Control rod device
A control rod configuration for adjusting a position of a rotor blade of a helicopter. The control rod configuration includes a control rod which has a bearing eye, adjacent the swash plate, which is penetrated by an axle shaft which has a bearing supported by a bearing bracket. The control rod configuration, which can be simply constructed and is less susceptible to malfunction, has an eccentric with its pivotable bearing in the bearing bracket and which is provided between the bearing bracket and the bearing eye. In addition, a method in which a rotor blade of a helicopter has an assigned control rod which is supported by an axle shaft with a bearing in the bearing bracket which is mounted to the swash plate so as to enable adjustment of the control rod by pivoting the axle shaft during flight.
1. A control rod configuration, for adjusting a rotor blade of a helicopter, comprising:
a control rod ( 12 ) having a swash plate side bearing eye ( 11 ), at one end, which is penetrated by an axle body ( 5 ), the swash plate side bearing eye of the control rod defining a longitudinal axis,
the axle body ( 5 ) being rotationally supported by a bearing in a bearing bracket ( 2 ) such that the axle body is rotatable in the bearing bracket about a rotational axis, and
an eccentric ( 8 ), which is pivotable in the bearing bracket ( 2 ), being arranged between the bearing bracket ( 2 ) and the swash plate side bearing eye ( 11 ), the eccentric having a central axis that is offset from the rotational axis of the axle body and is coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the swash plate bearing eye of the control rod.
2. The control rod configuration according to claim 1 , wherein the eccentric ( 8 ) is constructed on the axle body ( 5 ).
3. The control rod configuration according to claim 1 , wherein a ball joint body ( 10 ) has a bore and the axle body ( 5 ) passes through the bore in the ball joint body ( 10 ),
the ball joint body ( 10 ) is supported in a rotationally fixed manner by the axle body ( 5 ) to prevent relative rotation between the ball joint body and the axle body, and
the bore, in the ball joint body, defines a bore axis that is eccentric with respect to a central longitudinal axis of a bearing bore ( 7 ) of the bearing bracket ( 2 ).
4. A method of adjusting a control rod ( 12 ) which is connected to a rotor blade of a helicopter, the control rod ( 12 ) being supported by an axle body ( 5 ), and the axle body ( 5 ) being rotatably supported by a bearing in a bearing bracket ( 2 ) mounted to a swash plate ( 1 ), an eccentric ( 8 ), which is pivotable in the bearing bracket ( 2 ), being arranged between the bearing bracket ( 2 ) and a swash plate side bearing eye ( 11 ), the eccentric having a central axis that is offset from a rotational axis of the axle body ( 5 ) and is coaxial with a longitudinal axis of the swash plate bearing eye ( 11 ) of the control rod, the method comprising:
rotating the axle body ( 5 ), during flight of the helicopter, to adjust a position of the control rod ( 12 ).
5. A control rod configuration, for adjusting a rotor blade with respect to a swash plate of a helicopter, the control rod configuration comprising:
a control rod having a first bearing eye and a second bearing eye that are located at opposite ends thereof;
the control rod being connected, via the first bearing eye, to the rotor blade;
the second bearing eye rotatably receiving an eccentric member;
the eccentric member having a throughbore which defines an eccentric axis;
an axle body passes through the throughbore of the eccentric member and being connected to the eccentric member such that the eccentric member and the axle body are fixedly connected with one another;
a pair of brackets being supported by the swash plate and each of the pair of the brackets having a bearing bore, the bearing bores being aligned with one another and defining a central longitudinal axis, and the axle body being received within the bearing bores and rotationally supported by the pair of the brackets such that the axle body being rotatable, about the central longitudinal axis, with respect to the pair of the brackets and the swash plate; and
a drive bracket being fixed to the swash plate and engaging with the axle body so as to rotationally drive the axle body about the central longitudinal axis, the eccentric axis that is defined by the throughbore in the eccentric member being offset from the central longitudinal axis defined by the bearing bores of the pair of the brackets such that the control rod being biased, with respect to the swash plate, by rotation of the axle body about the central longitudinal axis.
6. The control rod configuration according to claim 5 , wherein the axle body is axially fixed such that the eccentric member is located axially between the pair of brackets and the drive bracket engages the axle body at a location spaced from the eccentric member.
7. The control rod configuration according to claim 5 , wherein the eccentric axis is offset from the central longitudinal axis such that the first bearing eye is biased in a direction normal to the central longitudinal axis.
8. The control rod configuration according to claim 5 , wherein the eccentric member is a ball which is rotatably received by a socket in the second bearing eye of the control rod.