Electric-powered spring-return actuating device
OwnerPeter H. Baumanninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Electric-powered actuating device usable for the positioning control of valves and the like, featuring a motor, mechanical and spring means capable of driving said valve or other attached devices into a predetermined safety position in case of electrical signal or power failure; said actuating device having electrical amplifying means capable of providing pulsed current to drive said motor in one direction in response to an input signal, a constant current to hold said motor in a selected position, or no power, to allow the mechanical and spring means to reverse the motor direction; additional means are provided to limit the travel to a selected position despite further increases in input signal.
Claims5
Electric actuating means comprising:
- (a) at least one electric motor having a shaft;
- (b) feedback means for generating a feedback signal;
- (c) electric amplifying circuit means for receiving an electric control signal and said feedback signal, and capable of selectively activating said motor;
- (d) mechanical means coupled to said shaft for converting more than fifty percent of the motor's electrical power into mechanical power, said mechanical means coupled to at least one mechanical spring, the spring capable of overcoming mechanical or electrical resistance forces and further being able, together with said mechanical means, to rotate said shaft whenever said motor is substantially de-energized and wherein said mechanical means comprises a suitably supported spindle having two separate threaded sections with different pitch diameters, at least one cable, portions of said cable being wound around said threaded sections of said spindle, and one or more pulleys for engaging said cable and motivating to increase force output of said spring.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.