Actuator with variable mechanical gain, and associated method

Abstract

An actuator for providing a thrust force over a determined travel, comprising a nut, a screw, a sleeve configured to surround the screw in an axial direction (X-X) of the screw, a plurality of rollers, the nut being configured to cooperate with the screw, the nut being secured to the rollers, which are free to rotate, the rollers being configured to each move in particular in the one of at least one helical guide or the sleeve, the screw being configured in order, when it is turned, to operate the actuator, to rotate the nut when it bears via the rollers on a profile of the helical guide and to thus advance in the axial direction (X-X) of the screw at greater or lesser speed along a slope of the profile of the helical guide. The actuator further comprises a motor configured to turn the screw. Successive values of the slope all along the profile or profiles of respectively the one or more helical guides ae adapted to ensure that the slope systematically compensates for at least one peak of the desired thrust force in order to carry out clipping of the maximum values of the thrust force such that the motor, the screw and the nut are dimensioned to a motor torque value corresponding to the value of the thrust force after clipping.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.