Patent Application
20100116073
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an actuator, and more particularly to an actuator with an anti-loose structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the rapid development of technical industry, in order to meet the automation needs of the equipments (such as smoke exhausting window, automatic door, cabinet, satellite antenna, elevating wheelchair, hoisting hospital bed, drawing table, massage chair, traffic equipment, or elevating computer desk) an actuator was developed on the market.
Referring to
Based on a further analysis of the above conventional actuator, it can be found that it still has the following disadvantages:
The fixed sleeve 16 (as shown in
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.
The present invention relates to an actuator with an anti-loose structure, which can utilize the anti-loose structure to avoid the uncountable movement of relevant members.
In order to achieve the above objective, the actuator with an anti-loose structure in accordance with the present invention comprises an actuator and an anti-loose structure.
The actuator includes at least two tubes and a drive assembly. One of the two tubes is movably mounted on the other of the two tubes. The drive assembly includes a drive screw, a driven nut and a drive gear. One end of the drive screw is pivoted to one of the tubes of the actuator. The drive gear and the driven nut are disposed on the drive screw. The other of the tubes of the actuator is disposed on the driven nut.
The anti-loose structure includes a first limit member and a second limit member. The first limit member is disposed on the drive screw of the drive assembly in such a manner that the first limit is located at one end of the drive gear, and the second limit member is disposed on the drive screw of the drive assembly in such a manner that the second limit member is locate at the other end of the drive gear.
Further analysis shows that the present invention has the following advantages: the drive gear of the drive assembly of the present invention is limited by the first limit member and the second limit member of the anti-loose structure, so that the members neighboring the drive gear can be prevented from being damaged due to the uncontrollable movement of the drive gear, thus extending the service life of the neighboring members of the drive gear. Therefore, it is not required to waste time on repair, and the material cost can be relatively saved, thus enhancing customer trust in actuator.
The present invention will be clearer from the following description when viewed together with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
Referring to
The actuator 20 includes a first tube 21, a second tube 22 and a drive assembly 23.
The first tube 21 is oppositely provided with an open end 211 and a closed end 212. The second tube 22 is oppositely provided with an open end 221 and a closed end 222. The second tube 22 is smaller than the first tube 21 in cross section. The second tube 22 is movably installed in the first tube 21 in such a manner that the open end 221 of the second tube 22 is opposite the open end 211 of the first tube 21. The direction in which the second tube 22 is assembled to the first tube 21 is the same as the extending/retracting direction of the second tube 22 with respect to the first tube 21.
The drive assembly 23 includes a drive screw 231, a driven nut 232, a fixed sleeve 233, a sensing sleeve 234, a drive gear 235 and a motor 236. One end of the drive screw 231 is axially disposed on the closed end 212 of the first tube 21 of the actuator 20, and the other end of the drive screw 231 extends toward the closed end 222 of the second tube 22 of the actuator 20. The sensing sleeve 234, the fixed sleeve 233 and the driven nut 232 are successively disposed on the drive screw 231, and the drive gear 235 is mounted on the fixed sleeve 233. The drive gear 235 is drivingly connected to the motor 236 to obtain the rotary power. In the present embodiment, the motor 236 serves as the power source, but the power source of the present invention is not limited to the motor, and it can also be other power devices as desired. One end of the driven nut 232 is coaxially opposite the open end 221 of the second tube 22 in such a manner that the open end 221 of the second tube 22 can be engaged on the driven nut 232. When the drive gear 235 obtains power to drive the drive screw 231 to rotate in place through the fixed sleeve 233, the driven nut 232 will move along the drive screw 231 to drive the second tube 22 to extend/retract with respect to the first tube 21.
The anti-loose structure 30 includes a first limit member 31 and a second limit member 32. The first limit member 31 is a bearing, and the second limit member 32 is a nut. The first limit member 31 is mounted on the drive screw 231 of the drive assembly 23 in such a manner that the first limit member 31 is located between the driven nut 232 and the fixed sleeve 233. The second limit member 32 is locked on the drive screw 231 of the drive assembly 23 in such a manner that the second limit member 32 is located between the fixed sleeve 233 and the sensing sleeve 234. By such arrangements, both ends of the fixed sleeve 233 are limited by the first limit member 31 and the second limit member 32.
When the drive gear 235 rotates clockwise, the fixed sleeve 233 will be driven by the drive gear 235 to rotate clockwise on the drive screw 231, at this moment, the fixed sleeve 233 which is rotating clockwise will be stopped and limited by the first limit member 31. When the drive gear 235 rotates counterclockwise, the fixed sleeve 233 will be driven by the drive gear 235 to rotate counterclockwise on the drive screw 231, at this moment, the fixed sleeve 233 which is rotating counterclockwise will be limited by the second limit member 32.
As known from the abovementioned, under the condition that both ends of the fixed sleeve 233 are limited by the first limit member 31 and the second limit member 32, even though the fixed sleeve 233 is driven by the drive gear 235, it cannot be moved uncontrollably. Therefore, the fixed sleeve 233 can be prevented from pressing against the sensing sleeve 234, thus avoiding the damage to the sensing sleeve 234, and the user doesn't need to disassemble the actuator 20 to repair and replace the sensing sleeve 234.
While we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it is clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
