L&p Property Management Company

Schukra of North America

Schukra Gerätebau Gmbh

Schukra of North America Co.

Schukra North America

Jintao Liu

Alfred Stadlbauer

Horia Blendea

Joseph Benson

Ed Dornan

Yang Cao

May Duan

Harold Lee

Jake Friesen

An actuator is disclosed. The actuator includes: an output gear, a pinion, a drive shaft, a housing, and a spring. The output gear is adapted to receive a traction element. The pinion is in driving communication with the output gear. The drive shaft is interconnected with the pinion. The housing is adapted to receive the output gear and the drive shaft. The coil spring is circumjacent the drive shaft and located in a position intermediate the drive shaft and the housing, whereby rotation of the drive shaft causes the coil spring to frictionally disengage from the housing such that the output gear may rotate.

Multiple turn mechanism for manual lumbar support adjustment

An actuator for a lumbar support device possessing a symmetrical housing in that key holes are present on both sides of such housing. The present invention's housing, with key hole slots diametrically opposed on one end, allows the actuator to be installed more easily in any orientation, in either driver or passenger side seats. With the dual key hole housing, the extra time and effort associated with ensuring that the correct side of the housing is being used is eliminated as the dual key holes allow the tension cable wire and tension cable wire end to be inserted into either side of the housing during assembly of the lumbar support system. The elimination of this concern will save valuable time and money in the actuator assembly process.

Dual key hole actuator apparatus and method

A traction cable actuator has a sun gear, with a lever, at least two planetary gears engaged with the sun gear, and a housing with a toothed race engaging the planetary gears. The housing further has a lock spring seat, and a traction cable sleeve seat. A drive shaft operatively engages with the sun gear to turn the sun gear. The shaft has at least one release tab. A pulley is disposed within the housing. The pulley has planetary gear axles disposed to receive driving force from the planetary gears. The pulley also has a traction cable wire seat. A lock spring disposed to engage said lock spring seat in the housing engages the lever on the sun gear when the sun gear is turned. The lock spring holds said pulley in a position selected by turning the drive shaft. A bearing and groove stop assembly may be included.

Planetary gear actuator apparatus and method

A clutch actuator has a housing with a load bearing element disposed within it. A force application element disposed within the housing applies force to the load bearing element. A stop assembly includes a retaining stopper between the load bearing element and the force application element. The stopper is dimensioned relative to a retainer and to the load bearing element to stop movement of said load bearing element relative to said retainer in the absence of a force application, and the stopper is dimensioned relative to said retainer and to said load bearing element to allow movement of said load bearing element relative to said retainer when force is applied against the load or when is force is released toward the load. One surface of the retainer, the stopper or the load bearing element is textured.

Clutch actuator surface apparatus and method

An actuator for a traction device comprising has a locking clutch adapted for operative communication with a traction device. It has a drive disc having drive tabs. The drive tabs project axially into driving engagement with the locking clutch. The drive disc has a seat with an inner face. A drive shaft with a cam having an outer face is disposed within the seat of the drive disc such that said outer face of the cam and the inner face of the seat define a first constricting channel and a second constricting channel. The cam further has a projection. Locking rollers are disposed within the constricting channels. A fixed stop is disposed between the cam outer face and the inner face of said seat and between the first locking roller and the second locking roller. Springs are disposed in the constricting channels between the locking rollers and the projection. Thereby, a rotational force applied on the drive shaft in a first rotational direction compresses a first spring and a rotational force applied to the drive shaft in a second rotational direction compresses a second spring. After release of the first rotational force in the first direction, the first spring biases the cam towards a home position and after a release of the second rotational force in the second direction, the second spring biases the cam towards a home position.

Silent ratchet actuator

An ergonomic device actuation method for a housing, a pulley rotating inside the housing, the pulley being adapted to draw a traction element, and a locking clutch encapsulated by the housing and disposed to control rotation of said pulley. A drive clutch drives the pulley through the locking clutch. A drive shaft that rotates in the housing drives the drive clutch. A traction cable fixed to said pulley communicates with an ergonomic device.

Apparatus and method for double clutch actuator

A ratcheting, locking actuator for selectively positioning ergonomic devices is disclosed. The actuator has an overrunning, locking clutch in a housing, a lever, a hanging ratchet and a pulley for anchoring a traction element. The pulley is driven by a gear which is driven by the one of two ratchet pawls in either of two selectable directions. The drive direction is controlled by a lever to which a ratchet post is attached. Engagement and disengagement of the ratchet pawls with the drive gear is controlled by steps on the housing. The actuator is especially useful for controlling traction elements such as bowden cables for ergonomic devices such as lumbar supports.

Apparatus and method for ratchet actuator

An ergonomic device actuator including a housing, a pulley rotating inside the housing, the pulley being adapted to draw a traction element, and a locking clutch encapsulated by the housing and disposed to control rotation of said pulley. A drive clutch drives the pulley through the locking clutch. A drive shaft that rotates in the housing drives the drive clutch. A traction cable fixed to said pulley communicates with an ergonomic device.

A ratchet actuator for an ergonomic device has a thin profile due to the combination of multiple functions into single parts. A ratchet drive gear also has drive fingers for operating a clutch. A clutch stator has high and low steps for engaging and disengaging ratchet pawls.

Apparatus and method for thin profile ratchet actuator

A powered lumbar support device includes a panel having a first end and a second end. The panel is biased in a forward direction for providing an arch in a seat back. A lumbar frame extends downwardly from a support element for slideably supoprting the panel. A first cable is affixed to one of the ends of the panel and to an arching rack of a first gear box. Linear movement of the arching rack transfers motion to one of the ends to change the distance between the ends by moving the first cable. The powered lumbar support device includes a second gear box having a moving rack and a moving pinion for vertically shifting the lumbar support device. The second gear box may also be used to actuate additional support features, such as a bolster.

Powered actuator for lumbar unit

A powered lumbar support device includes a resilient panel having a first flange and a second flange. The panel is biased in a forward direction for providing an arch in a seat back. A lumbar frame extends downwardly from a support element for slideably supporting the resilient panel. An extending member is affixed to the first flange and projects upwardly from the control module, which is retained in position by a compliant spring. The control module includes a drive mechanism for changing the arch in the basket by changing the distance between the first flange and the second flange by extending and retracting the extending member.

An actuator for a manually operated lumbar support system provides for an in-out directional adjustment of a flexible member via control of tension in a cable through rotary motion of a lever or knob attached to a driving shaft associated with a directional one-way locking clutch that slips in either direction under manual actuation and locks when no manual actuation occurs or movement stops. A housing and an eccentric hub combine to form a wedge space. Several locking members, such as rollers or balls, are used to lock the rotation in response to tension from the cable, but only one locking member exists in each wedge space. The designed locking direction may be either clockwise or counterclockwise, as desired. The drive shaft has fingers associated with each locking member to move the locking members to release the clutch in the opposite direction. The tension of the cable may be used to lock the actuator in one direction.

Growing community of inventors

Windsor, CA, United States of America

Jintao Liu