Linear-to-Rotary Actuator with Adjustable Angular Displacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing linear-to-rotary actuators are typically designed for specific applications and often rely on complex mechanical couplings, making them prone to misalignment and difficult to repair, and they usually impart rotary motion at a single angular speed or displacement, limiting their universal use.
Innovation Solution
A linear-to-rotary actuator with two rotors at opposite ends of a housing tube, driven by a slider, allowing adjustable angular displacement through rollers or gear trains, enabling variable angular displacement for applications like robotic arms and cranes, and featuring 'boltless' connectors for easy configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If complex mechanical couplings (gears, cams, chains, belts) are used to convert linear motion to rotary motion, then the actuator can achieve rotary motion, but the system becomes susceptible to misalignment and mechanical failure, and difficult to repair
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes complex mechanical couplings (gears, cams, chains, belts) from the system and replaces them with a direct-drive mechanism where the linear actuator piston directly drives the rotary mechanism through a simplified coupling, eliminating multiple intermediate components that cause misalignment and failure
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator design creates a universal linear-to-rotary converter that can serve multiple applications (robotic arms, excavators, cranes, artificial limbs) through a single standardized mechanism, reducing the need for application-specific complex mechanical designs
2Adaptability or versatility
If a linear-to-rotary actuator is designed for a single specific application, then it can be optimized for that purpose, but it cannot be used universally across different applications requiring variable angular displacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates adjustable mechanisms that allow the angular displacement characteristics to be dynamically modified based on application requirements. The system can be configured for different angular speeds and displacements while maintaining manufacturing precision through standardized adjustable components rather than custom-designed parts for each application
3Ease of repair
If complex mechanical couplings are used in the actuator, then rotary motion can be transmitted, but individual parts become difficult to remove and replace, making repair time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is divided into modular segments (linear actuator module, rotary mechanism, output shaft) that can be independently removed and replaced. This segmentation allows individual parts to be easily serviced without disassembling the entire system, directly addressing the repair difficulty caused by complex coupled mechanisms
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
Enables universal use in applications requiring variable angular displacement, improving reliability and ease of maintenance by allowing independent operation of rotors and precise control of angular displacement, reducing mechanical failures and complexity.
Implementation Method 1
the device has rollers mounted on opposite sides of the slider that engage tracks defined in adaptors selectively coupled to the rotors
Implementation Method 2
the device has gear trains driven by the slider that are coupled to the rotors for multiplying angular displacement between the rotors
Data Source
AI summary
The linear-to-rotary actuator is a device that has two rotors at opposite ends of a main housing tube, the rotors being driven to rotate by a slider disposed between the rotors, the slider being attached to the piston of a linear actuator. The device may be configured so that angular displacement between the rotors may be adjusted for use with apparatus that may require variable angular displacement between articulated segments, such as a robotic arm, the arm of an excavator or crane, and the like. In one embodiment, the device has rollers mounted on opposite sides of the slider that engage tracks defined in adaptors selectively coupled to the rotors by “boltless” connectors. In another embodiment, the device has gear trains driven by the slider that are coupled to the rotors for multiplying angular displacement between the rotors.