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US 2014/0210219 A1Published application
Latch with rotary sma actuator
AssigneeA. Raymond & Cie
InventorWalter B. PIPP
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotary actuator includes a plurality of plate members stacked and coupled together for rotation relative to each other. A biasing member provides a biasing force tending to cause a rotatable end plate member to rotate in a biasing direction relative to a non-rotatable end plate member. Each plate member has a plurality of notches at its periphery. A SMA wire extends through the plurality of notches so that as the SMA wire is heated, the SMA wire rotates each rotatable plate member from a cold position in a direction opposite the biasing direction to a hot position. As the SMA wire cools, the biasing member rotates each rotatable plate member in the biasing direction from the hot position and returns each rotatable plate member to the cold position.
Claims20
A rotary actuator comprising:
- a plurality of plate members comprising:
- a non-rotatable end plate member having a plurality of notches at its periphery;
- a rotatable end plate member comprising a plurality of notches at its periphery;
- at least one intermediate rotatable plate member having a plurality of notches at its periphery;
- wherein the at least one intermediate rotatable plate member is sandwiched in a stack between the non-rotatable end plate member and the rotatable end plate member;
- a biasing member providing a biasing force tending to cause the rotatable end plate member to rotate in a biasing direction relative to the non-rotatable end plate member;
- and
- a SMA wire extending through the plurality of notches so that generally helical wire paths all extend in one of the clockwise or counterclockwise direction from the non-rotatable end plate member to the rotatable end plate member;
- wherein as the SMA wire is heated, the SMA wire rotates each rotatable plate member from a cold position in a direction opposite the biasing direction to a hot position;
- and as the SMA wire cools, the biasing member rotates each rotatable plate member in the biasing direction from the hot position and returns each rotatable plate member to the cold position.
7 more elements
A rotary actuator comprising:
- a plurality of plate members comprising:
- a non-rotatable end plate member having a plurality of notches at its periphery;
- a rotatable end plate member having a plurality of notches at its periphery;
- at least one intermediate rotatable plate member having a plurality of notches at its periphery;
- and
- wherein the at least one intermediate rotatable plate member is sandwiched in a stack between the non-rotatable end plate member and the rotatable end plate member, and wherein opposing faces of adjacent plate members in the stack are separated from each other to provide an open space between the opposing faces of each pair of adjacent plate members;
- a biasing member providing a biasing force tending to cause the rotatable end plate member to rotate in a biasing direction relative to the non-rotatable end plate member;
- and
- a SMA wire extending through the plurality of notches so that a plurality of wire paths extend between the non-rotatable end plate member and the rotatable end plate member, wherein every one of the plurality of wire paths includes at least one segment of the SMA wire positioned within the open space between the opposing faces of each pair of adjacent plate members without contacting any segment of the SMA wire defining any other wire path;
- wherein as the SMA wire is heated, the SMA wire rotates each rotatable plate member from a cold position in a direction opposite the biasing direction to a hot position;
- and as the SMA wire cools, the biasing member rotates each rotatable plate member in the biasing direction from the hot position and returns each rotatable plate member to the cold position.
8 more elements
A rotary actuator comprising:
- a plurality of plate members comprising:
- a non-rotatable end plate member having a plurality of notches at its periphery;
- a rotatable end plate member having a plurality of notches at its periphery;
- at least one intermediate rotatable plate member having a plurality of notches at its periphery;
- and
- wherein the at least one intermediate rotatable plate member is sandwiched in a stack between the non-rotatable end plate member and the rotatable end plate member, and wherein opposing faces of adjacent plate members in the stack are separated from each other to provide an open space between the opposing faces of each pair of adjacent plate members;
- a biasing member providing a biasing force tending to cause the rotatable end plate member to rotate in a biasing direction relative to the non-rotatable end plate member;
- and
- a SMA wire extending through the plurality of notches so that generally helical wire paths all extend in one of the clockwise or counterclockwise direction from the non-rotatable end plate member to the rotatable end plate member, and the SMA wire extending through the plurality of notches so that a plurality of wire paths extend between the non-rotatable end plate member and the rotatable end plate member, wherein every one of the plurality of wire paths includes at least one segment if the SMA wire positioned within the open space between the opposing faces of each pair of adjacent plate members without contacting any segment of the SMA wire defining any other wire path;
- wherein as the SMA wire is heated, the SMA wire rotates each rotatable plate member from a cold position in a direction opposite the biasing direction to a hot position;
- and as the SMA wire cools, the biasing member rotates each rotatable plate member in the biasing direction from the hot position and returns each rotatable plate member to the cold position.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.