Exit device rod adjustment
AssigneeASSA ABLOY Access and Egress Hardware Group, Inc.
InventorAndrew S. Geraci
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A latching device may include an actuator configured to actuate between an actuated state and an unactuated state, a first rod including a threaded end, and a first rod coupler operatively coupled to the actuator and the first rod and configured to transfer force between the actuator and the first rod. The first rod coupler may include a rod receptacle configured to rotate about a first axis and to at least partially receive and engaged the first rod. The first rod coupler may also include a rod adjuster rotatably coupled to the rod receptacle and configured to rotate about a second axis to rotate the rod receptacle about the first axis. The rotation of the rod receptacle may change the position of the first rod relative to the actuator.
Claims25
A rod coupler comprising:
- a rod;
- a rod receptacle configured to rotate about a first axis, wherein the rod receptacle is configured to adjustably receive the rod, in an opening, wherein a proximal end of the rod is spirally threaded, and wherein the rod receptacle includes an internal thread configured to engage with the proximal end of the rod such that when the rod receptacle is rotated, the internal thread adjusts a linear position of the rod, and wherein the rod receptacle comprises a plurality of gear teeth disposed on an end of the rod receptacle opposite the opening;
- a rod adjuster rotatably coupled to the rod receptacle and configured to rotate about a second axis;
- and
- a guide extending in a direction transverse to the rod and configured to slide along the first axis within a slot formed in a housing to constrain translational movement of the rod coupler along an axis,
- wherein rotation of the rod adjuster about the second axis is configured to rotate the rod receptacle about the first axis, wherein the first axis and the second axis are transverse to one another, and wherein the first axis and the second axis intersect one another.
A latching device comprising:
- an actuator configured to actuate between an actuated state and an unactuated state;
- a first rod including a threaded end;
- and
- a first rod coupler operatively coupled to the actuator and the first rod, the first rod coupler configured to transfer force between the actuator and the first rod, the first rod coupler comprising:
- a rod receptacle configured to rotate about a first axis, wherein the rod receptacle is configured to at least partially adjustably receive the first rod in an opening, wherein a proximal end of the rod is spirally threaded, and wherein the rod receptacle includes an internal thread threadedly engaged with the threaded end of the first rod such that when the rod receptacle is rotated, the internal thread adjusts a linear position of the rod, and where in the rod receptacle comprises a plurality of gear teeth disposed on an end of the rod receptacle opposite the opening, and
- a rod adjuster rotatably coupled to the rod receptacle and configured to rotate about a second axis,
- wherein rotation of the rod adjuster about the second axis is configured to rotate the rod receptacle about the first axis, wherein the first axis and the second axis are transverse to one another, and wherein the first axis and the second axis intersect one another.
A method of installing a latching device, the method comprising:
- rotating a rod adjuster of a rod coupler about a rod adjuster axis in a first rotational direction to correspondingly rotate a rod receptacle of the rod coupler about a rod receptacle axis in a second rotational direction via a plurality of gear teeth disposed on an end of the rod receptacle opposite an opening, wherein the first rotational direction and second rotational direction are different, wherein the rod adjuster axis is transverse to the rod receptacle axis, and wherein the rod adjuster axis and the rod receptacle axis intersect one another;
- threading a threaded end of a rod into the rod receptacle to linearly adjust the rod when the rod receptacle is rotated in the second rotational direction;
- rotating the rod adjuster about the rod adjuster axis in a third rotational direction to correspondingly rotate the rod receptacle about the rod receptacle axis in a fourth rotational direction, wherein the third rotational direction and fourth rotational direction are different;
- and
- unthreading the threaded end of the rod from the rod receptacle when the rod receptacle is rotated in the fourth rotational direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.