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US 6,756,707 B2Granted
Electric actuator
AssigneeTol-O-Matic, Inc.
InventorsKeith Hochhalter, Eugene F. Case
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electric actuator having an in-line rotation shaft, electric motor and encoder in which the encoder shaft, the motor shaft and the rotation shaft is concentric and integrally formed.
Claims31
An electrically powered actuator comprising:
- an elongated housing having a proximal end defined by a proximal end block, a distal end defined by a distal end block and a longitudinal axis;
- a rotation shaft extending along said longitudinal axis and being rotatably supported within and axially fixed relative to said housing and having a proximal end and a distal end;
- a thrust member having a proximal end and a distal end, said thrust member being concentric with, and axially moveable relative to, said rotation shaft and said housing along said longitudinal axis, said thrust member further extending through said distal end block, with the distal end of said thrust member extending beyond and being axially moveable beyond said distal end block;
- a coupling nut connected with said thrust member and moveable therewith, said thrust member and said coupling nut being non-rotatable relative to said housing;
- an electric motor having an output drive shaft extending therethrough, said drive shaft having a proximal end on one side of said motor and a distal end on the other side of said motor, said output drive shaft being in-line and concentric with said rotation shaft, with the distal end of said drive shaft connected with the proximal end of said rotation shaft;
- and
- a rotary positioning encoder mounted to the proximal end of said output drive shaft.
4 more elements
An electrically powered actuator comprising:
- an elongated housing having a longitudinal axis;
- a rotation shaft extending along said longitudinal axis and being rotatably supported within said housing member;
- a thrust member concentric with, and axially moveable relative to, said rotation shaft along said longitudinal axis;
- a coupling nut connected with said thrust member and moveable therewith, said thrust member and said coupling nut being non-rotatable relative to said housing member;
- an electric motor having an output drive shaft, said output drive shaft being in-line and concentric with, and integrally formed with said rotation shaft;
- and
- a motor housing having a distal end connected with said elongated housing and a proximal end and further including a head cover connected with the proximal end of said motor housing, wherein said head cover includes a first head section and a second head section, said second head section being selectively connectable to said first head section in a plurality of positions.
4 more elements
An electrically powered actuator comprising:
- an elongated housing having a longitudinal axis;
- a rotation shaft extending along said longitudinal axis and being rotatably supported within said housing member;
- a thrust member concentric with, and axially moveable relative to, said rotation shaft along said longitudinal axis;
- a coupling nut connected with said thrust member and moveable therewith, said thrust member and said coupling nut being non-rotatable relative to said housing member;
- an electric motor having an output drive shaft, said output drive shaft being in-line and concentric with, and integrally formed with said rotation shaft;
- and
- a first bearing between said coupling nut and a first portion of said housing and a second bearing between said thrust member and a second portion of said housing.
4 more elements
An electrically powered actuator comprising:
- an elongated housing having a longitudinal axis;
- a rotation shaft including a distal free end, extending along said longitudinal axis and being rotatably supported within said housing member;
- a thrust member concentric with, and axially moveable relative to, said rotation shaft along said longitudinal axis;
- a coupling nut connected with said thrust member and moveable therewith, said thrust member and said coupling nut being non-rotatable relative to said housing member;
- an electric motor having an output drive shaft, said output drive shaft being in-line and concentric with, and integrally formed with said rotation shaft;
- and
- a bearing block positioned between said housing and said electric motor and a bearing mounted on said output drive shaft and within said bearing block wherein one of said output drive shaft and said rotation shaft includes a bearing stop and wherein said bearing includes a distal end which engages said bearing stop and a proximal end which is retained by a bearing plate connected with said bearing block, wherein said bearing plate is connected to said bearing block by a plurality of threaded members.
4 more elements
An electrically powered actuator comprising:
- a housing having a proximal end and a distal end;
- a rotation shaft within said housing and having a drive shaft portion extending toward the proximal end of said housing and a lead screw portion having a free end extending toward the distal end of said housing;
- an electrical motor connected to drive said drive shaft;
- a rotary encoder connected with said drive shaft near the proximal end of said housing;
- an extendable and retractable thrust assembly surrounding said lead screw portion and having a proximal end located within said housing and a distal end extending outwardly from the distal end of said housing;
- a manual override rotation member connected with said rotation shaft for rotation therewith, said rotation shaft and said override rotation member being axially fixed relative to said housing;
- and
- an access opening in said housing to provide manual rotation access to said rotation member.
5 more elements
An electrically powered actuator comprising:
- a screw actuator having an inline, direct drive electrical motor with a drive shaft having first and second ends;
- a rotation shaft connected with the first end of said drive shaft and being driven by said motor;
- a rotary encoder connected with the second set of said drive shaft and being axially moveable relative to said rotation shaft;
- an extendable and retractable thrust assembly having first and second ends;
- a housing surrounding said thrust assembly;
- and
- an impact relief assembly positoned between said rotation shaft and said thrust assembly and including a bumper of compressible material and bearing means positioned between said rotation shaft and said thrust assembly.
4 more elements
An electrically powered actuator comprising:
- a screw actuator having an inline, direct drive electrical motor with a drive shaft having first and second ends;
- a rotation shaft connected with the first end of said drive shaft and being driven by said motor;
- a rotary encoder connected with the second end of said drive shaft and being axially moveable relative to said rotation shaft;
- an extendable and retractable thrust assembly having first and second ends;
- a housing surrounding said thrust assembly;
- and
- an impact relief assembly positioned between said rotation shaft and said thrust assembly wherein said rotation shaft includes a distal end, and said thrust assembly includes a thrust tube having a distal end and wherein said impact relief assembly is positioned between said distal end of said rotation shaft and said distal end of said thrust tube and includes a bumper of compressible material and a bearing member positioned between said bumper and said distal end of said rotation shaft.
4 more elements
A welding apparatus comprising:
- an electric actuator having an elongated housing with a longitudinal axis;
- a rotation shaft being rotationally supported with the housing;
- a thrust member having a proximal end and a distal free end and being axially moveable relative to said rotation shaft along said longitudinal axis, and an electric motor for rotating said rotation shaft;
- a welding gun attached to said distal end of said thrust member;
- an actuation link between said distal end and said welding gun;
- and
- first and second axially spaced bearing members positioned between portions of said thrust member and corresponding portions of said housing.
4 more elements
An electrically powered actuator comprising:
- an elongated housing having a longitudinal axis;
- a rotation shaft extending along said longitudinal axis and being rotatably supported within said housing member;
- a thrust member concentric with, and axially moveable relative to, said rotation shaft along said longitudinal axis;
- a coupling nut connected with said thrust member and moveable therewith, said thrust member and said coupling nut being non-rotatable relative to said housing member;
- an electric motor for driving said rotation shaft;
- and
- a first bearing between said coupling nut and a first portion of said housing and a second bearing between said thrust member and a second portion of said housing.
4 more elements
An electrically powered actuator comprising:
- a screw actuator having an electrical motor for driving a drive shaft having first and second ends;
- a rotation shaft connected with the first end of said drive shaft;
- a rotary encoder connected with the second set of said drive shaft;
- an extendable and retractable thrust assembly having first and second ends;
- and
- an impact relief assembly comprising a bumper of compressible material and a bearing means positioned between said rotation shaft and said thrust assembly.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.