US 7,648,120 B1Granted

Compliant iris flow control system

OwnerSridhar Kota, Zachary Kreiner +1inventors

InventorsSridhar Kota, Zachary Kreiner, Yong Mo-Moon

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Abstract

An iris arrangement has first and second annular carrier elements annular elements coaxially arranged and circumferentially interlocked with one another so as to be independently rotatable. A plurality of iris elements each have a first compliant beam element coupled at a first end thereof to the iris element and at a second end thereof to the first annular carrier element, and a second compliant beam element coupled at a first end thereof to the associated iris element and at a second end thereof to the second annular carrier element. Rotatory motion of the carrier elements relative to each other results in substantially radial displacement of each of the iris elements. The plurality of iris elements communicate with one another when disposed in a radially innermost position. A web covers a region between the plurality of iris elements and the circumference of the first and second annular elements.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A arrangement for causing substantially linear displacement of an element of interest, the arrangement comprising:

a first carrier element;
a second carrier element;
a first compliant beam element coupled at a first end thereof to the element of interest and at a second end thereof to said first carrier element;
and
a second compliant beam element coupled at a first end thereof to the element of interest and at a second end thereof to said second carrier element;
whereby motion of said first carrier element relative to said second carrier element results in the substantially linear displacement of the element of interest
wherein said first and second carrier elements comprise respective first and second ring carrier elements, said first and second ring carrier elements being arranged in coaxial relation with respect to each other;
wherein there is further provided a second element of interest, and there are additionally provided:
a further first compliant beam element coupled at a first end thereof to the second element of interest and at a second end thereof to said first carrier element;
and
a further second compliant beam element coupled at a first end thereof to the second element of interest and at a second end thereof to said second carrier element;
whereby motion of said first carrier element relative to said second carrier element results in the substantially linear displacement of the second element of interest.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.