Flexible member

US12098755B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-12098755-B2
Application numberUS-202017601425-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateApr 10, 2020
Priority dateApr 11, 2019
Publication dateSep 24, 2024
Grant dateSep 24, 2024

How to read this patent

A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.

  1. Title

    What the patent document calls the invention.

  2. Abstract

    A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.

  3. Assignees and inventors

    Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.

  4. Key dates

    Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.

  5. First independent claim

    The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.

  6. CPC / IPC classifications

    Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.

  7. Citations and related patents

    Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.

Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

Provided is a flexible member that can exhibit excellent load resistance and flexibility while achieving a reduction in size. This flexible member includes: a main body part which has multiple wave washers stacked in an axial direction and joined to each other, and the main body part is able to be bent with respect to the axial direction due to elastic deformation of the wave washers; and a linking member that is elastically deformable, the linking member being provided at an end part of the main body part and being linked to other member. A deformation amount of the linking member is smaller than a deformation amount of the wave washer, when the main body part is bent.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

The invention claimed is: 1. A flexible member comprising: a main body part that has a plurality of wave washers stacked in an axial direction and joined to each other, and the main body part is able to be bent with respect to the axial direction due to elastic deformation of the wave washers; and a linking member that is elastically deformable, the linking member being provided at an end of the main body part and being linked to another member, wherein a deformation amount of the linking member is smaller than a deformation amount of the wave washer, when the main body part is bent, wherein the linking member is an annular plate member having the deformation amount smaller than the deformation amount of the wave washer of the main body part, wherein the plurality of wave washers individually includes a plurality of mountain parts and valley parts individually provided between the mountain parts in a circumferential direction, and adjacent wave washers abut each other, wherein the linking member comprises a plurality of flat washers stacked in the axial direction and directly joined to each other. 2. The flexible member according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of wave washers are joined in a state in which the mountain parts and the valley parts of adjacent wave washers abut each other, and wherein the plurality of flat washers is joined to each other at positions corresponding to joint portions of the wave washers. 3. The flexible member according to claim 1 , wherein the linking member comprises: a plurality of flat washers stacked in the axial direction and joined to each other. 4. The flexible member according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of wave washers are joined in a state in which the mountain parts and the valley parts of adjacent wave washers abut each other, and wherein the plurality of flat washers is joined to each other at positions corresponding to joint portions of the wave washers.

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • characterised by having a particular shape (F16F1/04, F16F1/14, F16F1/18, F16F1/32, F16F1/34 take precedence) · CPC title

  • Flexure members, i.e. parts of manipulators having a narrowed section allowing articulation by flexion · CPC title

  • Constructional details of the flexible means · CPC title

  • Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms · CPC title

  • flexible · CPC title

Patent family

Related publications grouped by family.

External sources

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.

What does patent US12098755B2 cover?
Provided is a flexible member that can exhibit excellent load resistance and flexibility while achieving a reduction in size. This flexible member includes: a main body part which has multiple wave washers stacked in an axial direction and joined to each other, and the main body part is able to be bent with respect to the axial direction due to elastic deformation of the wave washers; and a lin…
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Nhk Spring Co Ltd
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification F16F1/328. Mapped technology areas include Mechanical Engineering.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Sep 24 2024 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 6 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).