US 12,264,678 B2
Fuel pump driven by a variable displacement motor for aerial refueling operation
Asher Bartov, Beverly Hills, CA (US); Gary L. Larson, Seal Beach, CA (US); and Robert W. Deller, St. George, UT (US)
Assigned to Federal Industries, Inc., El Segundo, CA (US)
Filed by Federal Industries, Inc., El Segundo, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 8, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/533,879.
Application 18/533,879 is a division of application No. 17/246,479, filed on Apr. 30, 2021, granted, now 11,867,185.
Prior Publication US 2024/0102476 A1, Mar. 28, 2024
Int. Cl. F04D 13/04 (2006.01); B64D 39/00 (2006.01); G05D 16/00 (2006.01); F03C 1/00 (2006.01); F04D 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC F04D 13/046 (2013.01) [B64D 39/00 (2013.01); G05D 16/024 (2019.01); F03C 1/005 (2013.01); F04D 1/00 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of refueling a receiver aircraft from a tanker aircraft comprising:
delivering fuel from a fuel pump of the tanker aircraft to the receiver aircraft at a predetermined fuel flow rate to a predetermined maximum inlet pressure at a reception coupling between the tanker aircraft and the receiver aircraft, wherein the fuel pump comprises a variable displacement motor operable to be driven by a hydraulic fluid pressure and the fuel flow rate is produced by a displacement of the variable displacement motor;
reducing the fuel flow rate below the predetermined fuel flow rate to not exceed the predetermined maximum inlet pressure; and
reducing a displacement of the variable displacement motor in response to a decrease in the hydraulic fluid pressure, wherein reducing a displacement of the variable displacement motor comprises reducing when a decrease of a hydraulic pressure reaches a threshold hydraulic pressure above a minimum hydraulic pressure.