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US 4,179,944 AGranted
Fail safe redundant actuator
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorGary E. Conner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electromechanical actuator is provided which is capable of disconnecting the output shaft and the drive mechanisms in such a way that, in the event of either a rotational or translational failure during operation, the output shaft can be effectively freed in such a manner that it will not resist the motion produced by other actuators which have not failed.
Claims2
A fail-safe actuator comprising:
- (a) an output shaft;
- (b) a guide shaft receiving said output shaft;
- (c) first delatchable coupling means connecting said output shaft and said guide shaft;
- (d) power screw means for driving said guide shaft in a longitudinal direction, said power screw means comprising screw means comprising screw and nut components;
- (e) rotor shaft means receiving said nut component;
- (f) connecting means connecting said nut component to said rotor shaft means in rotationally fixed, translationally free relationship therewith;
- (g) second delatchable coupling means preventing translational motion of said ball nut means within said rotor shaft;
- (h) first and second reversable drive means for causing rotation of said rotor shaft, said first drive means being adapted to rotate said rotor means in a clockwise direction in normal operation and said second drive means being adapted to rotate said rotor shaft in a counter-clockwise direction in normal operation;
- (i) means for delatching said second delatchable coupling means when either of said motors are operated in the reverse direction from normal operation;
- and
- (j) means directing said ball nut into delatching engagement with said first delatching means after said second delatching means is delatched.
8 more elements
A fail-safe actuator comprising:
- (a) an output shaft for connecting said actuator to a load;
- (b) a guide shaft receiving said output shaft in sliding relationship therewith;
- (c) first delatchable coupling means connecting said output shaft to said guide shaft;
- (d) reversible drive means in longitudinal driving relationship to said guide shaft for extending and retracting said drive shaft;
- (e) second delatchable coupling means for disengaging said drive means from said drive shaft;
- (f) means for delatching said first delatchable coupling means;
- and
- (g) means for delatching said second delatchable coupling means.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.