The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 13, 1993
Filed:
May. 15, 1992
Richard E Kramer, Damascus, MD (US);
Fairchild Space and Defense Corporation, Germantown, MD (US);
Abstract
A change of state coupling for controlling the rotation of a rotatable shaft in a housing through the application of heat. A disk is secured for rotation with the portion of the shaft that is located within the housing. Heaters are also located within the housing and a liquid predetermined temperature change of state material is located in the housing around the disk and the heaters. The predetermined temperature change of state material for use in the housing is selected for a melting point that insures that the predetermined temperature change of state material is solid at the temperature to which the housing is usually exposed. However, when heat is applied to the predetermined temperature change of state material by the heaters the normally solid predetermined temperature change of state material becomes liquid and thus permits the rotatable shaft to rotate within the housing. The invention offers numerous advantages over conventional couplings and has numerous uses such as a damper, caging device, clutch and a brake and is particularly useful for difficult locations such as in space.