Push button reconfiguration for rudder pedal
An aircraft rudder control system having one or more rudder pedal adjustment systems, each including a rudder pedal actuatable to control movement of a rudder, and further including a support frame component, a rudder pedal arm, a pin, a pin receiving component, a first lever, a second lever, and/or a solenoid. The rudder pedal arm is rotatably attached to the support frame component and the rudder pedal is attached to the rudder arm. While the pin is received in the pin receiving component, the rudder pedal arm is prevented from rotating. When the pin is withdrawn from the pin receiving component, the rudder pedal arm is freed to be rotatably repositioned by user foot actuation. The first lever can manually actuate the pin into and out of the pin receiving component, and the second lever is operated by the solenoid, actuating the pin when the solenoid is activated and deactivated.
1 . An aircraft rudder control system comprising:
a first rudder pedal adjustment system including:
a rudder pedal actuatable to control a rudder of an aircraft;
a support frame component;
a rudder pedal arm rotatably attached to the support frame component, wherein the rudder pedal is attached to the rudder arm;
a pin associated with the rudder pedal arm;
a pin receiving component attached to or integrally formed with the support frame component and having two or more openings or receptacles configured to selectively receive the pin, such that while the pin is in any of the two or more openings or receptacles, the rudder pedal arm is prevented from rotating; and
a solenoid configured to withdraw the pin from the pin receiving component in response to activation of the solenoid, thereby freeing the rudder pedal arm to be rotatably repositioned by user foot actuation,
a first lever having a first end portion and a second end portion, wherein the first lever is pivotally attached to the rudder pedal arm between the first end portion and the second end portion, wherein the first lever is fixedly attached to the pin at the first end portion, wherein the first lever is spring-biased to press the pin toward the pin receiving component when the first lever is in a first configuration and is configured to pull the pin away from the pin receiving component in response to the first lever pivoting to a second configuration via the second end portion being pressed toward the rudder pedal arm or the first end portion being lifted away from the rudder pedal arm, and
a second lever having a third end portion and a fourth end portion, wherein the second lever is pivotally attached to a portion of the rudder pedal arm between the third end portion and the fourth end portion, wherein the third end portion of the second lever rests between the first end portion and the rudder pedal arm when the first lever is in the first configuration, wherein the solenoid is configured to, in response to activation of the solenoid, pull the fourth end portion of the second lever, pivoting the fourth end portion toward the solenoid, and thereby pivoting the third end portion and the first end portion away from the rudder pedal arm, causing the pin to be withdrawn from the pin receiving component.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first lever is configured to selectively be pivoted into the second configuration manually by user pressure to the second end portion and automatically by activation of the solenoid.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first rudder pedal adjustment system further comprises a remote button or switch configured to activate the solenoid to withdraw the pin from the pin receiving component.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first rudder pedal adjustment system further comprises a sensor or microswitch configured to sense when the pin is withdrawn from the pin receiving component and to cause a visual or audible notification to be provided to an operator of the aircraft in response to sensing that the pin is withdrawn from the pin receiving component.
5 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a second rudder pedal adjustment system comprising a duplicate set or mirror image set of each of the components of the first rudder pedal system.
6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the first rudder pedal adjustment system is configured to control actuation of the rudder of the aircraft in a rightward direction and the second rudder pedal adjustment system is configured to control actuation of the rudder of the aircraft in a leftward direction opposite of the rightward direction.
7 . An aircraft rudder control system comprising:
a first rudder pedal adjustment system including:
a rudder pedal actuatable to control movement of a rudder of an aircraft;
a support frame component;
a rudder pedal arm spring-biased and rotatably attached to the support frame component, wherein the rudder pedal is attached to the rudder arm;
a pin;
a pin receiving component attached to or integrally formed with the support frame component and having two or more openings or receptacles configured to selectively receive the pin, such that while the pin is received in any of the two or more openings or receptacles, the rudder pedal arm is prevented from rotating;
a first lever pivotally attached to the rudder pedal arm and having a first end portion fixed to the pin and a second end portion spring-biased away from the rudder pedal arm, wherein the first lever is pivotally attached to the rudder pedal arm between the first end portion and the second end portion;
a second lever having a third end portion and a fourth end portion and being pivotally attached to a portion of the rudder pedal arm between the third end portion and the fourth end portion, wherein the third end portion of the second lever is located between the first end portion and the rudder pedal arm; and
a solenoid configured to draw the fourth end portion of the second lever toward the solenoid in response to activation of the solenoid, thus pivoting the second lever to raise the third end portion which lifts the first end portion of the first lever away from the rudder pedal arm, thereby withdrawing the pin from the pin receiving component and freeing the rudder pedal arm to be rotatably repositioned by user foot actuation.
8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the first lever is further configured to, regardless of whether or not the solenoid is activated, pull the pin away from the pin receiving component in response to the second end portion being manually pressed toward the rudder pedal arm, thereby pivoting first end portion away from the rudder pedal arm and withdrawing the pin from the pin receiving component.
9 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the solenoid is configured to, in response to deactivation of the solenoid, release the second lever, allowing the first lever to automatically return or spring back to a naturally biased state in which the pin is pressed into the two or more openings or receptacles of the pin receiving component.
10 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the first rudder pedal adjustment system further comprises a remote button or switch configured to selectively activate and deactivate the solenoid.
11 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the first rudder pedal adjustment system further comprises a sensor or microswitch configured to sense when the pin is withdrawn from the pin receiving component and to cause a visual or audible notification to be provided to an operator of the aircraft in response to sensing that the pin is withdrawn from the pin receiving component.
12 . The system of claim 7 , further comprising a second rudder pedal adjustment system comprising a duplicate set or mirror image set of each of the components of the first rudder pedal system.
13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the first rudder pedal adjustment system is configured to control actuation of the rudder of the aircraft in a rightward direction and the second rudder pedal adjustment system is configured to control actuation of the rudder of the aircraft in a leftward direction opposite of the rightward direction.
14 . An aircraft rudder control system comprising:
a first rudder pedal adjustment system and a second rudder pedal adjustment system, wherein each of the first rudder pedal adjustment system and the second rudder pedal adjustment system comprise:
a rudder pedal actuatable to control movement of a rudder of an aircraft;
a support frame component;
a rudder pedal arm spring-biased and rotatably attached to the support frame component and integrally comprising a solenoid support structure, wherein the rudder pedal is attached to the rudder pedal arm, wherein a pin hole is formed through the rudder pedal arm;
a pin actuatable into and at least partially through the pin hole of the rudder pedal arm and out of the pin hole of the rudder pedal arm;
a pin receiving component attached to or integrally formed with the support frame component and having two or more openings or receptacles configured to selectively receive the pin, such that while the pin is received in any of the two or more openings or receptacles, the rudder pedal arm is prevented from rotating;
a first lever pivotally attached to the rudder pedal arm and having a first end portion fixed to the pin and a second end portion spring-biased away from the rudder pedal arm, wherein the first lever is pivotally attached to the rudder pedal arm between the first end portion and the second end portion;
a second lever having a third end portion and a fourth end portion and being pivotally attached to the solenoid support structure between the third end portion and the fourth end portion, wherein the third end portion of the second lever is located between the first end portion and the rudder pedal arm without blocking a travel path of the pin through the pin hole;
a solenoid is attached to the solenoid support structure and is configured to draw the fourth end portion of the second lever toward the solenoid in response to activation of the solenoid, thus pivoting the second lever to raise the third end portion which lifts the first end portion of the first lever, thereby withdrawing the pin from the pin receiving component and freeing the rudder pedal arm to be rotatably repositioned by user foot actuation; and
a remote button or switch configured to selectively activate and deactivate the solenoid.
15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the first lever is further configured to, regardless of whether or not the solenoid is activated, pull the pin away from the pin receiving component in response to the second end portion being manually pressed toward the rudder pedal arm, thereby pivoting the first end portion away from the rudder pedal arm and withdrawing the pin from the pin receiving component.
16 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the solenoid is configured to, in response to deactivation, allow the fourth end portion of the second lever to pivot away from the solenoid support structure, thereby pivoting the third end portion toward the rudder pedal arm and releasing the first end portion of the first lever to automatically return or spring back to a naturally biased state in which the pin is pressed into one of the two or more openings or receptacles of the pin receiving component.
17 . The system of claim 14 , wherein one or more components of the second rudder pedal adjustment system are mirror images of one or more components of the first rudder pedal system.
18 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the first rudder pedal adjustment system is configured to control actuation of the rudder of the aircraft in a rightward direction and the second rudder pedal adjustment system is configured to control actuation of the rudder of the aircraft in a leftward direction opposite of the rightward direction.