Power actuated operator for windows and the like

• US 4,553,656 A
• Filed: 10/27/1983
• Issued: 11/19/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Newell Operating Company (Newell Brands Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amerock Corporation (Newell Brands Inc.)
• Inventors: Lense, Robert F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Application Number:
  US06/545,780
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: 192/142 R, 192/150, 74/625, 49/139, 49/140
• US Class Current: 192/142.00R
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 11/24 shifting the wing by pivotally-connected members (moving) in a plane parallel to the pivot axis of the wing
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/63 operated by swinging arms
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/148 Windows

Abstract

A power actuator for a window includes a rotary drive member and a rotary driven member which is turned by the drive member and which is connected to the sash of a window to open and close the sash as the drive member is turned in one direction or the other. A reversible electric motor drives a speed reducing gear train and the output gear of the train is coaxial with and rotatable relative to the drive member, a crank arm with a projecting pin is pivotally mounted on the drive member to swing between an active or radially projecting position and an inactive position overlying the drive member. When the arm is in the inactive position, the pin connects the output gear and the drive member so that the motor may turn the driven member. With the arm in the active position, the pin no longer couples the output gear and the drive member and the latter may be turned manually by the crank arm independently of the gear train. When the sash reaches either the fully open or fully closed position by power actuation, the motor stalls and the stall current is sensed to stop the motor and reverse the latter momentarily to relieve the torque in the gear train.

Claims

1. A power actuated operator for a movable closure, said operator having, in combination, a housing, a driven member mounted on said housing and adapted to be coupled to the closure, a rotatable drive member journaled in said housing and connected to said driven member whereby turning said drive member operates said driven member and moves said closure, a motor disposed within said housing, a speed reducing transmission disposed within said housing and having an input member driven by said motor and an output member, clutch means selectively operable to couple and uncouple said drive member and said output member whereby said motor drives said driven member through said transmission and said drive member when said output member is coupled to the drive member, and a manual member operatively connected to said drive member to turn the latter and drive said driven member independently of said motor and said transmission when the drive member is uncoupled from the output member.

2. A power actuated operator as defined in claim 1 in which said manual member is movable between an inactive position and an active position and said clutch means couples and uncouples said drive member and said output member automatically as an incident to the manual member moving into said inactive position and said active position respectively.

3. A power actuated operator for a movable closure, said operator having, in combination, a housing, an output shaft journaled in said housing and adapted to be coupled to the closure, a rotatable drive member journaled in said housing coaxially with said output shaft and connected to the latter whereby turning said member turns the shaft and moves said closure, a motor disposed within the housing, a speed reduction gear train having an input gear driven by said motor and an output gear coaxial with said output shaft and rotatable independently of said drive member, said drive member having an outer end portion remote from said output shaft projecting through said housing, a crank arm pivotally mounted on the outer end portion of said drive member at a point offset from the axis of the latter, said crank arm being swingable between an active position projecting radially outwardly from said drive member and an inactive position overlying the drive member, a pin projecting transversely from said crank arm to be gripped manually to turn said drive member thereby to turn said output shaft independently of said motor, and an abutment on said output gear engaging said pin when said crank arm is in said inactive position whereby said motor drives said output shaft through said gear train and said drive member.

4. A power actuated operator as defined in claim 3 in which said output gear has a hole receiving said pin and said abutment is a wall of said hole.

5. A power actuated operator as defined in claim 4 in which said motor is reversible thereby selectively to drive said output gear in clockwise and counterclockwise directions and said pin engages the wall of said hole to turn said drive member in each of such directions.

6. A power actuated operator as defined in claim 4 in which a pluarlity of such holes are formed in said output gear and said holes are angularly spaced around the output gear whereby each may receive said pin.

7. A power actuated operator for a movable closure, said operator having, in combination, a housing, an output shaft journaled in said housing and adapted to be coupled to the closure, a rotatable drive member journaled in said housing coaxially with said output shaft and connected to the latter whereby turning said member turns the shaft and moves said closure, a reversible motor disposed within the housing, a speed reduction gear train having an input gear driven by said motor and an output gear coaxial with said output shaft and rotatable independently of said drive member, said drive member having an outer end portion remote from said output shaft projecting through said housing, a crank arm pivotally mounted on the outer end portion of said drive member at a point offset from the axis of the latter, said crank arm being swingable between an active position projecting radially outwardly from said drive member and an inactive position overlying the drive member, a pin projecting transversely from said crank arm to be gripped manually to turn said drive member thereby to turn said output shaft independently of said motor, and a hole in said output gear receiving said pin when said crank arm is in said inactive position, said hole having first and second oppositely facing walls each engaged by said pin in one direction of drive of said motor whereby the motor drives said output shaft through said gear train and said drive member.

8. A power actuated operator as defined in claim 7 in which said walls of said hole are inclined relative to each other and relative to a radius of said output gear and converge toward the periphery of the latter whereby each wall when it engages said pin urges the pin radially inwardly and tends to hold said crank arm in said inactive position.

9. A power actuated operator as defined in claim 8 in which a plurality of such holes are formed in said output gear and said holes are angularly spaced around the output gear whereby each may receive said pin.

10. A power actuated operator for a movable closure, said operator having, in combination, a housing, a driven member mounted on said housing and adapted to be coupled to the closure, a rotatable drive member journaled in said housing and connected to said driven member whereby turning said drive member operates said driven member and moves the closure, an electric motor disposed within said housing, a speed reducing transmission disposed within said housing and having an input member driven by said motor and an output member, means operable to couple said drive member and said output member whereby said motor when energized drives said driven member through said transmission and said drive member, limit means operable in response to preselected movement of the closure to prevent said motor from turning of said drive member and stall the motor, and control means responsive to stalling of said motor to deenergize the same.

11. A power actuated operator as defined in claim 10 in which said limit means is a counter responsive to the revolutions of said motor.

12. A power actuated operator as defined in claim 10 in which said motor is reversible and said control means is operable after the motor has been deenergized to momentarily energize the motor in the reverse direction thereby to relieve torque in said transmission.

13. A power actuated operator as defined in claim 10 in which said motor is reversible and said control means includes a sensor responsive to a condition and operable to cause the motor to turn in the reverse direction in response to the presence of the condition.

14. A power actuated operator for a movable closure, said operator having, in combination, a housing, a driven member mounted on said housing and adapted to be coupled to the closure, a rotatable drive member journaled in said housing and connected to said driven member whereby turning said drive member operates said driven member and moves said closure, an electric motor disposed within said housing, a speed reducing transmission disposed within said housing and having an input member driven by said motor and an output member, clutch means selectively operable to couple and uncouple said drive member and said output member whereby said motor when energized drives said driven member through said transmission and said drive member when said output member is coupled to the drive member, a manual member operatively connected to said drive member to turn the latter and drive said driven member independently of said motor and said transmission when the drive member is uncoupled from the output member, a counter driven by said motor and operable in response to preselected movement of said closure to prevent said motor from turning said drive member and stall the motor, and control means responsive to stalling of said motor to deenergize the same.

15. A power actuated operator as defined in claim 14 in which said motor is reversible and said control means is operable after the motor has been deenergized to momentarily energize the motor in the reverse direction thereby to relieve torque in said transmission.

16. A power actuated operator as defined in claim 15 in which said control means includes a sensor responsive to a condition and the sensor is operable to cause the motor to turn in the reverse direction in response to the presence of the condition.

17. A power actuated operator for a movable closure, said operator having, in combination, a housing, an output shaft journaled in said housing and adapted to be coupled to the closure, a rotatable drive member journaled in said housing coaxially with said output shaft and connected to the latter whereby turning said member turns the shaft and moves said closure, an electric motor disposed within the housing, a speed reduction gear train having an input gear driven by said motor and an output gear coaxial with said output shaft and rotatable independently of said drive member, said drive member having an outer end portion remote from said output shaft projecting through said housing, a crank arm pivotally mounted on the outer end portion of said drive member at a point offset from the axis of the latter, said crank arm being swingable between an active position projecting radially outwardly from said drive member and an inactive position overlying the drive member, a pin projecting transversely from said crank arm to be gripped manually to turn said drive member thereby to turn said output shaft independently of said motor, an abutment on said output gear engaging said pin when said crank arm is in said inactive position whereby said motor when energized drives said output shaft through said gear train and said drive member, a star wheel rotatably mounted in said housing adjacent said output gear to turn about an axis parallel to the axis of the gear, a second pin mounted on said output gear and engaging said star wheel during each revolution of the output gear to index the start wheel through a predetermined angle, an abutment on said star wheel engageable with said second pin after the star wheel has been indexed a selected number of times and operable to prevent said output gear from turning thereby to stall said motor, and control means responsive to stalling of said motor to deenergize the same.

18. A power actuated operator as defined in claim 17 in which said motor is reversible and said control means is operable after the motor has been deenergized to momentarily energize the motor in the reverse direction thereby to relieve torque in said gear train.