Actuator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11536256-B2
Application number	US-202016853864-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2020
Priority date	Apr 30, 2019
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

An actuator includes a sliding body moveable along a guide between a rest position and a retracted position, a spring resting on a support body and acting to exert a bias force urging the sliding body to the rest position, and a SMA wire having opposite ends being mechanically and electrically connected to a respective one of two stationary contacts and forming a loop between the opposite ends which is connected to the sliding body, wherein the SMA wire is arranged to, when activated by electric energy supply, pull the sliding body away from the rest position to the retracted position, wherein the guide is fixed to a first end portion, the support body is fixed to an intermediate portion, and a contact holding body, in which the two contacts are incorporated, is fixed to a second end portion of a mounting bar.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An actuator comprising:
a sliding body moveable along a guide between a rest position and a retracted position,
a spring resting on a support body and acting on the sliding body to exert a bias force urging the sliding body to the rest position, and
a SMA wire having two opposite ends being mechanically and electrically connected to a respective one of two stationary contacts and forming a loop between the opposite ends which is connected to the sliding body, wherein the SMA wire is arranged to, when activated by electric energy supply, pull the sliding body away from the rest position to the retracted position,
wherein the guide is fixed to a first end portion of an elongated mounting bar, the support body is fixed to an intermediate portion of the elongated mounting bar, and a contact holding body, in which the two contacts are incorporated, is fixed to a second end portion, opposite to the first end portion, of the mounting bar, wherein the guide is formed as a guide rail comprising at least one linear guide slot extending parallel to a longitudinal direction of the elongated mounting bar, and wherein the sliding body is provided with at least one protruding ledge which is received in and slidably moveable along the at least one linear guide slot.

2. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the sliding body at least partially encompasses the guide rail and has at least two protruding ledges, and the at least one linear guide slot of the guide rail comprises at least two complementary arranged guide slots which are spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction in a plane perpendicular to a direction of linear extension of the guide slots to provide engagement of the sliding body and the guide rail against movements transverse to the direction of linear extension of the guide slots.

3. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the support body comprises a mounting portion surrounding an intermediate portion of the elongated mounting bar and being connected thereto, and a socket connected to the mounting portion, the socket having an opening facing towards the sliding body and arranged to receive and support an end portion of the spring which is a helical compression spring which extends parallel to a longitudinal axis of the elongated mounting bar towards the sliding body to be able to exert a bias force on the sliding body.

4. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein an end portion of the sliding body, facing towards the support body, is provided with a stud extending in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the elongated mounting bar towards the intermediate portion thereof, the stud being arranged to be received in an interior of the spring which is formed as a helical compression spring and to extend along a part of its length therein.

5. The actuator according to claim 3 , wherein an end portion of the sliding body is provided with a stud, the stud is provided with a frustoconical outer end portion, and the socket has, opposite to the opening receiving the helical compression spring, a further opening of lower diameter and coaxial to the opening receiving the helical compression spring, which further opening is surrounded by an annular bottom wall portion of the socket on which annular bottom wall portion the helical compression spring rests and which further opening is arranged to receive a tip portion of the frustoconical outer end portion when the sliding body is moved to the retracted position.

6. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the support body comprises a mounting portion and a socket connected to the mounting portion, the socket having an opening facing towards the sliding body and arranged to receive and support an end portion of the spring, which is a helical compression spring.

7. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the SMA wire is arranged to extend from a first one of the two stationary contacts along the elongated mounting bar to a first connector which is incorporated in the sliding body and to which the SMA wire is connected, from there extends to turn around in a 180 degrees curve to a second connector which is incorporated in the sliding body next to the first connector and to which the SMA wire is connected, and from there back along the elongated mounting bar to a second one of the two stationary contacts.

8. The actuator according to claim 7 , wherein the first and second connectors of the sliding body are conductive and are electrically connected to each other.

9. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein there are two parallel SMA wires, a first SMA wire being arranged to extend from a first one of the two stationary contacts along the elongated mounting bar and is connected to a first connector incorporated in the sliding body, and a second one being arranged to extend from a second one of the two stationary contacts along the elongated mounting bar and is connected to a second connector incorporated in the sliding body next to the first connector, the first and second connectors of the sliding body being conductive and are electrically connected to each other.

10. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting bar is a metal pin.

11. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein a surface of the elongated mounting bar is provided with projections and/or recesses in the first end portion, in the intermediate portion and in the second end portion, and wherein the guide, the support body and the contact holding body are each made of plastic as overmolded components surrounding and embedding portions of the elongated mounting bar in positive-locking engagement with the projections and/or recesses of the elongated mounting bar.

12. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator is mounted on a printed circuit board, and the stationary contacts are partially embedded in the contact holding body and project therefrom in in a first direction extending away from the printed circuit board to provide the stationary contacts for the SMA wire and in a second direction opposite to the first direction and towards the printed circuit board to form end tabs extending to the printed circuit board, each end tab being electrically and mechanically connected to the printed circuit board by extending through a slot in the printed circuit board with conductive edges, wherein connection of each end tab in an associated slot is formed by a permanent deformation of the end tab to a bent or twisted shape having contact with a portion of the conductive edge of the associated slot.

13. The actuator according to claim 12 , wherein the guide and the contact holding body each are provided with a support pin extending away from the elongated mounting bar and being configured to be received and fixed in mounting openings of the printed circuit board to hold the actuator on the printed circuit board.

14. A valve for controlling pressurized air flow to an inflatable air cell in a vehicle seat, the valve comprising:
a valve chamber communicating with a spigot and having a valve chamber opening,
a valve piston which is movable between a position in abutment on a valve seat around the valve chamber opening and a retracted position pulled away from the valve seat to open the valve chamber opening, and
an actuator comprising:
a sliding body moveable along a guide between a rest position and a retracted position,
a spring resting on a support body and acting on the sliding body to exert a bias force urging the sliding body to the rest position, and
a SMA wire having opposite ends being mechanically and electrically connected to a respective one of two stat

Assignees

• Lear Corp

Inventors

• Dankbaar Frank
• Grönhage Anders

Classifications

• F03G7/0614

  using shape memory elements · CPC title

• B60N2/914 Primary

  Hydro-pneumatic adjustments of the shape · CPC title

• F16K31/02 Primary

  electric {(F16K31/004 takes precedence)}; magnetic · CPC title

• F16K27/00

  Construction of housing (methods for welding housings B23K); Use of materials therefor · CPC title

• F16K1/36

  Valve members (for double-seat valves F16K1/44 {; for butterfly valves F16K1/222, F16K1/223}) · CPC title