 23, the piston rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict. For the convenience of description, if the words "upper", "lower", "left" and "right" appear in the following, they only indicate that the upper, lower, left and right directions are consistent with the drawings themselves, and do not limit the structure.

[0019] like Figure 1 As shown, an unlocking mechanism 1 provided in this embodiment includes a housing 11, an emergency valve 12, a thermal control valve 13, a coordination valve 14, a main valve 15, a second spring 16 and a third spring 17.

[0020] The shell 11 is provided with a first cavity 111, a second cavity 112 and a third cavity 113 in sequence. A first hole 114 is provided on the partition wall between the first cavity 111 and the second cavity 112, and a second hole 115 is provided on the partition wall between the second cavity 112 and the third cavity 113. One end of the shell 11 is provided with a port A and a port B connected to the port A, and the other end of the shell 11 is provided with a port E and a port D connected to the port E. The shell 11 is also provided with a port C. The ports A and E are both located on the axis of the shell 11, the port B is provided on the outer wall of the first cavity 111, the port C is provided on the outer wall of the third cavity 113, and the port D is vertically connected to the port E.

[0021] The emergency valve 12 is arranged in the first cavity 111, and the emergency valve 12 is axially displaced to close or connect the A port and the B port, and at the same time realizes the isolation of the system gas circuit and the oil circuit, and acts on the actuator respectively. The coordination valve 14 is arranged in the second cavity 112, and the coordination valve 14 is axially displaced to connect or close the C port, the outside of the coordination valve 14 and the B port. The thermal control valve 13 is placed in the coordination valve 14, and the thermal control valve 13 is axially displaced along the coordination valve 14 to connect or close the C port, the inside of the coordination valve 14 and the B port, and the main valve 15 is axially displaced to connect or close the B port, the outside of the coordination valve 14 and the C port.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, the emergency valve 12 includes a push rod 121, a first spring 122 and a vulcanized rubber 123. The push rod 121 has a rod portion 1211 and a first head portion 1212. The first spring 122 is sleeved on the rod portion 1211, and the first spring 122 abuts between the first head portion 1212 and the inner wall of the housing 11. The head portion is arranged near the A port, and the outer surface of the first head portion 1212 is embedded with a vulcanized rubber 123 that can abut against the inner side surface of the A port, and the diameter of the vulcanized rubber 123 is larger than the diameter of the A port. The end of the rod portion 1211 of the push rod 121 is adapted to the first hole 114.

[0023] like Figure 2 As shown, the coordination valve 14 includes a fourth shaft portion 141, a second head portion 142 disposed at one end of the fourth shaft portion 141, and a fifth shaft portion 143 disposed on the fourth shaft portion 141. Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the fourth shaft portion 141 is internally provided with an installation cavity for installing the thermal control valve 13 , the installation cavity passes through one end of the fourth shaft portion 141 to form a third hole 145 , and the installation cavity passes through the other end of the fourth shaft portion 141 to form a fourth hole 146 , and the fourth hole 146 is located in the second head portion 142 .

[0024] The second head 142 and the fifth shaft 143 are adapted to the inner wall of the second cavity 112, and a plurality of second oil passages 144 are circumferentially provided on the second head 142 and the fifth shaft 143, and the second oil passages 144 are axially passed through. The second spring 16 is sleeved on the fourth shaft 141, and the second spring 16 is respectively abutted between the fifth shaft 143 and the inner wall of the housing 11 forming the first hole 114.

[0025] like Figure 1 As shown, the thermal control valve 13 includes a steel ball 131, a push rod 132 and a fourth spring 133. Figure 3As shown, the push rod 132 includes a first shaft portion 1321, a second shaft portion 1322 and a third shaft portion 1323 which are arranged in sequence. Figure 1 , Figure 3 As shown, the fourth spring 133 is sleeved on the third shaft portion 1323, and the fourth spring 133 is respectively abutted between the second shaft portion 1322 and the inner wall of the second head portion 142 of the coordination valve 14, and a steel ball 131 is arranged at one end of the first shaft portion 1321. Under the action of the fourth spring 133, the push rod 132 pushes the steel ball 131 to block the third hole 145 through the first shaft portion 1321. If oil enters the third hole 145, the steel ball 131 is pushed to open the third hole 145, and the push rod 132 moves rightward to compress the fourth spring 133. In order to allow the oil to reach the C port from the third hole 145, the second shaft portion 1322 is circumferentially arranged with a plurality of first oil paths 1324, and the first oil paths 1324 are axially connected.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, one end of the main valve 15 is in clearance with the fourth hole 146, and the clearance can connect the interior of the coordination valve 14 with the third cavity 113. And the end of the main valve 15 that is in clearance with the fourth hole 146 is inserted on the third shaft portion 1323 of the push rod 132. The third spring 17 is sleeved on the main valve 15, and the third spring 17 is respectively in contact with the main valve 15 and the inner wall surface of the second hole 115 formed by the housing 11. The third spring 17 is used to contact the main valve 15 with the inner wall of the housing 11.

[0027] like Figure 4 As shown, the present invention also provides a landing gear, including an actuator 2 and the above-mentioned unlocking mechanism 1, wherein a piston rod 23 is provided in the actuator 2 to divide the actuator 2 into a rod chamber and a rodless chamber. The actuator 2 is provided with a rod chamber interface 21 connected to the rod chamber and a rodless chamber interface 22 connected to the rodless chamber. The B port is connected to the rod chamber interface 21 through an oil pipe, and the E port is connected to the rodless chamber interface 22 through an oil pipe. A mounting seat that can be connected to the outer wall of the actuator 2 is provided on the outer shell 11, and the mounting seat is detachably connected to the actuator 2 to achieve integration. The C port is connected to the system hydraulic loading device, and the D port is connected to the system hydraulic loading device.

[0028] The present invention also provides an operating method of the above landing gear, including the following: like Figure 5 As shown, hydraulic locking: when the actuator 2 moves to the retracted or lowered position, the system stops supplying oil, and the coordination valve 14 fits with the inner wall of the second hole 115 formed by the housing 11 under the action of the second spring 16 to close the oil circuit. The steel ball 131 blocks the third hole 145 under the action of the fourth spring 133, thereby blocking the oil circuit of the rod chamber of the actuator 2, locking the position of the actuator 2, and realizing the hydraulic locking function.

[0029] like Figure 6 As shown, the working principle of the coordination valve is as follows: oil is passed to port C through the system hydraulic loading device, and the oil enters the third cavity 113 and enters the second hole 115 and acts on the coordination valve 14. When the oil pressure reaches the opening pressure of the coordination valve 14, the hydraulic pressure overcomes the second spring 16 to move the coordination valve 14 to the left to open the second hole 115. The oil enters the second cavity 112 (i.e., the outside of the coordination valve 14, through the second oil circuit 144) from the second hole 115, and then enters the rod cavity from the first hole 114 and port B. The oil pushes the piston rod 23 to move toward the rodless cavity, and the oil in the rodless cavity flows back from ports E and D into the system hydraulic loading device, causing the piston rod 23 in the actuator 2 to retract.

[0030] like Figure 7 As shown, the working principle of the thermal control valve is: when the coordination valve 14 and the housing 11 are fitted to form a closed oil circuit, when the ambient temperature rises or the load of the actuator 2 increases, causing the pressure in the rod chamber of the actuator 2 connected to the B port to rise to the preset opening pressure of the push rod 132, the liquid pressure of the oil on the steel ball 131 overcomes the spring force of the fourth spring 133, causing the steel ball 131 to detach from the third hole 145. The oil at the B port passes through the third hole 145, the interior of the coordination valve 14 (via the first oil circuit 1324), the gap between the main valve 15 and the fourth hole 146, the third cavity 113, and finally discharged from the C port and refluxed to the system hydraulic loading device. Figure 7 As shown, when the push rod 132 moves to the right, the third shaft portion 1323 and the main valve 15 are connected by Figure 5 From gaps to no gaps, Figure 5 The gap is the rightward movement stroke of the push rod 132.

[0031] When the oil pressure in the rod chamber drops to the set value of the opening pressure of the thermal control valve 13, the push rod 132 returns to its original position under the action of the fourth spring 133, and the steel ball 131 re-blocks the third hole 145. This ensures that the oil pressure in the rod chamber does not exceed the set value, avoids overpressure damage to other accessories of the system, and ensures safety.

[0032] like Figure 8As shown, the working principle of the main valve is: when the C port is not supplied with oil, the coordination valve 14 and the housing 11 are fitted to form a closed oil circuit. When the oil pressure is greater than the opening pressure of the main valve 15 when the oil is supplied to the D port, the hydraulic pressure of the oil on the main valve 15 overcomes the third spring 17 to move the main valve 15 to the left. At this time, the main valve 15 abuts against the third shaft 1323 of the push rod 132 to push the push rod 132 to overcome the force of the second spring 16 and move to the left, thereby pushing the coordination valve 14 to move to the left and opening the second hole 115. The oil entering the D port enters the rodless chamber from the E port, pushing the piston rod 23 to move toward the rod chamber. At this time, the oil in the rod chamber passes through the B port, the first hole 114, the second cavity 112 (the outside of the coordination valve 14), the third cavity 113, and finally is discharged from the C port to the system hydraulic loading device, so that the piston rod 23 of the actuator 2 extends.

[0033] like Fig. 9 As shown, the emergency unlocking action: port A is connected to the system emergency air source. Under normal circumstances, the first head 1212 of the push rod 121 closes port A through the vulcanized rubber 123 under the action of the first spring 122, so that port A is not connected to the oil circuit in the first cavity 111. When port C cannot normally supply hydraulic oil to the rod chamber of the actuator 2, the hydraulic system cannot control the piston rod 23 of the actuator 2 to move to the rodless chamber, and the emergency air source connected to port A is opened. When the emergency working medium pressure reaches the opening pressure of the push rod 121, the push rod 121 overcomes the spring force of the first spring 122 and moves to the right. The emergency gas enters the first cavity 111 from port A and enters the rod chamber from port B, thereby pushing the piston rod 23 to move to the rodless chamber to ensure that the piston rod 23 is smoothly retracted. At this time, the end of the rod 1211 blocks the first hole 114 to prevent the gas from entering the second cavity 112.

[0034] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An unlocking mechanism, characterized in that: It includes a shell and an emergency valve, a thermal control valve, a coordination valve and a main valve arranged in the shell. One end of the shell is provided with a port A and a port B connected to the port A, the other end of the shell is provided with a port E and a port D connected to the port E, and the shell is also provided with a port C. The emergency valve is axially displaced to close or connect the port A and the port B, the coordination valve is axially displaced to connect or close the port C, the outside of the coordination valve and the port B, the thermal control valve is placed in the coordination valve, and the thermal control valve is axially displaced along the coordination valve to connect or close the port C, the inside of the coordination valve and the port B, and the main valve is axially displaced to connect or close the port B, the outside of the coordination valve and the port C.

2. The unlocking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first cavity, a second cavity and a third cavity are sequentially provided in the shell, a first hole is provided on the partition wall between the first cavity and the second cavity, a second hole is provided on the partition wall between the second cavity and the third cavity, the emergency valve is provided in the first cavity, the coordination valve is provided in the second cavity, the main valve is provided in the third cavity, the coordination valve is axially displaced to respectively block the first hole or the second hole, and the first hole can be respectively connected with port A, port B, the outside of the coordination valve, the second hole and port C.

3. The unlocking mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: A second spring is arranged between the coordination valve and the shell, and the second spring is used for abutting the coordination valve against the partition wall forming the second hole.

4. The unlocking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The emergency valve comprises a push rod and a first spring connected between the push rod and the inner wall of the shell, and a side surface of the push rod away from the first spring is adapted to the A port.

5. The unlocking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The coordination valve is provided with a third hole at one end and a fourth hole at the other end. The thermal control valve can close or open the third hole. One end of the main valve is sleeved on the thermal control valve, and this end of the main valve is gap-matched with the fourth hole.

6. The unlocking mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The thermal control valve includes a steel ball, a push rod and a fourth spring. The push rod includes a first shaft portion, a second shaft portion and a third shaft portion which are arranged in sequence. The fourth spring is sleeved on the third shaft portion, and the fourth spring is respectively abutted between the second shaft portion and the coordination valve. A steel ball is arranged at one end of the first shaft portion, and the steel ball can abut or release against the inner wall of the coordination valve.

7. The unlocking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: A third spring is provided between the main valve and the inner wall of the shell, and the third spring is used to abut the main valve against the inner wall of the shell near the D port.

8. A landing gear, comprising an actuating cylinder, wherein the actuating cylinder is provided with a rod cavity interface and a rodless cavity interface, wherein: It also includes the unlocking mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the B port of the unlocking mechanism is connected to the rod cavity interface, and the E port of the unlocking mechanism is connected to the rodless cavity interface.

9. A method for operating a landing gear as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that: include: Hydraulic control locking: The coordination valve fits with the inner wall of the shell, closing the C port, the outside of the coordination valve and the B port. The thermal control valve fits with the coordination valve to close the B port and the oil circuit outside the coordination valve, locking the actuator; Action of the coordination valve: When oil is passed through port C and the pressure reaches the opening pressure of the coordination valve, the oil drives the coordination valve to move axially and separate from the inner wall of the shell. The oil then enters the rod chamber of the actuator from the outside of the coordination valve and port B, pushing the piston rod to move toward the rodless chamber. The oil in the rodless chamber flows back from ports E and D, causing the piston rod in the actuator to retract. Main valve action: When oil is not supplied to port C, the coordinating valve and the housing are in a close fit state. When oil is supplied to port D and the pressure reaches the main valve opening pressure, the oil drives the main valve to move axially and pushes the coordinating valve to move together. The hydraulic oil flowing into port D enters the rodless chamber from port E, and the oil in the rod chamber is discharged from port B, the outside of the coordinating valve and port C, causing the piston rod in the actuator to extend. Emergency unlocking action: air source is introduced into port A, driving the push rod to move axially to open port A, and gas enters the rod chamber from ports A and B, pushing the piston rod to move toward the rodless chamber, causing the piston rod to retract.

10. The operating method according to claim 9, characterized in that: It also includes the action of the thermal control valve: the actuator is in the hydraulically controlled locking state, and the thermal control valve opening pressure is set. When the rodless chamber pressure rises and exceeds the set thermal control valve opening pressure, the thermal control valve is axially displaced to open the coordination valve, and the oil at port B enters the coordination valve and is discharged from port C. When the rodless chamber pressure drops to the set value of the thermal control valve opening pressure, the thermal control valve is driven to close the coordination valve.

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