US 12,434,825 B2
Control device and system for rotor blades
Jayant Sirohi, Austin, TX (US); Christopher Cameron, Austin, TX (US); and Palash Jain, Austin, TX (US)
Assigned to BOARD OF REGENTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM, Austin, TX (US)
Appl. No. 18/710,812
Filed by BOARD OF REGENTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM, Austin, TX (US)
PCT Filed Nov. 15, 2022, PCT No. PCT/US2022/049902
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 16, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/091389, PCT Pub. Date May 25, 2023.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/280,418, filed on Nov. 17, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0425176 A1, Dec. 26, 2024
Int. Cl. B64C 27/605 (2006.01); B64C 27/37 (2006.01)
CPC B64C 27/605 (2013.01) [B64C 27/37 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A rotor control device comprising:
a rotational axis;
a shaft extending along the rotational axis;
a hub having a hub axis, the hub being hingedly coupled to the shaft such that the hub axis is perpendicular to the rotational axis and stationary relative to the shaft, wherein the hub is hingable about the hub axis relative to the rotational axis;
at least one first pitch control component coupled to the hub;
a swashplate guide spaced a fixed distance from the hub axis along the rotational axis; and
a swashplate slidably captured within the swashplate guide, the swashplate having at least one second pitch control component hingedly engaging the at least one first pitch control component, wherein the swashplate is movable within a swashplate plane transverse to the rotational axis and the swashplate guide inhibits the swashplate from moving transverse to the swashplate plane,
wherein the shaft is rotatable about the rotational axis relative to the swashplate, and
wherein movement of the swashplate within the swashplate plane relative to the rotational axis causes the hub to periodically hinge about the hub axis as the hub rotates about the rotational axis.