Actuator with Nested Motor Housing and Ball Screw
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing actuators for boats face challenges with water resistance, weather resistance, oil resistance, electromagnetic wave resistance, and dust resistance, as well as difficulties in sealing and heat dissipation, leading to increased production costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
The actuator design incorporates a conductive housing with the electric motor enclosed, a ball screw mechanism for efficient power transmission, and a breather pipe for wiring, along with a recessed portion for sealing agent application, allowing for compactness and effective sealing while using a general-purpose electric motor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the electric motor is mounted on the housing in an exposed fashion to promote heat dissipation, then heat dissipation is improved, but water resistance and rust prevention deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds the electric motor within the housing structure, creating a nested configuration where the motor is positioned inside a recessed area of the housing. This nesting approach allows the motor to be protected from water infiltration while maintaining thermal contact with the housing for heat dissipation, resolving the contradiction between exposed mounting and water resistance.
2Measurement precision
If a limit switch is used to detect stroke positions, then forward and reverse positions can be detected, but intermediate positions cannot be detected causing drive circuit uncertainty
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical limit switch system with a magnetic sensor (such as a Hall effect sensor or magnetometer) that detects the position of a magnet attached to the moving component. This substitution enables continuous position detection throughout the full range of motion, including intermediate positions, eliminating the dead zones and uncertainty inherent in discrete limit switch systems.
3Reliability
If high-function surface treatment is applied to the motor casing to prevent rust, then corrosion resistance is improved, but production cost and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the housing from conventional metals requiring surface treatment to stainless steel or other corrosion-resistant alloys. This material substitution provides inherent corrosion resistance without requiring additional surface treatment processes, thereby maintaining reliability while reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
4Volume of moving object
If the actuator is made compact to reduce space, then space utilization is improved, but sealing performance and protection against environmental factors deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the motor housing with the actuator housing into a single integrated structure. The motor is recessed into the actuator housing, and the housing itself serves as the protective enclosure. This merging eliminates the need for separate protective housings and complex sealing interfaces between multiple components, achieving compactness while maintaining sealing performance through a unified design.
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 sealing performance, reduces production costs, and improves cooling efficiency, enabling reliable operation in harsh marine environments while maintaining compactness and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
a breather pipe for wiring
Implementation Method 2
a ball screw mechanism for efficient power transmission
Implementation Method 3
a recessed portion for sealing agent application
Data Source
AI summary
Since centers of a second gear, a fourth gear and a sixth gear coincide with each other and are disposed rotatably round a circumference of the same long shaft, a compact configuration can be realized while using a gear train of five gears to obtain a reduction gear ratio of a high gear ratio. The configuration in which the three gears have the same rotational center shaft in the way described above in an actuator which incorporates a plurality of gears is advantageous in that the number of center shafts is reduced and that the number of supporting holes in a housing which support center shafts is reduced.