A rack and pinion system comprising a roller component 10 configured to engage with a toothed component 11. The roller component has first, second and third support members 13a-c, a plurality of first rollers 12a, and a plurality of second rollers 12b. Each first roller has an outer end connected to the first support member and an inner end connected to a first side of the second support member. Each second roller comprises an outer end connected to the third support member and an inner end connected to a second side of the second support member opposite to the first side. Each roller is rotatable about a roller axis perpendicular to the actuation direction. Each second roller may share a common roller axis with a corresponding first roller. Each roller may have a sleeve rotatably mounted on a fixed pin. The ratio of the pin diameter to the axial length of each roller may be greater than 0.5. The support members may be discs. The rack may comprise a slew ring. Also disclosed is a foldable aerodynamic structure (such as the folding aircraft wing-tip of figure 5), and a toothed component configured to engage the abovementioned rack and pinion system.
Rack and pinion systems
2018-05-16
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
European Patent Office | 2019
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|European Patent Office | 2018
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