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:
Oct. 22, 2002
Filed:
Feb. 26, 2001
George Sanchez, Fort Collins, CO (US);
Henri A. Siedow, Fort Collins, CO (US);
Woodward Governor Company, Fort Collins, CO (US);
Abstract
A shock absorber for a shaft. The shock absorber comprises a collar having an opening receiving the shaft. A clearance gap is defined between the collar opening and the shaft. A pin offset from the axis connects the collar to a shoulder on the shaft. A resilient o-ring arranged in the clearance gap engages the collar and the shaft. In operation, the collar and the shaft rotate in unison. However, when the collar accelerates or comes to a sudden stop, the resilient o-ring compresses to provide the shock absorption. The shock absorber may be incorporated into a rotary actuator. In a rotary actuator, the collar includes a stop tab that rotates between two stop surfaces of the actuator housing. When the stop tab strikes one of the stop surfaces, the resilient member compresses thereby absorbing and reducing impact force. Compression in the resilient member is snubbed via mechanical stops.