US 2025/0012350 A1 · GEAR ASSEMBLIES FOR DISSOCIATING ACTUATION MOTIONS AND FOR REDUCING THE EFFECT OF MOTOR INERTIA

Abstract

A gear assembly configured to be driven by a motor and/or manual operation is disclosed. The gear assembly is configured to reduce or eliminate the effect of inertia of the motor on an output of the gear assembly and/or to dissociate a linear motion of the output relative to a rest position from an opposite rotational motion of an input of the gear assembly. The gear assembly may comprise a wheel configured to rotate about a wheel axis, and a drum and a locker both configured to move in response to rotation of the wheel. When both locker and drum are prevented from moving, the wheel continues to move. The gear assembly may comprise a gcar and a driver, both configured to rotate about a gear axis, and a spring disposed therebetween. When the linear motion causes the gear to move, the motion is not transferred to the driver.

Claims63

Dependent claims

A gear assembly configured to be driven by an output shaft of a motor and to reduce or eliminate the effect of inertia of the motor on an output of the gear assembly, the gear assembly comprising:

a wheel configured to be engageably coupled directly or indirectly to the output shaft of the motor and to rotate about a wheel axis in response to motion of the output shaft of the motor;
a drum rotatably mounted to the wheel and configured to rotate about the wheel axis in response to rotation of the wheel;
and
a locker configured to move relative to the wheel axis in response to motion of the wheel, the locker being movable between an unlocked position, in which the locker does not restrict the ability of the drum to rotate about the wheel axis in response to rotation of the wheel, and a locked position, in which the locker restricts the ability of the drum to rotate about the wheel axis in response to rotation of the wheel;
the locker in the unlocked position being engaged by the wheel for rotation of the wheel and the drum together about the wheel axis, and the locker in the locked position being disengaged from the wheel for rotation of the wheel relative to the drum, thereby allowing inertial motion of the output shaft of the motor and rotation of the wheel without causing rotation of the drum, and thereby reducing or eliminating the effect of inertia of the motor on the output of the gear assembly.

2 more elements

A gear assembly configured to transfer rotational motion of an input into linear motion of an output relative to a rest position and to absorb linear motion of the output relative to the rest position without opposite rotational motion of the input, thereby dissociating the linear motion of the output from the opposite rotational motion of the input, the gear assembly comprising:

a gear mounted for rotational motion about a gear axis and coupled to generate the linear motion of the output relative to the rest position;
a driver coupled directly or indirectly to the gear and mounted for rotational motion about the gear axis, the driver providing the input of the gear assembly;
and
a spring disposed in an interface between the gear and the driver, the spring being configured to bias the gear and the driver toward each other;
the interface of the driver and the gear being configured such that rotational movement of the driver as the input of the gear assembly transfers to rotational movement of the gear of the gear assembly, and rotational movement of the gear of the gear assembly transfers to linear motion of the output relative to the rest position;
the interface of the driver and the gear being further configured such that opposite linear motion of the output relative to the rest position causes the opposite rotational movement of the gear of the gear assembly, but the opposite rotational movement of the gear is not transferred to opposite rotational movement of the driver of the gear assembly;
the gear assembly thus absorbing linear motion of the output from the rest position without opposite rotational motion of the driver by dissociating the linear motion of the output from the opposite rotational motion of the driver.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Gear assemblies for dissociating actuation motions and for reducing the effect of motor inertia

Life of this patent

Gear assemblies for dissociating actuation motions and for reducing the effect of motor inertia

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims63