Patents by Inventor Patrice Levallard

Patrice Levallard has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9709124
    Abstract: A damper having an external armature that is symmetric about a longitudinal axis, an internal armature that is arranged partially inside the external armature and a vibration absorber that in a damped manner couples the internal and external armatures together. The damper having •an arm parallel to the longitudinal axis, fixed in the manner of a cantilever to one of the armatures and provided with a magnetic dipole; •at least one 3D Hall-effect magnetic sensor, secured to the other armature and positioned facing the dipole parallel to the longitudinal axis and separated from the dipole by a determined gap; •at least one temperature sensor positioned in thermal contact with the vibration absorber; •at least one force sensor arranged in such a way as to generate data indicative of pressures or loads experienced by the vibration absorber; •a transmitter of the data generated by the sensors; •an electrical power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Hutchinson
    Inventors: Pascal Sautier, Patrice Levallard
  • Publication number: 20150369328
    Abstract: A damper having an external armature that is symmetric about a longitudinal axis, an internal armature that is arranged partially inside the external armature and a vibration absorber that in a damped manner couples the internal and external armatures together. The damper having •an arm parallel to the longitudinal axis, fixed in the manner of a cantilever to one of the armatures and provided with a magnetic dipole; •at least one 3D Hall-effect magnetic sensor, secured to the other armature and positioned facing the dipole parallel to the longitudinal axis and separated from the dipole by a determined gap; •at least one temperature sensor positioned in thermal contact with the vibration absorber; •at least one force sensor arranged in such a way as to generate data indicative of pressures or loads experienced by the vibration absorber; •a transmitter of the data generated by the sensors; •an electrical power supply.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2014
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Inventors: Pascal Sautier, Patrice Levallard
  • Patent number: 6938888
    Abstract: The invention relates to a vibration damper, in particular for a helicopter rotor, the damper comprising both a driving element and a rigid element and including a damper assembly functionally interconnecting the driving element and the rigid element, the damper assembly comprising firstly a hydraulic damper device disposed in at least one viscous fluid cavity and a laminated flexible device. The hydraulic damper device comprises first and second sets of interleaved plane vanes. In the invention, the hydraulic damper device also has at least one damper element which is disposed in one of said viscous fluid cavities and which is secured to the driving element, said damper element presenting an outer outline which tapers going away from a base situated beside one axial end of the damper towards an apex situated beside the sets of plane vanes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2005
    Assignee: Hutchinson
    Inventors: Patrice Levallard, Thierry Sieg, Marc Runfola
  • Patent number: 6832894
    Abstract: The invention relates to a combined ball-and-damper device for mounting between firstly a flexible spar connecting a helicopter blade to a rotor hub and secondly a torque tube for controlling the pitch of said blade, the device comprising two individual modules each comprising a plane laminated damper and a laminated ball, the laminated damper extending between an outer end and an inner end and presenting at its outer end an element for connection to the torque tube for controlling the pitch of said helicopter blade, and the laminated ball presenting a stack of metal and elastomer layers, the laminated damper being secured at its inner end to an outer end of the ball whose own inner end presents an element for fixing to said flexible spar, the device including at least one connection element providing a stiffening connection between the outer ends of the two balls of the two individual modules making up the combined device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2004
    Assignee: Hutchinson
    Inventors: Patrice Levallard, Thierry Sieg
  • Publication number: 20040001754
    Abstract: The invention relates to a combined ball-and-damper device for mounting between firstly a flexible spar connecting a helicopter blade to a rotor hub and secondly a torque tube for controlling the pitch of said blade, the device comprising two individual modules each comprising a plane laminated damper and a laminated ball, the laminated damper extending between an outer end and an inner end and presenting at its outer end an element for connection to the torque tube for controlling the pitch of said helicopter blade, and the laminated ball presenting a stack of metal and elastomer layers, the laminated damper being secured at its inner end to an outer end of the ball whose own inner end presents an element for fixing to said flexible spar, the device including at least one connection element providing a stiffening connection between the outer ends of the two balls of the two individual modules making up the combined device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2003
    Publication date: January 1, 2004
    Inventors: Patrice Levallard, Thierry Sieg
  • Publication number: 20010022418
    Abstract: The invention relates to a vibration damper, in particular for a helicopter rotor, the damper comprising both a driving element and a rigid element and including a damper assembly functionally interconnecting the driving element and the rigid element, the damper assembly comprising firstly a hydraulic damper device disposed in at least one viscous fluid cavity and a laminated flexible device. The hydraulic damper device comprises first and second sets of interleaved plane vanes. In the invention, the hydraulic damper device also has at least one damper element which is disposed in one of said viscous fluid cavities and which is secured to the driving element, said damper element presenting an outer outline which tapers going away from a base situated beside one axial end of the damper towards an apex situated beside the sets of plane vanes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2001
    Publication date: September 20, 2001
    Applicant: HUTCHINSON
    Inventors: Patrice Levallard, Thierry Sieg, Marc Runfola
  • Patent number: 5979618
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a vibration damper, in particular for a helicopter rotor, the damper comprising a driving element having a "main" axis and a rigid element, and including a damping assembly functionally interconnecting the driving element and the rigid element to damp vibrations in at least one direction perpendicular to said main axis. The damper includes a hydraulic damper device having first and second sets of plane laminations each having its plane perpendicular to the main axis, the laminations of the first and second sets being interleaved and narrowly spaced apart so as to present viscous damping zones each situated between one of the laminations of the first set and one of the laminations of the second set. The damper includes an elastic element having low stiffness parallel to the main axis so as to decouple compression excitation between the driving element and the rigid element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Hutchinson
    Inventors: Thierry Sieg, Patrice Levallard
  • Patent number: 5489193
    Abstract: The invention relates to an antivibration device comprising two rigid strength members that are parallel and perpendicular to a first axis Z, and at least one laminated element interposed between the two strength members, said laminated element being made up of alternating layers of a rigid material and of elastomer which are disposed perpendicularly to the first axis, said laminated element enabling the two strength members to move relative to each other along a second axis Y that is perpendicular to the first axis. According to the invention, the device further includes a hydraulic damper which presents at least two leakproof cavities that are deformable and that are interconnected by means of a narrow channel, the two leakproof cavities and the narrow channel being filled with a liquid, each leakproof cavity being defined, at least in part, by a deformable wall which is fixed to both of the strength members and which permits them to move relative to each other parallel to the second axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 6, 1996
    Assignee: Hutchinson
    Inventor: Patrice Levallard