Patent ID: 8529205

Claim:
A blade pitch control mechanism for a propeller assembly ( 10 ) comprising: an actuation shaft ( 24 ) including a spherical member ( 28 ) disposed at a propeller axis ( 22 ); and a yoke ( 40 ) disposed around the spherical member ( 28 ) and rotatable thereon about a yoke tilt axis ( 62 ) substantially perpendicular to the propeller axis ( 22 ), the yoke ( 40 ) including a plurality of propeller blade attachments ( 44 ) each receptive of a propeller blade ( 14 ), the plurality of blade attachments ( 44 ) configured such that rotation of the yoke ( 40 ) about the yoke tilt axis ( 62 ) results in rotation of each propeller blade ( 14 ) about a blade pitch change axis ( 48 ); and a piston ( 26 ) in operable communication with the spherical member ( 28 ) capable of translating the spherical member ( 28 ) along the propeller axis ( 22 ).