Drive Mechanism Brake Housing with Resilient Spring Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing drive mechanisms with friction brake arrangements experience a reduction in braking force over time due to the bending back of plastically bent lug-like protrusions under permanent force application, leading to a change in component positions and reduced braking efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A drive mechanism with a radially circumferential ring and axially extending resilient spring arms that keep the friction brake components in place, using latching hooks to prevent radial deflection and maintain constant braking force, and a pretensioned compression spring arrangement to ensure consistent braking torque.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If plastically bent lug-like protrusions are used as stop shoulders, then assembly is simplified and components can be preassembled, but the braking force reduces over time due to bending back under permanent force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces static plastically bent protrusions with dynamic resilient spring arms that can deflect and return. The spring arms are designed to be elastically deformable, allowing them to flex during assembly and operation while maintaining constant positioning force, thus preventing the bending back problem that occurs with plastically bent materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter from plastically deformable material to elastically deformable material. The spring arms are made of resilient material that exhibits elastic behavior within the operating range, allowing reversible deformation under the pretensioned spring force without permanent set, thereby maintaining constant stop shoulder position over time.
2Reliability
If resilient spring arms are used instead of plastically bent protrusions, then braking force constancy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the spring arm and stop shoulder into a single integrated component. The resilient spring arm itself forms the stop shoulder at its free end, eliminating the need for separate stopping elements. This integration reduces the number of parts and assembly steps while achieving the desired reliability through the elastic properties of the spring arm.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring arm serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the stopping surface, maintains constant positioning force through elastic recovery, guides assembly through its deflection capability, and prevents over-travel of components. This multi-functionality reduces overall device complexity despite the increased sophistication of the individual spring arm component.
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
The solution ensures a constant braking force over the lifetime of the drive mechanism by maintaining the position of friction brake components through radially resilient expansion and spring-back, preventing bending and maintaining effective braking torque.
Implementation Method 1
one or more radially resilient spring arms (19) which extend axially from the circumferential ring (17) toward a second axial end (16') of the brake housing (16)
Implementation Method 2
a pretensioned spring arrangement (25) which is axially supported with a first end (16'') of the brake housing (16) against a first axially fixed support element (14)
Data Source
AI summary
A drive mechanism having a drive motor that rotatably drives a threaded spindle against a specific braking force generated by a pretensioned spring of a friction brake arrangement. The drive motor and the threaded spindle are arranged coaxially in a housing tube of the drive mechanism, and components of the friction brake arrangement are arranged in a tubular brake housing, which is arranged in an axially and rotationally fixed in the housing tube. A first end of the brake housing has one or more radially inwardly directed first stop shoulders and at a second end of the brake housing has one or more radially inwardly directed second stop shoulders. The brake housing has at its first end a radially circumferential ring with one or more radially resilient spring arms extending axially toward the second end, at the free ends of which spring arms are arranged the second stop shoulders.