US-12617521-B2 - Coiling foreign object debris cover

Abstract

A FOD cover system including an elongated slider made of a non-stretchable, flexible material, a first roller, a second roller, and a roller support. The slider has a first end and a second end opposite the first end, and the slider is slidable between two spaced-apart portions of a control housing and mechanically actuatable fore and aft by a lever extending through an opening of the slider. The lever operates control components within the control housing. The first roller is fixed to the first end of the elongated slider and the second roller is fixed to the second end of the elongated slider. The first roller and the second roller are rotatably attached to a roller support. The first roller and the second roller may also each be spring biased in opposing rotational directions, maintaining the elongated slider taut during actuation thereof.

Inventors

• Steven Daniel Schmoll
• Thomas Neal Gamber

Assignees

• TEXTRON AVIATION INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20240725

Claims (18)

1. 1 . A foreign object debris (FOD) cover system comprising: an elongated slider made of a non-stretchable, flexible material, the elongated slider having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the elongated slider is slidable between two spaced-apart portions of a control housing and is mechanically actuatable fore and aft; a first roller fixed to the first end of the elongated slider; a second roller fixed to the second end of the elongated slider; and at least one roller support on which the first roller and the second roller are rotatably attached, wherein the first roller and the second roller are each spring biased in opposing rotational directions, maintaining the elongated slider in a taut configuration.
2. 2 . The FOD cover system of claim 1 , wherein the elongated slider comprises two elongated sliders and wherein the FOD cover system further includes a spacer fixed between the two elongated sliders, such that the two elongated sliders are slidable relative to the spacer.
3. 3 . The FOD cover system of claim 1 , further comprising: the control housing having an elongated slot formed through at least one panel of the control housing, wherein the elongated slider is housed within the control housing; and a lever extending from within the control housing and outward through the elongated slider and the elongated slot, such that movement of the lever mechanically actuates the elongated slider fore and aft.
4. 4 . The FOD cover system of claim 3 , wherein the elongated slider has a lever opening formed therethrough, sized and shaped to match a size and shape of a cross-section of the lever, wherein the lever extends through the lever opening.
5. 5 . The FOD cover system of claim 3 , wherein the at least one roller support is fixed relative to the control housing.
6. 6 . The FOD cover system of claim 5 , wherein the at least one roller support includes support arms fixed to an inner surface of the control housing and support cylinders fixed to the support arms, wherein the first roller and the second roller are each rotatably mounted onto one of the support cylinders.
7. 7 . The FOD cover system of claim 6 , wherein the support arms are each shaped and angled to rest substantially flush against the inner surface of the control housing and are mechanically attached to the control housing.
8. 8 . The FOD cover system of claim 3 , wherein the control housing includes a lower cover panel support structure and a quadrant cover panel spaced apart from and at least partially covering the lower cover panel support, wherein the slider is positioned between the lower cover panel support structure and the quadrant cover panel.
9. 9 . An aircraft system comprising: system control components; a control housing at least partially covering the system control components and having at least one elongated slot formed through at least one panel of the control housing; at least one lever extending from the system control components and outward through the at least one elongated slot; a foreign object debris (FOD) cover system comprising: at least one elongated slider made of a non-stretchable, flexible material, the at least one elongated slider having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the at least one elongated slider has at least one lever opening formed therethrough, wherein the at least one lever extends through the at least one lever opening, at least one first roller fixed to the first end of the at least one elongated slider, at least one second roller fixed to the second end of the at least one elongated slider, and at least one roller support within the control housing, wherein the at least one first roller and the at least one second roller are rotatably attached to the at least one roller support, wherein the at least one elongated slider comprises two elongated sliders and the FOD cover system further includes a spacer fixed between the two elongated sliders.
10. 10 . The aircraft system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one first roller and the at least one second roller are each spring biased in opposing rotational directions, maintaining the at least one elongated slider in a taut configuration.
11. 11 . The aircraft system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one lever opening is sized and shaped to match a size and shape of a cross-section of the at least one lever.
12. 12 . The aircraft system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one roller support includes support arms fixed to an inner surface of the control housing and support cylinders fixed to the support arms, wherein the at least one first roller and the at least one second roller are each rotatably mounted onto one of the support cylinders.
13. 13 . The aircraft system of claim 12 , wherein the support arms are each shaped and angled to rest substantially flush against the inner surface of the control housing and are mechanically attached to the control housing.
14. 14 . The aircraft system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one elongated slider has a width and a length that extends between the at least one first roller and the at least one second roller, wherein the width of the at least one elongated slider is greater than a width of the at least one elongated slot and the length of the at least one elongated slider is greater than a length of the at least one elongated slot.
15. 15 . A method of protecting an aircraft control system from foreign object debris (FOD), the method comprising: shifting a lever extending from at least one system control component through an elongated slot of a control housing in a first direction, wherein the lever extends through a lever opening of an elongated slider of a FOD cover system, wherein the elongated slider is within the control housing and extends a length of the elongated slot, wherein the shifting of the lever in the first direction shifts the slider in the first direction, coiling a first portion of the slider around a first roller while uncoiling a second portion of the slider from a second roller at an opposite end of the slider from the first roller; and shifting the lever in a second direction that is opposite the first direction, wherein the shifting of the lever in the second direction shifts the slider in the second direction, uncoiling the first portion of the slider from the first roller while coiling the second portion of the slider around the second roller.
16. 16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the first roller and the second roller are each spring biased in opposing rotational directions, maintaining the elongated slider in a taut configuration during the shifting of the lever in the first direction and the shifting of the lever in the second direction.
17. 17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the slider is positioned between a lower cover panel support structure and a quadrant cover panel, through which the elongated slot is formed.
18. 18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the elongated slider has a width and a length that extends between the first roller and the second roller, wherein the width of the elongated slider is greater than a width of the elongated slot and the length of the elongated slider is greater than a length of the elongated slot, the elongated slider thus protecting the at least one system control component from FOD entering the elongated slot.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Foreign object debris (FOD) covers are used for covering openings in aircraft control housings, such as slots in a control pedestal or cover through which throttle levers extend and translate fore and aft. The FOD covers prevent FOD from entering aircraft control electronics and other such sensitive components. FOD covers are traditionally static relative to the control pedestal or housing and thus require an opening or slot through the cover allowing for the throttle levers, for example, to move fore and aft relative to the static FOD covers. This can lead to the FOD cover wearing out due to the friction from the throttle over time, and/or can lead to some FOD still entering through the slot formed into the static FOD cover. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the current invention address one or more of the above-mentioned problems and provide a distinct advance in the art of aircraft control foreign object debris (FOD) covers. In some embodiments, a FOD cover system includes an elongated slider made of a non-stretchable, flexible material, a first roller, a second roller, and a plurality of roller supports. The elongated slider has a first end and a second end opposite the first end and is slidable between two spaced-apart portions of a control housing and mechanically actuatable fore and aft. The first roller is fixed to the first end of the elongated slider and the second roller is fixed to the second end of the elongated slider. The first roller and the second roller are rotatably attached to at least one of the plurality of roller supports. The first roller and the second roller may also each be spring biased in opposing rotational directions, maintaining the elongated slider in a taut configuration. Another embodiment of the invention is an aircraft system having system control components, a control housing, at least one lever, and a FOD cover system. The control housing at least partially covers the system control components and has at least one elongated slot formed through at least one panel of the control housing. The lever extends from the system control components and outward through the elongated slot. The FOD cover system includes at least one elongated slider, at least one first roller, at least one second roller, and a plurality of roller supports. The elongated slider is made of a non-stretchable, flexible material, and has a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The elongated slider also has at least one lever opening through which the lever extends. The first roller is fixed to the first end of the elongated slider, and the second roller is fixed to the second end of the elongated slider. In some embodiments, the plurality of roller supports may be fixed relative to the control housing and located within the control housing. Furthermore, the first roller and the second roller are rotatably attached to the plurality of roller supports. Another embodiment of the invention is a method of protecting an aircraft control system from FOD during operation thereof. The method may include shifting a lever such as a thrust lever in a first direction as well as shifting the lever in a second opposite direction. The lever may extend from a system control component through an elongated slot of a control housing. The lever may also extend through a lever opening of an elongated slider of a FOD cover system. The elongated slider may be located within the control housing and may extend a length of the elongated slot. In this configuration, the shifting of the lever in the first direction shifts the slider in the first direction, coiling a first portion of the slider around a first roller while uncoiling a second portion of the slider from a second roller at an opposite end of the slider from the first roller. Conversely, the shifting of the lever in the second direction shifts the slider in the second direction, uncoiling the first portion of the slider from the first roller while coiling the second portion of the slider around the second roller. The first and second rollers may be spring biased to maintain the slider in a taut configuration throughout this method. This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the current invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Embodiments of the current invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein: FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of an aircraft control system, constructed in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a top persp