Caterpillar Inc.

Morris A Swanson

Kurtis C Kelley

Everett Gene Brandt

Carey A Towe

Peter Hakkenberg

Jeffrey R Albers

Manfred Greuel

An electrical connector for an electromechanical device is provided. The connector includes a housing having a first and second ends and an axis extending longitudinally through the housing. The housing is adapted to be connectable to a surface, and the electromechanical device is disposable in the housing. A rotatable portion having first and second ends is rotatably connected to the housing. The second end of the rotatable portion is positioned adjacent to the first end of the housing along the axis. A fastener fastens the rotatable portion to the housing, and the rotatable portion is adapted to turn about the axis. First and second contacts are axially aligned with and radially disposed from the axis. One of the contacts are disposed on the second end of the rotatable portion and the other on the first end of the housing. The first contact is biased by the fastener into slidable electrical contact with the second contact.

Electrical connector for an electromechanical device

A piezoelectric actuator is provided. The actuator includes a plurality of piezoelectric discs having first and second faces. The discs are axially aligned and arranged such that the first face of one disc is adjacent to the first face of a preceding disc in the actuator, and the second face of the one disc is adjacent to the second face of a succeeding disc. Also included is a first single-piece conductor having multiple electrodes, a first reference line passing through the center of each electrode and longitudinally through the first conductor, and a plurality of connecting portions adapted to interconnect each electrode. The connecting portions are offset from the first reference line, and the first conductor is folded at the connecting portions and interposed between the piezoelectric discs such that successive electrodes interleave and contact the first faces of the discs. The actuator further includes a second single-piece conductor having multiple electrodes. The second conductor is folded and interposed between the piezoelectric discs such that successive electrodes interleave and contact the second faces of each of the discs throughout the actuator.

Integral conductor for a piezoelectric actuator

An integral connector for a piezoelectric solid state motor stack having a plurality of ceramic disks interleaved with electrodes. Lead wires connect the electrodes to a source of electrical potential. A housing, for containing the motor stack, includes a connector body mounted to one end portion of the housing. A plurality of contact pins mounted to the connector body are adapted to be connected to the source of electrical potential. A structure defines a path for guiding the lead wires between the contact pins and the electrodes, wherein the lead wires exit the combination of the ceramic disks and electrodes along first and second parallel longitudinal axes separated by a first distance, and attach to the pins which are located along third and forth parallel longitudinal axes separated by a second distance, wherein the first distance is different from the second distance.

Growing community of inventors

Washington, IL, United States of America

Morris A Swanson