Patent Description:
Gas turbine engine systems for modern aircraft often include a thrust reverser incorporated into a nacelle. The thrust reverser may redirect the flow of air through the nacelle in order to apply a reverse thrust to the aircraft. One style of thrust reverser includes a translating sleeve. The translating sleeve may translate aft to deploy blocker doors into the bypass air duct of a nacelle. The blocker doors may redirect air in the bypass air duct outward though a series of cascades which then turn the air forward, producing reverse thrust. Conventional blocker doors are driven by drag links that are located in a bypass air duct of the nacelle. The drag links and corresponding fittings undesirably result in drag and may generate undesirable noise because of their location in the bypass air duct. <CIT> discloses a system of the prior art.

in an aspect of the invention a system for deploying a blocker door of a nacelle is provided according to claim <NUM>.

In any of the foregoing embodiments, the gear box, the first door crank, and the first door link are each configured to be located radially outward from the bypass air duct in response to the translating sleeve being located at its forward-most position.

In any of the foregoing embodiments, the nacelle includes at least one of a translating cascade or a fixed cascade.

The detailed description of various embodiments herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which show various embodiments by way of illustration. While these various embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the inventions, it should be understood that other embodiments may be realized and that logical, chemical and mechanical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the steps recited in any of the method or process descriptions may be executed in any order and are not necessarily limited to the order presented.

Also, any reference to attached, fixed, connected or the like may include permanent, removable, temporary, partial, full and/or any other possible attachment option.

In various embodiments and with reference to <FIG>, an aircraft <NUM> may include a fuselage <NUM> and a pair of wings <NUM>. A propulsion system <NUM> (e.g., a turbofan gas turbine engine with a nacelle assembly) may be coupled to the aircraft <NUM> (e.g., mounted on the underside of a wing <NUM>). The propulsion system <NUM> may be configured to provide at least one of forward thrust or propulsion for the aircraft <NUM>.

In various embodiments, the propulsion system <NUM> may include an engine having a fan <NUM> and an engine core <NUM> housed within a nacelle assembly <NUM>. The nacelle assembly <NUM> may include an inlet, a fan cowl, a thrust reverser, and an exhaust system. The nacelle assembly <NUM> surrounds the engine core <NUM> providing smooth aerodynamic surfaces for airflow around and into the engine. The nacelle also helps define a bypass air duct through the propulsion system <NUM>.

In various embodiments, the fan <NUM> may draw and direct a flow of air into and through the propulsion system <NUM>. After the fan <NUM>, the air is divided into two principal flow paths, one flow path through engine core <NUM> (i.e., a "core airflow"), and another flow path through a bypass air duct (i.e., a "bypass airflow"). The engine core flow path is directed into the engine core <NUM> and initially passes through a compressor that increases the air flow pressure, and then through a combustor where the air is mixed with fuel and ignited. The combustion of the fuel and air mixture causes a series of turbine blades at the rear of the engine core <NUM> to rotate, and to drive the engine's compressor and fan <NUM>. The high-pressure exhaust gases from the combustion of the fuel and air mixture are thereafter directed through an exhaust system aft of the engine for thrust.

In various embodiments and with reference to <FIG>, a thrust reverser system of the aircraft <NUM> may be included in the nacelle assembly <NUM> and may include a translating sleeve <NUM> and a cascade, or cascade array, <NUM>. The thrust reverser system may also include an air diversion system that is designed to direct airflow in the bypass duct through the cascade to create reverse thrust. The air diversion system may be any suitable system including, for example, blocker doors, diversion doors, and/or the like.

Referring to <FIG> and in operation, the translating sleeve <NUM> may translate and/or move aft, separating from a fan cowl <NUM> in response to an event (e.g., a landing, touch down, activation of the thrust reverser system manually or automatically, or the like). This aft movement of the translating sleeve <NUM> may expose the cascade <NUM> to allow air to be diverted through the cascade <NUM> and directed forward to create reverse thrust. As is known in this art, in the stowed position of the thrust reverser, the cascade <NUM> may be housed between an inner and an outer panel of the translating sleeve <NUM> which define a generally annular-shaped pocket therebetween.

Referring now to <FIG>, a system <NUM> may be included within the nacelle assembly for deploying blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> into a bypass air duct <NUM> defined by the nacelle assembly <NUM>. In particular, the system <NUM> may include a first blocker door <NUM> and a second blocker door <NUM>. The system <NUM> may include any quantity of blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> which may be oriented circumferentially about a centerline of the nacelle assembly. The blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> may be deployed into the bypass air duct <NUM> in order to divert bypass air through the cascade array <NUM>. In particular, aft movement of the translating sleeve <NUM> may cause the blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> to become fully deployed (as shown in <FIG>) in order to divert the bypass air through the cascade array <NUM>.

The system <NUM> may further include a master link <NUM>. The master link <NUM> may be coupled to a fixed structure <NUM> of the nacelle assembly. For example, the master link <NUM> may be pivotally coupled to the fixed structure <NUM> (such as a fixed portion of the thrust reverser which does not translate with the translating sleeve <NUM>). In various embodiments, the master link <NUM> may be coupled to a "bull nose" of the thrust reverser assembly.

The system <NUM> may further include a master crank <NUM>. The master crank <NUM> may be pivotally coupled to the master link <NUM>. For example, the master crank <NUM> may be coupled to an opposite end of the master link <NUM> from the fixed structure <NUM>. An opposite end of the master crank <NUM> from the master link <NUM> may further be pivotally coupled to the translating sleeve <NUM>.

The system <NUM> may further include a first door link <NUM> coupled to the first blocker door <NUM> and a second door link <NUM> coupled to the second blocker door <NUM>. For example, the first door link <NUM> and the second door link <NUM> may be pivotally coupled to the first blocker door <NUM> and the second blocker door <NUM>, respectively.

The system <NUM> may further include a first door crank <NUM> and a second door crank <NUM> coupled to the first door link <NUM> and the second door link <NUM>, respectively. For example, the first door crank <NUM> and the second door crank <NUM> may be pivotally coupled to an opposite end of the first door link <NUM> and the second door link <NUM> from the blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM>.

The system <NUM> may further include a first driveshaft <NUM> and a second driveshaft <NUM>. The first driveshaft <NUM> may be coupled between the master crank <NUM> and the first door crank <NUM>. The second driveshaft <NUM> may be coupled between the master crank <NUM> and the second door crank <NUM>. Cranks <NUM> and <NUM> may be pivotally mounted to the translating sleeve <NUM>.

The blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> may be pivotally coupled to the translating sleeve <NUM>. For example, a hinge <NUM> may be coupled to the translating sleeve <NUM> and the second blocker door <NUM> and may facilitate hinging or pivoting of the second blocker door <NUM> relative to the translating sleeve <NUM>. In that regard, translation of the translating sleeve <NUM> in an aft direction (shown by an arrow <NUM>) may cause the blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> to deploy into the bypass air duct <NUM>.

In particular, aft translation of the translating sleeve <NUM> drives extension of the master crank <NUM> and the master link <NUM> relative to each other. This extension of the master crank <NUM> is driven to the blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> via the driveshafts <NUM>, <NUM>, the door crank <NUM>, <NUM>, and the door links <NUM>, <NUM>. This driving of the door links <NUM>, <NUM> causes the blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> to become fully deployed (as shown in <FIG>).

In response to translation of the translating sleeve <NUM> in a forward direction (as shown by an arrow <NUM>), the above process is reversed, causing the blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> to return to the stowed position. <FIG> illustrates the blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> fully stowed, <FIG> illustrates the blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> fully deployed, and <FIG> illustrates the blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> partially deployed. The cascade array <NUM> may be a translating cascade array <NUM>, meaning that it translates in response to translation of the translating sleeve <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the master link <NUM>, the master crank <NUM>, the door links <NUM>, <NUM>, and the door crank <NUM>, <NUM> are located radially outward of the blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> in response to the blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> being fully stowed (i.e., in response to the translating sleeve <NUM> being in its forward-most location). This provides the advantage of reduced drag in the bypass air duct <NUM> during operation of the corresponding gas turbine engine relative to conventional blocker door deployment systems which may include a drag link and drag link fitting in the bypass air duct. The location of the master link <NUM>, the master crank <NUM>, the door links <NUM>, <NUM>, and the door crank <NUM>, <NUM> radially outward from stowed blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> may further advantageously reduce noise which may be caused by bypass air flowing over drag links and drag link fittings of conventional blocker door deployment systems.

Additionally, use of the master link <NUM> and master crank <NUM> to drive the door cranks <NUM>, <NUM> and the door links <NUM>, <NUM> allows more precise positioning of the blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> relative to conventional blocker door deployment systems. This provides for better area match of airflow through the cascade array <NUM> and an exhaust system of the propulsion system, reducing the likelihood of damage to a corresponding gas turbine engine.

In various embodiments, any of a variety of arrangements of door cranks, door links, and driveshafts may be utilized without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring now to <FIG>, another blocker door deployment system <NUM> is shown. The system <NUM> may be used in a nacelle <NUM> having a fixed cascade array <NUM>. The fixed cascade array <NUM> may remain stationary in response to translation of a translating sleeve <NUM>. The fixed cascade array <NUM> may further include an aft cascade ring <NUM>.

The system <NUM> may be similar to the system <NUM> of <FIG> and may include a fixed structure <NUM>. The fixed structure <NUM> may remain stationary in response to translation of the translating sleeve <NUM>.

The system <NUM> may further include a master link <NUM> pivotally coupled to the fixed structure <NUM>. The system <NUM> may further include a master crank <NUM> located on an opposite end of the master link <NUM> from the fixed structure <NUM> and pivotally coupled to the master link <NUM>. An opposite end of the master crank <NUM> from the master link <NUM> may be pivotally coupled to the translating sleeve <NUM>. A blocker door <NUM> may further be pivotally coupled to the translating sleeve <NUM> via a hinge <NUM>. A door crank <NUM> may also be pivotally coupled to the translating sleeve <NUM>, and an opposite end of the door crank <NUM> may be coupled to a door link <NUM>. An opposite end of the door link <NUM> from the door crank <NUM> may be coupled to the blocker door <NUM>. The blocker door <NUM> may deploy in a similar manner as the blocker doors <NUM>, <NUM> of <FIG>.

Each of the master link <NUM>, the master crank <NUM>, the blocker door <NUM>, the door crank <NUM>, and the door link <NUM> may avoid contact with the aft cascade ring <NUM> during translation of the translating sleeve <NUM> and corresponding deployment and stowing of the blocker door <NUM>.

Turning now to <FIG>, a system <NUM> for deployment of a blocker door <NUM> is shown according to the claimed invention. The system <NUM> may be included in a nacelle <NUM> having a cascade array <NUM>, a fixed structure <NUM>, and a translating sleeve <NUM>.

The system <NUM> further includes a gear box <NUM> with a gear that converts linear motion of the translating sleeve <NUM> into rotational motion. The gear box <NUM> may include any gear or combination of gears that converts the linear motion into rotational motion, such as a slider crank mechanism, a cam mechanism, or the like. The system <NUM> includes the blocker door <NUM> that is designed to deploy into a bypass air duct of the nacelle <NUM>.

The system <NUM> includes a door link <NUM> having a first end pivotally coupled to the blocker door <NUM>, and a second end pivotally coupled to a door crank <NUM>. The system <NUM> includes the door crank <NUM> pivotally coupled to the door link <NUM>, and a driveshaft <NUM> coupled to the gear box <NUM> and the door crank <NUM>. The door crank <NUM> is pivotally coupled or connected to the translating sleeve <NUM>.

Aft translation of the translating sleeve <NUM> generates rotation by the gear box <NUM>, which rotates the driveshaft <NUM>. Rotation of the driveshaft <NUM> is transferred through the door crank <NUM> and the door link <NUM>, rotating the blocker door <NUM> into a bypass air duct and thus causing the bypass air to flow through the cascade array <NUM>. Additional driveshafts <NUM> from door crank <NUM> to additional door cranks <NUM> can be used to drive other links.

In the detailed description herein, references to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "various embodiments", etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic.

Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent various functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any elements that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements of the inventions. The scope of the inventions is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean "one and only one" unless explicitly so stated, but rather "one or more.

Claim 1:
A system for deploying a blocker door of a nacelle, comprising:
a gear box (<NUM>) comprising one or more gears, the gear box (<NUM>) configured to be coupled to a translating sleeve (<NUM>) of the nacelle and to convert linear motion of the translating sleeve (<NUM>) to rotational motion;
a first door crank (<NUM>);
a first door link (<NUM>) pivotally attached to the first door crank (<NUM>);
a first blocker door (<NUM>) coupled to the first door link (<NUM>); and
a first driveshaft (<NUM>) coupled to the gear box (<NUM>) and to the first door crank (<NUM>) and configured to transfer the rotational motion from the gear box (<NUM>) to the first door crank (<NUM>), such that translation of the translating sleeve (<NUM>) in an aft direction drives the first door link (<NUM>) via the first door crank (<NUM>) to move the first blocker door (<NUM>) into a bypass air duct defined by the nacelle.