Helicopter transmitter antenna shaft folding mechanism

Abstract

To provide a folding mechanism of a helicopter transmitter antenna shaft portion with consideration of ease of maintenance and replacement work to make it possible to land safely in an emergency in a transmitter antenna arranged vertically below the lower surface of a helicopter fuselage.SOLUTION: An antenna lifting device 100 includes a transmitter 10 attached on the undersurface of a fuselage, a lifting device 20 provided on the lower part of the transmitter 10, an antenna shaft 40 one end of which is mounted on the lifting device 20 in a swingable manner, and an antenna 50 provided on the other end of the antenna shaft 40. The antenna shaft 40 is provided with a folding mechanism 30 that is arranged on the antenna shaft 40 in a position located higher than the position of a skid of a helicopter when the antenna is deployed vertically downward and bends when a predetermined load is applied. The folding mechanism 30 is for gripping both ends of a plate-shaped fuse plate 31 that breaks when a predetermined load is applied.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a safety mechanism for a helicopter transmitter antenna shaft, which is located vertically below the underside of a helicopter fuselage and prioritizes the safe landing of the helicopter in the event of an emergency. [Background technology]

[0002] The helicopter's transmitting antenna is usually placed vertically below the underside of the aircraft, and must be placed below the skids so that radio waves do not interfere with the helicopter's body.

[0003] Therefore, mechanisms that allow the antenna to move up and down, or that allow it to be folded, have been adopted, as in Patent Document 1. During takeoff and landing, the antenna is kept above the skid to avoid contact with the ground. If the helicopter were to land with the antenna lowered, it would become unstable, which could cause the helicopter to roll over or its rotating blades, known as rotors, to crash into the ground, leading to a serious accident.

[0004] The problem with a mechanism like the one described above in which the antenna is positioned below the skid is that the aircraft lands with the antenna lowered. Possible situations include, first, an emergency landing when the lifting device is unable to be raised or lowered. Second, an operational error such as forgetting to raise the lifting device. Third, an external factor causing the lifting device to malfunction and be unable to be raised (such as a motor failure).

[0005] To deal with these emergencies, antenna devices have been developed that allow the helicopter to land safely by making the antenna, which becomes unstorable in the event of a helicopter emergency, bendable.

[0006] For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a mechanism in which a weak recess formed by a V-groove is provided in part of the protective pipe that raises and lowers the antenna, and in the event of an emergency landing, the antenna is forced to hit the ground, causing the protective pipe to break and bend at the recess, pushing the antenna up above the skid and allowing the aircraft to land safely.

[0007] Furthermore, for example, Patent Document 3 discloses an antenna system for a helicopter, which comprises an antenna pole that is attached to the underside of the helicopter fuselage so that it can swing freely, and an antenna main body that is attached to the lower end of the antenna pole; when an actuator connected to the side of the antenna pole from the underside of the helicopter fuselage retracts, the antenna pole is installed facing vertically downward, and when the actuator extends, the antenna pole is stored in a substantially horizontal direction; the antenna system has a slide hinge that slides along the length of the antenna pole, the actuator is connected to the antenna pole via the slide hinge, and a plunger that fixes the position of the slide hinge to the side of the antenna pole, and is set to release when an excessive load is applied to the antenna pole in a vertical state; an emergency spring that constantly presses the slide hinge toward the helicopter fuselage is attached to the antenna pole; and when the plunger is released, the pressing force of the emergency spring that presses the slide hinge causes the antenna pole and antenna main body to be emergency stored in a substantially horizontal direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Jikko No. 59-99511 [Patent Document 2] Publication number 2-33369 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-304150 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] However, Patent Document 2 has a structure in which the protective pipe, which is the main shaft of the antenna, is broken and bent at the recessed portion to push the antenna up above the skid. This means that the protective pipe is damaged and cannot be reused, and even during maintenance, it is not possible to check the degree of deterioration of the weak recessed portion, which is extremely dangerous.

[0010] Furthermore, the antenna system of Patent Document 3 has a complex structure for use in an emergency, and there is a possibility that the plunger may not come off or that the emergency spring may become stuck and not operate due to external factors, which may reduce the guarantee that it will operate safely in the rare emergency situations. Furthermore, although this mechanism is very effective for operation during an emergency landing, mainly vertical landings or while moving in a straight line, due to the characteristics of helicopters, in an emergency landings are not limited to the aforementioned directions, and landings may also be made sideways or while moving backwards, so the effectiveness of operation may not be guaranteed.

[0011] An object of the present application is to provide a folding mechanism for a helicopter transmitter antenna shaft that ensures safe landing in the event of an emergency such as the one described above and that takes into consideration ease of maintenance and replacement work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to address the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions. That is, the invention described in claim 1 is a transmitter that is placed vertically below the underside of the helicopter body. for In the antenna lifting device for an antenna, the antenna lifting device comprises a transmitter and a lifting device provided below the transmitter. mechanism and the lifting mechanism the antenna shaft is provided with a folding mechanism that is positioned above the position of the skid of the helicopter when the antenna is deployed vertically downward and that folds when a predetermined load is applied, the breaking mechanism is a mechanism for gripping the gripping portions of a fuse plate having symmetrically formed, plate-like, bulging, gourd-shaped gripping portions at both ends and a breaking region that breaks when a predetermined load is applied;This is a folding mechanism for the antenna shaft of a helicopter transmitter.

[0014] Also, claims 2 The invention described herein is the fuse plate The fracture area is cylindrical The present invention is characterized in that 1 1 is a folding mechanism for a helicopter transmitter antenna shaft portion described in

[0015] Also, claims 3 The invention described in the claims is characterized in that the bending mechanism is configured to grip the fuse plate at a plurality of evenly spaced locations on the circumference when viewed from above. 1 or 2 1 is a folding mechanism for a helicopter transmitter antenna shaft portion described in

[0016] Also, claims 4 The invention described in the claims is characterized in that the bending mechanism is configured to grip the fuse plate at three equally spaced locations on the circumference when viewed from above. 3 1 is a folding mechanism for a helicopter transmitter antenna shaft portion described in

[0017] Also, claims 5 The invention described above is characterized in that the antenna shaft is hollow, and a cable for controlling the antenna and a power cable can be passed through the antenna shaft, and further, a wire cable for preventing the antenna from falling can be passed through the antenna shaft. 1~4 1. A folding mechanism for a helicopter transmitter antenna shaft portion according to any one of claims 1 to 9. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] The folding mechanism of the antenna shaft of the helicopter transmitter of the present invention is as described in claim 1, and is attached to the transmitter disposed vertically below the underside of the helicopter fuselage. for In the antenna lifting device for an antenna, the antenna lifting device comprises a transmitter and a lifting device provided below the transmitter. mechanism and the lifting mechanismthe antenna shaft is provided with a folding mechanism that is positioned above the position of the skid of the helicopter when the antenna is deployed vertically downward and that folds when a predetermined load is applied, the breaking mechanism is a mechanism for gripping the gripping portions of a fuse plate having symmetrically formed, plate-like, bulging, gourd-shaped gripping portions at both ends and a breaking region that breaks when a predetermined load is applied; Since this is a folding mechanism for the helicopter transmitter antenna shaft, by making the structure such that only the fuse plate can be folded, it is possible to prevent damage to the lifting device or the helicopter body due to the impact of the folding during an emergency landing. Furthermore, by designing the breakable portion so that only the fuse plate bends, maintenance and replacement are easy in the event of breakage, reducing user maintenance costs and shortening the replacement work period. Furthermore, the fuse plate has a shape with a bulging, gourd-shaped gripping portion formed symmetrically at both ends and a breaking area that breaks when a specified load is applied, making it easy to grip the fuse plate at both ends, and since the occurrence of breaking is concentrated in the narrowed portion, which is a more obvious area, it has the advantage of being easy to visually confirm during maintenance and inspection.

[0020] Also, claims 2 As shown in the fuse plate The fracture area is cylindrical The cylindrical breaking part allows the stress load to be applied evenly to this part, and it is designed to break at the set load from any direction. It is also easy to visually check during maintenance and inspection.

[0021] Also, claims 3 As described above, the bending mechanism is configured to grip the fuse plate at a plurality of evenly spaced locations on the circumference in top view, so that the load can be distributed and the bending mechanism and fuse plate can be configured compactly. 4 As described above, when the folding mechanism is configured to grip the fuse plate at three evenly spaced points on the circumference when viewed from above, the fuse plate will break under a constant load in all directions. Therefore, even if the aircraft lands in an emergency without regard to the landing direction, the folding mechanism will function reliably, preventing the fuse plate from breaking and damaging the lifting device or the helicopter body.

[0022] Also, claims 5As shown in the figure, the antenna shaft is hollow, allowing the antenna control cable and power cable to be routed through the antenna shaft, and also allowing a wire cable to be routed through the antenna shaft to prevent the antenna from falling off. This aims to prevent cable deterioration in the harsh operating environment of a helicopter. This antenna also has a more waterproof structure than the typical method of routing a cable from the outside and connecting it with a connector. Furthermore, a wire rope is routed through and secured to the antenna to prevent the antenna from falling off, preventing the antenna from falling off even if the shaft breaks during flight. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1A to 1E are diagrams of an antenna lifting device of the present invention, in which (a) is a left side view, (b) is a top view, (c) is a bottom view, (d) is a front view, and (e) is a rear view. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of an antenna lifting device according to the present invention; [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams of an antenna lifting device of the present invention in a stored state and an expanded state, where FIG. 1A is a diagram of the stored state and FIG. 1B is a diagram of the expanded state. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are diagrams of the folding mechanism of the present invention, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a top view, (c) is a side view, and (d) are two examples of the state in which the fuse plate is folded. [Figure 5] 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D are diagrams of a fuse plate of the present invention, in which (a) is a front view, (b) is a plan view, and (c) is a side view. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] A first embodiment of a 3D lookup table circuit according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram of an antenna lifting device according to the present invention, where (a) is a left side view, (b) is a top view, (c) is a bottom view, (d) is a front view, and (e) is a rear view. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the antenna lifting device according to the present invention. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the antenna lifting device according to the present invention in an antenna storage state and an antenna deployment state, where (a) is a storage state and (b) is a deployment state. Fig. 4 is a diagram of the folding mechanism of the present invention, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a top view, (c) is a side view, and (d) are two examples of a fuse plate in a folded state. Fig. 5 is a diagram of the fuse plate according to the present invention, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a plan view, and (c) is a side view.

[0025] The antenna lifting device 100 of the present invention mainly comprises a transmitter 10 attached to the underside of the aircraft body and a lifting device provided below the transmitter 10, as shown in FIG. mechanism 20 and up and down mechanism 20 so that one end of the antenna shaft 40 can swing freely, and an antenna 50 provided at the other end of the antenna shaft 40. The antenna shaft 40 is provided with a folding mechanism 30 that is positioned above the position of the helicopter's skid when the antenna is deployed vertically downward and that bends when a predetermined load is applied, and the folding mechanism 30 is a mechanism that grips both ends of a plate-shaped fuse plate 31 that breaks when a predetermined load is applied.

[0026] The transmitter 10 has a built-in FPU and other components required for transmission. In this embodiment, the transmitter 10 is extremely compact, measuring approximately 230 mm wide, 410 mm deep, and 95 mm high.

[0027] Lifting mechanism 20 is equipped with an actuator 21 for swinging the antenna between a stored state, which is a substantially horizontal state, and a deployed state, which is a substantially vertical state. The operation of the actuator 21 is such that the state in which the rod of the actuator 21 is extended, as shown in Figure 3(a), is the stored state, and the state in which the rod of the actuator 21 is retracted, as shown in Figure 3(b), is the deployed state.

[0028] The antenna shaft 40 is a hollow cylindrical shaft with one end that can be raised and lowered. Mechanism 20 The antenna shaft 40 is connected to the actuator 21, and the other end has the antenna 50 attached. Cables for controlling the antenna unit and a power cable (not shown) are routed inside the antenna shaft 40. This is intended to prevent deterioration of the cables in the harsh operating environment of the helicopter. This structure also provides a more waterproof structure for the antenna 50 than the general method of routing cables from the outside and connecting them with a connector. In addition, although not shown, a wire rope is routed and secured to the antenna 50 to prevent the antenna 50 from falling, and is configured to prevent the antenna 50 from falling even if the shaft breaks during flight.

[0029] The folding mechanism 30 is arranged in a configuration that connects two halves of the shaft to one part of the antenna shaft 40, as shown in Figure 4(b), and has gripping portions 32 formed symmetrically above and below, as shown in Figure 4(b), and is configured to grip both ends of the fuse plate 31 using bolts and nuts. In this embodiment, the gripping portions 31 are evenly arranged in three places on the circumference of the antenna shaft 40, as shown in Figure 4(a), and the fuse plate 31 breaks under a constant load in all directions, so that the folding mechanism works reliably even when landing in an emergency without regard to the landing direction, preventing the fuse plate from breaking and damaging the elevator unit or the helicopter body.

[0030] The shape of the fuse plate 31 of the breaking mechanism 30 is as shown in Figure 5, and is formed by a narrowed portion 31a, which is the part that breaks, and a plate-shaped gripping portion 31b for gripping, with the gripping portion 31b having a bulging gourd shape.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the necked portion 31a is formed in a cylindrical shape as shown in the figure. When a predetermined load is applied, a crack begins to form at the center of the necked portion 31a in Figure 5(a), and eventually it completely breaks as shown in Figure 4(d). Because the necked portion 31a is cylindrical, stress load is applied evenly to this portion, and it is designed to break at the set load from any direction. It is also easy to visually check during maintenance and inspection.

[0032] The fuse plate 31 is designed with a shape that takes into account stress concentration loads through advanced analytical design, and is designed with a material, shape, and thickness that will not break under wind loads during flight operation, but will easily break during an emergency landing. The thickness in particular is determined by the shape and weight of the antenna, the cruising speed of the helicopter, etc., and has the advantage of being versatile and applicable to a variety of specifications. [Industrial Applicability]

[0033] The present invention is a folding mechanism for a helicopter transmitter antenna shaft, but the folding mechanism can be applied not only to antennas but also to any equipment that may get in the way during an emergency helicopter landing. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 100 Antenna lifting device 10 Transmitter 20. Lifting mechanism 21 Actuator 30 Folding mechanism 31 fuse plate 31a Constriction 31b Grip part 32 Gripping part 40 Antenna shaft 50 Antennas

Claims

1. In an antenna lifting device for a transmitter antenna disposed vertically below the underside of a helicopter fuselage, the antenna lifting device comprises a transmitter, a lifting mechanism provided below the transmitter, an antenna shaft one end of which is swingably attached to the lifting mechanism, and an antenna provided at the other end of the antenna shaft; the antenna shaft is provided with a folding mechanism that is disposed at a position above the position of the helicopter skid when the antenna is deployed vertically downward, and that folds when a predetermined load is applied; the breaking mechanism is a mechanism for gripping the gripping portions of a fuse plate having symmetrically formed, plate-like, bulging, gourd-shaped gripping portions at both ends and a breaking region that breaks when a predetermined load is applied; A folding mechanism for the antenna shaft of a helicopter transmitter.

2. 2. The folding mechanism for a helicopter transmitter antenna shaft according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the breaking region of the fuse plate is cylindrical.

3. 3. The folding mechanism for a helicopter transmitter antenna shaft according to claim 1, wherein the folding mechanism is configured to grip the fuse plate at a plurality of evenly spaced locations on the circumference in a top view.

4. 4. The folding mechanism for a helicopter transmitter antenna shaft according to claim 3, wherein the folding mechanism is configured to grip the fuse plate at three equally spaced positions on the circumference when viewed from above.

5. A folding mechanism for a helicopter transmitter antenna shaft as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the antenna shaft is hollow, a cable for controlling the antenna and a power cable can be passed through the antenna shaft, and further, a wire cable for preventing the antenna from falling can be passed through the antenna shaft.

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