Between-wheel bogie mounted taxi system

1. A motor-driven landing gear apparatus for taxiing an aircraft, comprising:

at least one motor attached to a bogie;

at least one wheel-driving device attached to an axle of the landing gear apparatus; and

at least one telescoping shaft providing a torque-transmitting interconnection between the at least one motor and the at least one wheel-driving device during taxiing of the aircraft,

wherein the at least one telescoping shaft includes:

a first internally-splined outer shaft rotatably supported on bearings within a housing, in which the housing is attached to the bogie;

an externally-splined internal shaft slidably engaged with the first internally-splined shaft; and

compression springs positioned coaxially with the externally-splined internal shaft at each end of the externally-splined internal shaft.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one wheel-driving device includes a pinion gear drivably engaged with a ring gear attached to a wheel of the landing gear.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein two wheels are attached to the axle.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein one of the motors is provided for each of the two wheels.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one telescoping shaft includes:

a second internally-splined outer shaft rotatably supported on the axle; and

the externally-splined internal shaft interconnecting the first outer shaft and the second outer shaft.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the at least one wheel-driving device is attached to the second internally-splined outer shaft.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the lower outer shaft is rotatably supported in a pinion-gear housing attached to the axle.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the axle is attached to the bogie with a shock absorber having a predetermined range of linear motion, and the at least one telescoping shaft has a range of linear motion that is greater than the linear range of linear motion of the shock absorber.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the externally-splined internal shaft has a length shorter than a minimum distance L between a bottom end of the second internally-splined outer shaft and a top end of the first internally-splined outer shaft, the minimum distance L being the difference between the range of linear motion of the shock absorber and a distance that develops between the top end of the first internally-splined outer shaft and the bottom end of the second internally-splined outer shaft when the shock absorber is fully extended, so that the externally-splined internal shaft remains free to move axially even when the shock absorber is fully compressed.

10. A drive train for a motor driven landing gear for an aircraft, the drive train comprising:

a gear attached to a wheel of the landing gear, the gear being coaxial with the wheel;

a pinion engaged with the first gear;

a drive motor attached to a bogie of the landing gear; and

a telescoping shaft drivably interconnecting the pinion with the drive motor,

wherein an upper portion of the telescoping shaft is supported on the bogie and a lower portion of the telescoping shaft is supported on an axle of the landing gear; and

wherein the pinion is positioned between said upper portion and said lower portion of the telescoping shaft.

11. The drive train of claim 10 , wherein the telescoping shaft includes:

an internally-splined upper outer shaft rotatably supported on the bogie;

an internally-splined lower outer shaft rotatably supported on the axle; and

an externally-splined internal shaft engaged with the upper outer shaft and the lower outer shaft.

12. The drive train of claim 11 , wherein the axle is attached to the bogie with a shock absorber having a predetermined range of linear motion and the telescoping shaft has a range of linear motion that is greater than the linear range of linear motion of the shock absorber.

13. The drive train of claim 10 ; wherein the pinion has an axis of rotation orthogonal to an axis of rotation of the gear.