Actuator Gear Unit Layout for Precise Detent Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing actuators face challenges in precise positioning of terminal detent elements in tight spaces and are prone to housing damage due to compressive forces from drive train components, leading to maintenance issues and potential failure.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a gear unit between the terminal detent element and the adjustment element allows for torque variation, enabling easier positioning and improved force dissipation, reducing the risk of housing damage by converting input torque into output torque and using a tensile load profile within the housing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the adjustment element is configured as a screw with the screw head disposed outside the housing, then the terminal detent position can be set by driving the screw in or out, but a lateral wall of the housing must be accessible for setting, which is difficult in tight space conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the adjustment element from a lateral wall configuration to an end-side configuration of the housing. This dimensional change allows the screw head to be accessible from the end of the actuator rather than requiring access to the lateral wall, thereby enabling setting operations in tight space conditions where lateral access is blocked.
2Reliability
If the terminal detent is impinged by a drive train part, then the compressive force is dissipated to the housing wall through the adjustment element, but this can lead to damage or breaking of the housing wall under overload conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a force distribution element (such as a distributed force element or reinforced structure) between the adjustment element and the housing wall. This intermediary component distributes the compressive forces over a larger area of the housing wall, preventing stress concentration that could lead to damage or breaking under overload conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates structural features in the housing wall design that provide preemptive reinforcement and force distribution capabilities. The housing wall is designed with enhanced structural integrity and force dispersal mechanisms before overload occurs, cushioning against potential damage from impingement forces.
3Ease of operation
If a gear unit is disposed between the terminal detent element and the adjustment element, then torque variation enables easier positioning and improved force dissipation, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gear unit integrated into the actuator serves multiple functions: it provides torque multiplication for easier positioning, acts as a self-locking mechanism to maintain detent positions, and distributes loads within the mechanism. By combining these functions into a single integrated component, the patent minimizes the increase in overall device complexity while achieving the desired positioning ease.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enhances the actuator's performance by facilitating precise positioning in confined spaces while minimizing the risk of housing damage, ensuring low-maintenance operation and improved reliability.
Implementation Method 1
it is possible for a variation of an input torque, which is applied to the adjustment element by a user, to be converted to an output torque for setting the position of the terminal detent element
Implementation Method 2
the dissipation of force of the compressive force acting on the terminal detent element can be improved on account of the disposal of the at least one gear unit such that damage to a housing wall can be better avoided
Data Source
AI summary
An actuator (1) having two detent devices (2) which include in each case at least one terminal detent element (3) for a part (27) of a drive train, and at least one adjustment element (4,19) which is operatively connected to the terminal detent element (3) and is specified for setting a position of the terminal detent element (3). The at least one gear unit (5, 18) is disposed between the at least one terminal detent element (3) and the at least one adjustment element (4, 19).