Abstract: An electromechanical actuator (“EMA”) is provided with redundant load paths for driving the actuator stroke. The EMA includes a rotatable screw, a nut mated with the screw and having an external toothed surface, and a rotatable spline member having a splined surface engaging the external toothed surface of the nut. An actuator rod is coupled to the nut for linear movement with the nut. A first motor is operable to rotate the screw relative to the nut to cause the nut to travel linearly along the screw, and a second motor is operable to rotate the spline member and nut such that the nut travels linearly along the screw. Consequently, the actuator rod moves linearly by operation of the first motor alone, by operation of the second motor alone, and by simultaneous operation of the first and second motors. A no-back device may be incorporated into each load path.

Abstract: A power spring passively applies tension to a cable connected to an aircraft refueling boom. The power spring has a first end engaging a fixed arbor and second end engaging a rotatable spooling drum around which a portion of the cable is wound. The power spring biases the drum to rotate in a winding direction to apply tension to the cable, and the power spring stores energy when the drum rotates in an unwinding direction. The power spring may be located inside the drum or outside the drum. The drum may be actively driven by a motor that may be uncoupled from the drum to permit freewheeling rotation of the drum, wherein the power spring continues to apply tension to the cable. The invention eliminates reliance on one or more powered motors for removing unwanted slack in the cable.

Abstract: A power spring passively applies tension to a cable connected to an aircraft refueling boom. The power spring has a first end engaging a fixed arbor and second end engaging a rotatable spooling drum around which a portion of the cable is wound. The power spring biases the drum to rotate in a winding direction to apply tension to the cable, and the power spring stores energy when the drum rotates in an unwinding direction. The power spring may be located inside the drum or outside the drum. The drum may be actively driven by a motor that may be uncoupled from the drum to permit freewheeling rotation of the drum, wherein the power spring continues to apply tension to the cable. The invention eliminates reliance on one or more powered motors for removing unwanted slack in the cable.

Abstract: A torque-limiting module (20) is adapted to be mounted on a body (21) at any of a plurality of locations. Each location has a particular mounting geometry that mandates the relative position and orientation of the module relative to the body. The body includes a housing (28) adapted to be mounted on the body, in input shaft (22), an output shaft (29), a coupling (30) between the shafts, a brake (31) arranged to act between the housing and output shaft for braking the shafts when the torque transmitted by the output shaft exceeds a predetermined value, a spring (84) urging the brake to move toward a position at which the output shaft will be released, a cam surface (25) mounted on the body at each of the locations, a cam follower (32) mounted on the module for movement along an axis and engageable with the cam surface at any location, and wherein the module has a variable characteristic, such as torque, that is settable as a function of the position of the cam follower relative to the module.

Abstract: A driven hinge (20) has fixed and movable hinge sections (21, 28) that are arranged to be selectively rotated relative to one another about an axis (x.sub.1 --x.sub.1) between first and second relative angular positions.