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US 8,096,592 B2Granted
Locking pivot actuator
AssigneeMagna Closures Inc.
InventorsDragan Mrkovic, Jason David Niskanen, Andrew R. Daniels
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An actuator is provided that uses two lengths of shape memory alloy (SMA) wire to kinematically couple a first and second lever together. The two SMA wires are routed in generally V-shaped paths around a link pin that is coaxial with the first and second levers. By selectively contracting one of the wires, the link pin slides between a locked and an unlocked position. A locking pin extending from the link pin couples the first and second levers together while the link pin is in the unlocked position.
Claims10
An actuator, comprising:
- a housing;
- a first lever, pivotally mounted to the housing;
- a second lever, pivotally mounted to the housing, wherein the first and second levers are rotatable about a common axis;
- a link pin, slidably mounted to the housing;
- a pair of spaced-apart selectively contractible wires, each of the pair of selectively contractible wires connected to the link pin and the housing, and operable to slide the link pin in one of two directions;
- and
- where sliding the link pin in a first direction kinematically couples the first and second levers and where sliding the link pin in a second direction kinematically decouples the first and second levers,
- wherein the link pin includes a locking pin that rotates about the common axis, wherein sliding the link pin in the first direction kinematically couples the locking pin with both the first and second levers.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.