Compact cable transmission with cable differential
US4903536A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 21, 1988 |
| Grant date | Feb 27, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 21, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T74/18848
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A pretensioned cable transmits power along a first support member (link) from a rotary actuator to a rotating output joint, typically an output pulley fixed to a second link arm but rotatable in a coupling between the first and second links. A reducer, typically two sets of coupled idler pulleys of different diameter, is mounted at a point removed from the actuator, and preferably as close as possible to the output joint. An axially split spool mounted on the actuator output wraps the outgoing and returning cable sections on different halves of the spool in opposite directions to provide pretensioning of the cable in the entire cable circuit at one point. To form a differential, a pretensioned cable carried on paired pulleys having smooth outer surfaces parallel to the axis of rotation couples the pulleys. The pulleys have axes of rotation that can intersect and their cable carrying surfaces are closely spaced, preferably by less than half the width of the cable. The outer surfaces can be stepped to accommodate two or more cables for bi-directional operation, or to create a conventional differential with a spider. The links and pulleys of the transmission are long and narrow. This …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.