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US 4,286,490 AGranted
Force application apparatus
AssigneeStanztechnik GmbH R & S
InventorErnst M. Spengler
Life of this patent
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AssigneeStanztechnik GmbH R & S
InventorErnst M. Spengler
Estimating the term…
A force may be applied to any point along a line which may be straight or curved in a plane or in space. For this purpose a force applicator is used which includes a pressure expandable hose section closed at its ends, a reaction member against which the hose rests, and a pressure transmitting plate moving in response to an expansion of the hose. These three elements are held in an operative position relative to one another by a modular frame section which also holds a guide member and a reset element for restoring the hose section to a starting position when no pressure is applied inside the hose. A piston rod extends through the guide member and is operatively connected to the pressure transmitting plate. The modular frame section, the guide member and preferably also the reset element form a modular unit. A plurality of such modular units may be arranged along an elongated hose section, whereby a respectively elongated reaction member and a correspondingly elongated pressure transmitting plate are provided in common for the plurality of modular units. A modular frame section or sections may also be used to hold adjustable stroke limiting elements.
A modular force application apparatus, comprising an opensided modular bail having a central axis, pressure expandable hose means (3) extending through said bail substantially along said central axis, a pressure transmission means located in said bail for a back and forth movement substantially perpendicularly to said central axis but restrained by the bail against rotation, said pressure transmission means contacting said hose means whereby said bail takes up a reaction force, guide bushing means rigidly secured to said bail, a guide rod extending into the guide bushing means and rigidly secured to said pressure transmission means for guiding the back and forth movement of said pressure transmission means, reset means operatively interposed between said bail and said pressure transmission means for resetting the pressure transmission means when pressure is released from said hose means and force applying means operatively arranged for movement in the same plane as said guide rod and for cooperation with said pressure transmission means to avoid canting of said pressure transmission means, said bail and said guide means forming a modular unit, whereby a plurality of such bails may be spaced along said expandable hose means.
A force application module, comprising a substantially closed bail having a central axis and open sides, said central axis extending substantially perpendicularly through said open sides, expandable hose means extending through the open sides of said bail so that the bail surrounds the expandable hose means whereby a plurality of such bails may be spaced along said expandable hose means, force transmitting means including a pressure plate operatively arranged in the bail in parallel to the hose means whereby the bail permits back and forth movement of the pressure plate inside the bail in a central plane perpendicularly to said central axis and substantially restrains any other movement of the pressure plate, guide bushing means having a longitudinal axis extending substantially perpendicularly to said central axis, said force transmitting means further comprising guide rod means extending through said guide bushing means substantially perpendicularly to said central axis, said guide rod means having an outer end extending out of the guide bushing means and thus out of the bail and an inner end extending into the bail, means rigidly securing said inner end of said guide rod means to said pressure plate whereby the guide rod means performs the function of force transmission and simultaneously a guiding function by its movement in said central plane to avoid canting of the force transmitting means, and reset means operatively interposed between the bail and the force transmitting means for resetting the force transmitting means into a starting position when a pressure is released from said expandable hose means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.