Patent ID: 7040600

Claim:
A combination in an aircraft comprising: a valve having a rotatable adjusting shaft, by rotation of which said valve is adjustable selectively between an open end position and a closed end position; and an operating mechanism including a toothed gear element and a toothed rack cooperating with said toothed gear element; wherein said toothed gear element includes gear teeth, is rotatable, and is mechanically connected to said adjusting shaft of said valve so as to transmit a rotating motion of said toothed gear element to said adjusting shaft; wherein said toothed rack includes rack teeth engaging said gear teeth so as to convert and transmit a linear motion of said toothed rack to said rotating motion of said toothed gear element; and wherein said toothed rack and said toothed gear element are respectively configured and arranged so that said rotating motion of said toothed gear element is angularly limited to a limited angular range between said open end position and said closed end position of said valve, said rack teeth engage said gear teeth only over a limited linear range of said linear motion of said toothed rack corresponding to a circumferential developed length of said limited angular range of said rotating motion of said toothed gear element, and said engaging of said rack teeth with said gear teeth can be reversibly interrupted as said linear motion of said toothed rack continues in either direction past said limited linear range.