초록 ▼

An electropneumatic rotary actuator has proportional fluid valving providing introduction and exhaust of pressurized fluid to and from a working chamber of the actuator. By control of the admission angle and venting angle of the fluid pressure and flow with respect to top dead center and bottom dead

An electropneumatic rotary actuator has proportional fluid valving providing introduction and exhaust of pressurized fluid to and from a working chamber of the actuator. By control of the admission angle and venting angle of the fluid pressure and flow with respect to top dead center and bottom dead center of a working piston of the actuator both the torque level and gas consumption rates of the actuator may be controlled. Further by modulating the average working fluid pressure within the actuator the stiffness or resistance to backdriving of the actuator may be controlled. A proportional linear electrical solenoid is disclosed and employed in the actuator of the present invention to drive a double-acting closed-centered valve device. Because of its lightweight, relatively simplicity, high stiffness to backdriving, and relatively low gas consumption rate, the present actuator is expected to find application in airborne vehicles.

대표청구항 ▼

Rotary actuator apparatus comprising: a housing defining a plurality of elongate bores, and journaling a rotational shaft therein: a like plurality of piston members sealingly and reciprocably received individually each in a respective one of said plurality of bores, and cooperating with said housin

Rotary actuator apparatus comprising: a housing defining a plurality of elongate bores, and journaling a rotational shaft therein: a like plurality of piston members sealingly and reciprocably received individually each in a respective one of said plurality of bores, and cooperating with said housing to define a like plurality of variable-volume chambers; motion conversion means interconnecting said shaft and said plurality of piston members for producing sequential reciprocation of the latter, and rotation of said shaft in response to said reciprocation: an output shaft pivotally carried by said housing; rotary speed reduction means coupling said shaft with said output shaft for pivoting the latter at a reduced speed with a determined torque transmission efficiency in response to rotation of said shaft, and in the opposite direction (back driving) having a certain torque transmission efficiency less than said determined efficiency: and a like plurality of closed-center three-way solenoid valve means each for communicating a source of pressure fluid with a respective one of said variable-volume chambers, and for alternatively venting said respective chamber to ambient.