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4552506 Opener mechanism and system utilizing same
New Patents
ber being journaled in a number of bearings. A bearing support sleeve disposed within the bore to support the bearings includes a first portion tightly fitted in the bore, a second portion slipfitted in the bore and positioned to apply a preload force to the bearings, and a yieldable member joining the first and second portions. The pressure in a fluid system associated with the yieldable member is increased to deform the yieldable member and to thereby urge the second portion axially to apply a pre-ioad force to the bearings which corresponds to the pressure increase.
4551058 LOW COST ARTICULATING/ARTICULATING AND ROTATING WRIST MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC MACHINE TOOL AND AUTOMATIC MACHINE TOOL EMPLOYING THE SAME Ralph S Mosher assigned to Robotics Inc A simple, low mass, low cost, articulating/articulating and rotating wrist assembly for use on automatic machine tools to provide two important degrees of freedom of movement of an end effector tool in the form of an articulating motion either alone or in conjunction with a rotating motion. Where both rotation and articulation are used the sequence is important in order to obtain new and different movements of the end effector tool for transcribing cones, etc. The fundamental articulating motion is achieved through the kinematics of a primary, parallelogram-type pantograph driven remotely from the automatic machine tool and employing a secondary restraining mechanism either in the form of a secondary parallelogram-type restraining pantograph or a cluster of sun, idler and planet gears. The wrist assembly can be used in conjunction with any of the known automatic placement machine tools whether operable only along a single dimensional axis, within a plane defined by two orthogonal axes or a three dimensional space. The configurations and relative size and length and location of the linkages comprising the pantograph are dictated by the particular amplitude and sector of motions in space that are required for any given application for which the wrist mechanism is designed and the kind of scribing movement of the working tool desired.
VII
4552186 WARP LET-OFF MECHANISM WEAVING MACHINE
OF
Shuich Kojima, Tokyo, Japan assigned to Nissan Motor Co Ltd A warp let-off mechanism of a weaving machine has a speed change transmission whose output rotation is in one direction irrespective of whether its input rotation is in the forward or reverse direction. The speed change transmission has shift means for selectively changing the direction of the output rotation between the forward and reverse directions. The speed change transmission can change the ratio between the input speed and output speed in accordance with warp tension sensed by warp tension sensing means. There is further provided interlock means connected between the shift means of the speed change transmission and an operating lever or other operating device of the weaving machine. The interlock means moves the shift means in accordance with the movement of the operating lever so as to match the direction of the warp beam rotation to the operation of the weaving machine. Optionally, there is further provided shift error stop means which stops the movement of the weaving machine if the shift means is not shifted to a correct position by the interlock means.
4552506 OPENER MECHANISM AND SYSTEM UTILIZING SAME Michael A Cummins, Thomas Powell assigned to GMFanuc Robotics Corporation A mechanism for opening a vehicle closure such as a deck lid or hood is positioned at a work station such as a paint booth and includes interconnected gripper and floating arms mounted for rotary movement between a parked position, a pick-up position and a full-open position corresponding to an open position of the closure. The closure is utilized as a member of a four-bar linkage. Arm control linkage provides a twostage harmonic motion including smooth acceleration and deceleration of the closure after a gripper mechanism mounted on the free end of the gripper arm has received the closure at the pick-up position. A fixture is mounted on the closure for engagement by a pair of opposing fingers of the gripper mechanism. Gripper control linkage is connected to the arm control
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New Patenls
linkage to open and close the fingers of the gripper mechanism in synchronism with the motion of the gripper arm. A system utilizing the opener mechanism includes a hydraulic power supply and a manifold assembly. Fhc manifold assembly includes metering valves which control the cycle time. A solenoid valve controls a rotary actuator of the opener mechanism, Magnetic proximity switches provide status signals to a programmable controller of the system which controls the solenoid valve. The switches indicate different positions of the floating and gripper arms.
4553947 SHIFTING MECHANISM FOR MOTORIZED TOY Herbert Weiland, Michael Nuttall, Michihiro Kozuka assigned to T o m y K o g y o Corporation Inc A shift mechanism for a motorized toy includes a shift lever which is mounted on the toy so as to be able to move back and forth along an X axis and back and forth along a Y axis. The toy includes an electric m o t o r and electric power supply for powering the same. A gear train connects the electric m o t o r to an output shaft. A shift mechanism is connected between the shift lever such that movement of the shift lever along one of the X or Y axes shifts certain of the gears in the gear train to control the speed of the output of the output shaft. Movement along the other of the axes of the shift lever controls an electric switch which governs both the polarity of the current supplied to the m o t o r to provide for both forward and reverse rotation of the output shaft as well as to break the circuit between the power supply in order to start and stop the toy.
positive drive connection with a slide carrying one of the swing arms. The swing arm directly carrying the work holder comprises a nonbuckling center bar, a cross bar, and two prestressed spring steel strips by which the ends of the cross bar are connected to the end close to the swing axis of the center bar. The two member linkage with the stationary motors and the lightweight and yet non-bending swing arm result in a very low inertia of the feed mechanism.
4556835 OPERATING MECHANISM FOR MOVABLE PARTS, ESPECIALLY FOR SLIDING ROOFS AND SLIDING/LIFTING ROOFS Wolfgang Vogel, Albert Zintler, Gauting, Federal Republic Of G e r m a n y assigned to Webasto-Werk W Baier G m b H & Co An operating system for movable parts for the selective closing or exposing of openings, especially for sliding roofs and sliding/lifting roofs of m o t o r vehicles. The operating mechanism has a m o t o r drive for the movable part and an actuating member tbr starting the drive, if required. In order to facilitate, especially, the bringing of the movable part into intermediate positions, the actuating member is developed as a desired-value transmitter for the position of the movable part, and the drive is part of a control circuit which compares the position selected at the desired-value transmitter with the actual position of the movable part and adjusts the movable part until the deviation has become zero,
4557459
4555998
LOAD COUNTERBALANCING MECHANISMS
SEWING MACHINE FEED MECHANISM
Richard A Lindsay, Stowmarket, United Kingdom assigned to W Vinten Limited
Augus Martin, Morbach, Federal Republic O f G e r m a n y assigned to Pfaff Industriemaschinen GmbH
A load counterbalancing mechanism wherein the mechanically actuated interaction of two independent spring systems, one of which is adjustable, provides the necessary counterbalancing forces to balance the torque forces set up by a load being raised, lowered or tilted about a point on which it is pivoted. Various loads are therefore accommodated by the adjustable spring system.
A sewing assembly equipped with a feed mechanism comprises a work holder which is supported by two swing arms hinged to each other, and moved by two stationary positioning motors. Each of the positioning motors is in
ber being journaled in a number of bearings. A bearing support sleeve disposed within the bore to support the bearings includes a first portion tightly fitted in the bore, a second portion slipfitted in the bore and positioned to apply a preload force to the bearings, and a yieldable member joining the first and second portions. The pressure in a fluid system associated with the yieldable member is increased to deform the yieldable member and to thereby urge the second portion axially to apply a pre-ioad force to the bearings which corresponds to the pressure increase.
4551058 LOW COST ARTICULATING/ARTICULATING AND ROTATING WRIST MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC MACHINE TOOL AND AUTOMATIC MACHINE TOOL EMPLOYING THE SAME Ralph S Mosher assigned to Robotics Inc A simple, low mass, low cost, articulating/articulating and rotating wrist assembly for use on automatic machine tools to provide two important degrees of freedom of movement of an end effector tool in the form of an articulating motion either alone or in conjunction with a rotating motion. Where both rotation and articulation are used the sequence is important in order to obtain new and different movements of the end effector tool for transcribing cones, etc. The fundamental articulating motion is achieved through the kinematics of a primary, parallelogram-type pantograph driven remotely from the automatic machine tool and employing a secondary restraining mechanism either in the form of a secondary parallelogram-type restraining pantograph or a cluster of sun, idler and planet gears. The wrist assembly can be used in conjunction with any of the known automatic placement machine tools whether operable only along a single dimensional axis, within a plane defined by two orthogonal axes or a three dimensional space. The configurations and relative size and length and location of the linkages comprising the pantograph are dictated by the particular amplitude and sector of motions in space that are required for any given application for which the wrist mechanism is designed and the kind of scribing movement of the working tool desired.
VII
4552186 WARP LET-OFF MECHANISM WEAVING MACHINE
OF
Shuich Kojima, Tokyo, Japan assigned to Nissan Motor Co Ltd A warp let-off mechanism of a weaving machine has a speed change transmission whose output rotation is in one direction irrespective of whether its input rotation is in the forward or reverse direction. The speed change transmission has shift means for selectively changing the direction of the output rotation between the forward and reverse directions. The speed change transmission can change the ratio between the input speed and output speed in accordance with warp tension sensed by warp tension sensing means. There is further provided interlock means connected between the shift means of the speed change transmission and an operating lever or other operating device of the weaving machine. The interlock means moves the shift means in accordance with the movement of the operating lever so as to match the direction of the warp beam rotation to the operation of the weaving machine. Optionally, there is further provided shift error stop means which stops the movement of the weaving machine if the shift means is not shifted to a correct position by the interlock means.
4552506 OPENER MECHANISM AND SYSTEM UTILIZING SAME Michael A Cummins, Thomas Powell assigned to GMFanuc Robotics Corporation A mechanism for opening a vehicle closure such as a deck lid or hood is positioned at a work station such as a paint booth and includes interconnected gripper and floating arms mounted for rotary movement between a parked position, a pick-up position and a full-open position corresponding to an open position of the closure. The closure is utilized as a member of a four-bar linkage. Arm control linkage provides a twostage harmonic motion including smooth acceleration and deceleration of the closure after a gripper mechanism mounted on the free end of the gripper arm has received the closure at the pick-up position. A fixture is mounted on the closure for engagement by a pair of opposing fingers of the gripper mechanism. Gripper control linkage is connected to the arm control
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New Patenls
linkage to open and close the fingers of the gripper mechanism in synchronism with the motion of the gripper arm. A system utilizing the opener mechanism includes a hydraulic power supply and a manifold assembly. Fhc manifold assembly includes metering valves which control the cycle time. A solenoid valve controls a rotary actuator of the opener mechanism, Magnetic proximity switches provide status signals to a programmable controller of the system which controls the solenoid valve. The switches indicate different positions of the floating and gripper arms.
4553947 SHIFTING MECHANISM FOR MOTORIZED TOY Herbert Weiland, Michael Nuttall, Michihiro Kozuka assigned to T o m y K o g y o Corporation Inc A shift mechanism for a motorized toy includes a shift lever which is mounted on the toy so as to be able to move back and forth along an X axis and back and forth along a Y axis. The toy includes an electric m o t o r and electric power supply for powering the same. A gear train connects the electric m o t o r to an output shaft. A shift mechanism is connected between the shift lever such that movement of the shift lever along one of the X or Y axes shifts certain of the gears in the gear train to control the speed of the output of the output shaft. Movement along the other of the axes of the shift lever controls an electric switch which governs both the polarity of the current supplied to the m o t o r to provide for both forward and reverse rotation of the output shaft as well as to break the circuit between the power supply in order to start and stop the toy.
positive drive connection with a slide carrying one of the swing arms. The swing arm directly carrying the work holder comprises a nonbuckling center bar, a cross bar, and two prestressed spring steel strips by which the ends of the cross bar are connected to the end close to the swing axis of the center bar. The two member linkage with the stationary motors and the lightweight and yet non-bending swing arm result in a very low inertia of the feed mechanism.
4556835 OPERATING MECHANISM FOR MOVABLE PARTS, ESPECIALLY FOR SLIDING ROOFS AND SLIDING/LIFTING ROOFS Wolfgang Vogel, Albert Zintler, Gauting, Federal Republic Of G e r m a n y assigned to Webasto-Werk W Baier G m b H & Co An operating system for movable parts for the selective closing or exposing of openings, especially for sliding roofs and sliding/lifting roofs of m o t o r vehicles. The operating mechanism has a m o t o r drive for the movable part and an actuating member tbr starting the drive, if required. In order to facilitate, especially, the bringing of the movable part into intermediate positions, the actuating member is developed as a desired-value transmitter for the position of the movable part, and the drive is part of a control circuit which compares the position selected at the desired-value transmitter with the actual position of the movable part and adjusts the movable part until the deviation has become zero,
4557459
4555998
LOAD COUNTERBALANCING MECHANISMS
SEWING MACHINE FEED MECHANISM
Richard A Lindsay, Stowmarket, United Kingdom assigned to W Vinten Limited
Augus Martin, Morbach, Federal Republic O f G e r m a n y assigned to Pfaff Industriemaschinen GmbH
A load counterbalancing mechanism wherein the mechanically actuated interaction of two independent spring systems, one of which is adjustable, provides the necessary counterbalancing forces to balance the torque forces set up by a load being raised, lowered or tilted about a point on which it is pivoted. Various loads are therefore accommodated by the adjustable spring system.
A sewing assembly equipped with a feed mechanism comprises a work holder which is supported by two swing arms hinged to each other, and moved by two stationary positioning motors. Each of the positioning motors is in