Gearbox assembly with asymmetric rack-and-pinion system
AssigneeWedgerock LLC
InventorJesse Morin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A load control device including an asymmetrical rack-and-pinion system coupled to a gear set and to a load such that movement of the asymmetrical rack-and-pinion system causes movement of the load, and a biasing element coupled to the asymmetrical rack-and-pinion system. The rack is asymmetrical in that it is configured with a variable linear profile and the pinion is asymmetrical in that its pitch line varies as it rotates. The biasing element may be a coil spring. The asymmetrical rack-and-pinion system may be a single device or a paired set of a first asymmetrical rack-and-pinion device and a second asymmetrical rack-and-pinion device.
Claims7
A load control device comprising:
- a shaft;
- a gear set coupled to the shaft;
- a fail-safe mechanism coupled to the gear set;
- an asymmetrical rack-and-pinion system including a rack with variable linear profile and a variably rotatable pinion, wherein the asymmetrical rack-and-pinion system is coupled to the gear set and to the load such that movement of the asymmetrical rack-and-pinion system causes movement of the load;
- and
- a biasing element coupled to the asymmetrical rack-and-pinion system wherein the biasing element provides an asymmetrical force and has a range of movement,
- wherein the asymmetrical rack-and-pinion system coupled to the biasing element converts mechanically generated force on the biasing element over the range of movement of the biasing element that is in alignment with the asymmetrical force provided by the biasing element through its range of movement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.