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:
Mar. 14, 2006
Filed:
Mar. 20, 2002
David A. Osterberg, Glendale, AZ (US);
David A. Osterberg, Glendale, AZ (US);
Honeywell International Inc., Morristown, NJ (US);
Abstract
The present invention provides an optical element switching mechanism that overcomes many of the disadvantages found in the prior art. The switching mechanism uses a balanced arm, with an optical element attached at one end of the arm. The arm is suspended on a axis that allows it to rotate from a first position to a second position. The arm is balanced to provide low force disturbance during this movement. A spring is coupled to the arm that provides the rotational energy to move the arm. The spring is coupled such that its neutral position is between the first and second positions, and thus the spring provides the energy to move the arm from the first position to the second position and vice versa. A latch mechanism is also provided for selectively holding the arm in the first position or second position. Additionally, the latch mechanism can provide additional energy needed to catch and move the arm into final position.