Linear-to-rotary actuator

A linear-to-rotary actuator, comprising:

• a housing including an elongated main tube having opposing ends and an elongated linear motion tube having opposing ends, the linear motion tube intersecting the main tube orthogonally between the opposing ends of the main tube;
• a linear actuator having a cylinder disposed in one of the ends of the linear motion tube and a piston selectively extendable and retractable within the linear motion tube;
• a cylindrical slider attached to the piston of the linear actuator, the slider being slidable in the linear motion tube between the opposing ends of the linear motion tube;
• first and second linear-to-rotary adaptors disposed in the main tube on opposite sides of the slider, respectively, each of the adaptors being a disk having a first face having at least one arcuate track defined therein and an opposing face having an output flange attached thereto, each of the output flanges having a coupler extending therefrom;
• at least one pair of coaxially mounted rollers extending from opposite sides of the slider, at least one of the rollers engaging one of the tracks so that linear motion of the slider is converted to rotary motion of at least one of the linear-to-rotary adaptors;
• a base rotor having a fitting selectively attached to the coupler of the first linear-to-rotary adaptor, the base rotor being mounted at one of the ends of the main tube and adapted for attachment of a first load thereto;
• and
• a second rotor having a fitting selectively attached to the coupler of the second linear-to-rotary adaptor, the second rotor being mounted at the end of the main tube and adapted for attachment of a second load thereto;
• wherein the linear-to-rotary actuator may be configured to rotate the first and second loads through the same angle and the linear-to-rotary actuator may be configured to rotate the first and second loads through a defined angular displacement;
• wherein said second rotor comprises a saddle rotor having an outer wall, a medial wall, and an intermediate wall connecting the outer wall and the medial wall, the saddle rotor defining a U-shape, the medial wall having an annulus defined therein dimensioned and configured for rotation around the main tube, the saddle rotor having a plurality of roller bearings lining the annulus to smooth rotation around the main tube.