Stacking mechanism
AssigneeParma Shutter Technologies Ltd
InventorsTal Padan, Michael Padan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stacking mechanism comprising: a rotatable screw with external thread of length L and pitch P1; a plurality of N traveling nuts mounted on the screw, having internal thread of pitch P1 and external thread of pitch P2, P1>P2; an arrester preventing rotation of the nuts within a length L1 of the screw, while allowing sliding; and a threaded member of pitch P2 adapted to engage the external thread of the nuts within a length L2 of the screw. In a first position of the mechanism, the nuts are arranged over the length L1. Upon rotation of the screw, the nuts slide along the screw at rate P1 per 1 turn, transit from L1 to L2, and then slide within the length L2 at a rate P2 per 1 turn, thereby achieving reversibly a second position of the mechanism where they are arranged over the length L2, L2<L1.
Claims7
A stacking mechanism comprising:
- a rotatable screw with external thread of length L and pitch P1;
- at least one traveling nut mounted on said screw, said traveling nut having internal thread of pitch P1 and external thread of pitch P2 coaxial with said internal thread, P1>P2;
- an arrester adapted to engage said traveling nut so as to prevent rotation thereof within an axial length L1 of said screw, while allowing said traveling nut to slide along said screw;
- a threaded member with internal thread of pitch P2 adapted to engage the external thread of said traveling nut within an axial length L2 of said screw, said length L2 being adjacent to said length L1;
- and
- at least one component to be stacked, each component corresponding to one of said nuts and being attached thereto;
- so that, by means of continuous rotation of said screw in one direction, said traveling nut can slide along said screw within said length L1 at rate P1 per 1 turn of the screw under the action of said arrester and said thread with pitch P1, can transit smoothly and reversibly from L1 to L2, and can slide with rotation along said screw within said length L2 at a rate P2 per 1 turn of the traveling nut under the action of said thread with pitch P1 and said thread with pitch P2.
A stacking assembly, comprising two stacking mechanisms, each stacking mechanism comprising:
- a rotatable screw with external thread of length L and pitch P1;
- at least one traveling nut mounted on said screw, said traveling nut having internal thread of pitch P1 and external thread of pitch P2 coaxial with said internal thread, P1>P2;
- an arrester adapted to engage said traveling nut so as to prevent rotation thereof within an axial length L1 of said screw, while allowing said traveling nut to slide along said screw;
- and
- a threaded member with internal thread of pitch P2 adapted to engage the external thread of said traveling nut within an axial length L2 of said screw, said length L2 being adjacent to said length L1;
- so that, by means of continuous rotation of said screw in one direction, said traveling nut can slide along said screw within said length L1 at rate P1 per 1 turn of the screw under the action of said arrester and said thread with pitch P1, can transit smoothly and reversibly from L1 to L2, and can slide with rotation along said screw within said length L2 at a rate P2 per 1 turn of the traveling nut under the action of said thread with pitch P1 and said thread with pitch P2;
- said two stacking mechanisms being disposed substantially opposite one another, and further comprising elements to be stacked spanning therebetween, each element being attached to a corresponding nut on each of said stacking mechanisms.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.