Pneumatic/electric actuator
AssigneeSystems, Machines, Automation Components Corporation
InventorEdward A. Neff
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pneumatic/electric actuator for precisely positioning a workpiece and for applying a force to the workpiece. The pneumatic/electric actuator includes an electric actuator in the form of a voice coil motor having an output rod coupled to the cylinder rod of a pneumatic cylinder. The output rod is mounted for extremely precise and measured movements by the electric actuator and can be adapted to contact and precisely position the workpiece. After precise positioning of the workpiece the pneumatic cylinder can be actuated to extend the cylinder rod and exert a force through the output rod to the workpiece. In an alternate embodiment the electric actuator is mounted directly on a pneumatic cylinder and can be moved by the pneumatic cylinder to increase an effective stroke of the output rod of the electric actuator.
Claims9
A pneumatic/electric actuator for precisely positioning and applying a force to a workpiece comprising:
- an electric actuator including a housing, a magnet fixedly mounted to the housing to establish a magnetic field, a coil piston slidingly mounted to the housing, a coil wrapped around the coil piston, an interface block mounted on the coil piston, an output rod connected to the interface block for precisely and variably positioning the workpiece, and a sensor for determining the position of the output rod;
- a pneumatic cylinder stacked onto the electrical actuator, the pneumatic cylinder having a cylinder rod connected to the interface block and to the output rod to exert a force through the output rod to the workpiece;
- and
- control means connected to the sensor for controlling current flow to the coil for precisely positioning the output rod and connected to the pneumatic cylinder for controlling movement of the cylinder rod.
A pneumatic/electric actuator comprising:
- an electric actuator having a housing, an output rod for precisely positioning a workpiece, a magnet fixedly mounted to the housing to establish a magnetic field within the housing, a coil piston slidingly mounted to the housing and disposed in the magnetic field generated by the magnet, a conductive wire wrapped around the coil piston such that current flow through the wire moves the coil piston and output rod relative to the housing;
- and a sensor means connected to the control means for sensing and controlling the location of the output rod;
- a pneumatic cylinder having a body connected to the housing of the electric actuator through an interface plate for moving the body of the pneumatic cylinder along one or more cylinder rods to move the electric actuator through a distance for increasing a stroke of the output rod;
- and
- control means for controlling the electric actuator and pneumatic cylinder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.