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:
Jun. 06, 2017
Filed:
Jan. 14, 2014
Brian M. Graichen, Leonard, MI (US);
Dave Fletcher, Flint, MI (US);
Matt Gilmer, Whitmore Lake, MI (US);
James H. Miller, Ortonville, MI (US);
Keith Hampton, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Brian M. Graichen, Leonard, MI (US);
Dave Fletcher, Flint, MI (US);
Matt Gilmer, Whitmore Lake, MI (US);
James H. Miller, Ortonville, MI (US);
Keith Hampton, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
DAYCO IP HOLDINGS, LLC, Troy, MI (US);
Abstract
Piston actuators and methods of its operation are described. The piston actuators include a housing defining a chamber having a piston therein and a spring seated against the piston to bias it into a starting position. The piston includes a ferromagnetic material, a magnet or both and a secondary magnet or ferromagnetic material, forming a first magnetic/ferromagnetic pair with the piston, is positioned to maintain the piston in a secondary position. A tertiary magnet or ferromagnetic material, forming a second magnetic/ferromagnetic pair with the piston, may assist the spring in maintaining the piston in the starting position. During operation, introduction into or removal from the chamber of an amount of fluid sufficient to overcome the force of the spring (and the tertiary magnet or ferromagnetic material) enables the attraction between the members of the first magnetic/ferromagnetic pair to move the piston to the secondary position as a snap movement.