Viking Engineering & Development, Incorporated

Longyear Company

Exlar Corporation

Terrence L Thompson

Jack W Gresham

Timothy A Erhart

William Joseph Zerull

James H Sandlin

An actuation system includes a prime mover, a mechanical option module, an actuator, and a controller. The prime mover includes a drive shaft. The mechanical option module includes a housing, an input shaft coupled to the drive shaft, an output shaft, and a planetary gear module. The planetary gear module includes a sun gear coupled to the input shaft, a planet carrier coupled to the output shaft, an outer ring, and planet gears meshed with the sun gear and the outer ring. The application-specific module is connected to the housing and configured to selectively influence movement of the outer ring of the planetary gear module. The actuator includes an actuator input shaft coupled to the output shaft of the mechanical option module. The controller controls an operation of at least one of the prime mover, the mechanical option module, and the actuator.

Actuation system

A device for driving nails in at least one selected nailing pattern into an arrangement of components is disclosed. The device includes a frame, a retaining means for retaining an arrangement of components to be nailed in the frame, a nailing means comprising a plurality of movable nailing heads for delivering nails in the selected nailing pattern to the arrangement, a nail delivery means for delivering nails to the nailing heads, means for causing at least one of the nailing heads to move in a direction transverse to a machine direction relative to the nailing surface during a nailing operation, means for causing the nailing heads to move in a machine direction and in an opposite direction relative to the arrangement of components and means for causing the nailing heads to move in a direction normal to a machine direction.

Automated nailing device

The present invention includes a method for improving operating efficiency of a hydraulic actuator loop and an improved hydraulic actuator loop. The method includes transferring hydraulic fluid between a first and a second hydraulic actuator when the actuators are disengaged from a load and transferring hydraulic fluid from an energy source to each of the actuators separately when the actuators engage the load. The method also includes transferring fluid from the energy source to the first actuator when the actuators are approaching the load and transferring fluid from the first actuator to a drain when the actuators are retracting from the load.

Multiple hydraulic actuators with series/parallel operation

A chuck device for driving nails into boards includes a nail-driving mechanism and a staging mechanism for positioning the nails to be driven by the nail-driving mechanism. A driving mechanism drives both the nail-driving mechanism and the staging mechanism for positioning the nails. A countersink control mechanism positioned between the staging mechanism and the driving mechanism provides the capability for selectively changing and fixing a distance between the staging mechanism and the driving mechanisms and a distance between the staging mechanism and the nail-driving mechanism.

Compensating nail-driving chuck for pallet-making machine

Core barrel apparatus that includes an inner tube assembly that may fall under gravity or be fluidly propelled through a drill string to the bit end thereof for being retained at the bit end by latches and being retractable by an overshot assembly. The inner tube assembly includes an annular seal portion for forming a fluid seal with the drill string and a fluid by-pass channel with valving mechanism extending therein to permit outward flow but block inward flow while the inner tube assembly is being fluidly propelled inwardly. The inner tube assembly also includes control mechanism to prevent the valving mechanism being moved to permit significant inward flow through the channel only after fluid pressure has been applied to the inner tube assembly at the bit end of the drill string, the latches have moved to their latch seat engaging position and then inward fluid pressure has been significantly decreased.

Positive latch wire line core barrel apparatus

A wire line core barrel inner tube assembly having a latch body that has a maximum diameter, axial intermediate portion providing a downwardly facing annular shoulder seatable on a drill stem landing ring and a fluid bypass channel extending through the maximum diameter portion and a valving assembly mounted by and cooperating with the latch body for controlling fluid flow through said channel. The valving assembly is operable to a position blocking the bypass channel but permits the inner tube assembly to move down faster than the fluid flow in the drill stem during the time the inner tube assembly moves downwardly in the drill stem. The bypass channel is blocked when the inner tube assembly is seated at the bit end of the drill stem until such time the pressure at the bypass upper port decreases below a preselected value above that at the lower port and thereafer decreased to permit the valving assembly being resiliently moved to open said channel and retain the channel open even though the pressure at the drill stem outer end is increased to that used during the core drilling operation.

Growing community of inventors

Minneapolis, MN, United States of America

Terrence L Thompson