Actuator Assembly Gear Support via Segmented Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional actuator assemblies for fluid flow devices in vehicles, such as turbochargers and EGR valves, face high bending stress on gears due to single-end support, leading to excessive wear and interference between motor and gear components, affecting performance and longevity.
Innovation Solution
The actuator assembly features a housing with three sections, where the motor assembly is separated from the drive and driven gears, with the driven gear supported on both sides by the second and third sections, reducing bending stress and preventing interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the motor is positioned between the pin and the other section of the housing, then the device complexity is reduced, but the pin or shaft experiences high bending stress and excessive wear
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into three separate sections (first, second, and third sections) that can be individually manufactured and assembled. This segmentation allows the driven gear to be supported by both the second and third sections, providing dual-end support to the pin or shaft while maintaining manufacturing simplicity for each individual section.
2Ease of manufacture
If the pin or shaft is supported at only one end, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the bending stress on the pin or shaft increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the housing into three sections, the support structure is distributed across multiple components. The second section supports one end of the pin or shaft while the third section supports the other end, providing balanced support without requiring complex integrated housing design.
3Volume of moving object
If the motor assembly is positioned close to the gears, then the packaging space is optimized, but interference between the motor assembly and gear components occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The three-section housing structure creates distinct spatial zones: the motor assembly is positioned in the first cavity while the gears are positioned in the second cavity. The third section acts as a separator between these two functional areas, preventing interference while maintaining compact overall dimensions.
Data Source
AI summary
An actuator assembly moves an output shaft. The actuator assembly includes a housing having at least first, second, and third sections at least partially defining first and second cavities, with the third section between the first and second sections. A motor assembly has a rotatable drive shaft and is coupled to the third section. The motor assembly is at least partially disposed in the first cavity and the drive shaft is at least partially disposed in the second cavity. At least one drive gear is within the second cavity and is fixed to the drive shaft. At least one driven gear is within the second cavity and is coupled with the output shaft. The at least one driven gear is coupled to the third section of the housing and is rotatably coupled with the at least one drive gear to transmit rotation from the drive shaft to the output shaft.