Rotary actuator, a rotary actuator in a motor vehicle suspension, and a method of mass producing rotary actuators
First Claim
1. A sealing arrangement in a rotary actuator comprising:
- cylinder means having at least two inwardly radially extending opposed ribs;
shaft means rotatable about a confined arc within the cylinder means, said shaft means including at least two radially extending opposed vanes, each of said ribs and vanes including a longitudinal groove and a longitudinally extending seal within each groove;
said cylinder means comprising a longitudinally extending recess in an interior wall of the cylinder means on at least one side of each rib, said recesses being adjacent to the ribs;
said shaft means including longitudinally extending shaft recesses on at least one side of each vane, said shaft recesses being adjacent to the vanes;
each of said seals being radially compressed between said shaft means and said cylinder means during operation of the rotary actuator; and
each of said recesses and said shaft recesses being dimensioned to correspond to the thickness of each seal and being dimensioned to relieve at least a portion of the compression of each seal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A rotary actuator has a cylinder and a motor shaft as well as end caps which define a working area. A number of ribs extend from the inside wall surface of the cylinder and an equal number of vanes extend from the outside shell surface of the motor shaft. The ribs and vanes divide the working area into working chambers which are alternately supplied with hydraulic medium. Seals are disposed in grooves in the ribs and the vanes, which seals are braced between the inside wall surface of the cylinder or the outside shell surface of the motor shaft and the respective groove base, so that the seals hydraulically separate the working chambers from one another. The outside shell surface of the motor shaft and the inside wall surface of the cylinder are designed with recesses, so that the prestress on the seals is neutralized in at least one installation position of the motor shaft. The rotary actuator can be used in a stabilizer bar of a motor vehicle suspension system. The recesses make assembly of the actuator conducive to a method of mass production.
35 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A sealing arrangement in a rotary actuator comprising:
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cylinder means having at least two inwardly radially extending opposed ribs; shaft means rotatable about a confined arc within the cylinder means, said shaft means including at least two radially extending opposed vanes, each of said ribs and vanes including a longitudinal groove and a longitudinally extending seal within each groove; said cylinder means comprising a longitudinally extending recess in an interior wall of the cylinder means on at least one side of each rib, said recesses being adjacent to the ribs; said shaft means including longitudinally extending shaft recesses on at least one side of each vane, said shaft recesses being adjacent to the vanes; each of said seals being radially compressed between said shaft means and said cylinder means during operation of the rotary actuator; and each of said recesses and said shaft recesses being dimensioned to correspond to the thickness of each seal and being dimensioned to relieve at least a portion of the compression of each seal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A process for the assembly of a rotary actuator, said rotary actuator comprising:
- cylinder means having at least two inwardly radially extending opposed ribs;
shaft means rotatable about a confined arc within the cylinder means, said shaft means including at least two radially extending opposed vanes, each of said ribs and vanes including a longitudinal groove and a longitudinally extending seal within each groove;
said cylinder means comprising a longitudinally extending recess in an interior wall of the cylinder means on at least one side of each rib, said recesses being adjacent to the ribs;
said shaft means including longitudinally extending shaft recesses on at least one side of each vane, said shaft recesses being adjacent to the vanes;
each of said seals being radially compressed between said shaft means and said cylinder means during operation of the rotary actuator; and
each of said recesses and said shaft recesses being dimensioned to correspond to the thickness of each seal and being dimensioned to relieve at least a portion of the compression of each seal;said process comprising the steps of; aligning said vanes of said shaft means with said longitudinally extending recesses of said cylinder means; aligning said ribs of said cylinder means with said longitudinally extending shaft recesses of said shaft means; disposing said s haft means in said cylinder means; disposing said Seals in said longitudinal grooves of said cylinder means and said shaft means; and rotating said shaft means in said cylinder means to radially compress said seals between said shaft means and said cylinder means. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
- cylinder means having at least two inwardly radially extending opposed ribs;
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14. A process for the mass production of rotary actuators, each rotary actuator comprising:
- cylinder means having at least two inwardly radially extending opposed ribs;
shaft means rotatable about a confined arc within the cylinder means, said shaft means including at least two radially extending opposed vanes, each of said ribs and vanes including a longitudinal groove and a longitudinally extending seal within each groove;
said cylinder means comprising a longitudinally extending recess in an interior wall of the cylinder means on at least one side of each rib, said recesses being adjacent to the ribs;
said shaft means including longitudinally extending shaft recesses on at least one side of each vane, said shaft recesses being adjacent to the vanes;
each of said seals being radially compressed between said shaft means and said cylinder means during operation of the rotary actuator; and
each of said recesses and said shaft recesses being dimensioned to correspond to the thickness of each seal and being dimensioned to relieve at least a portion of the compression of each seal;said process comprising the steps of; aligning said vanes of said shaft means with said longitudinally extending recesses of said cylinder means; aligning said ribs of said cylinder means with said longitudinally extending shaft recesses of said shaft means; disposing said shaft means in said cylinder means; disposing said seals in said longitudinal grooves of said cylinder means and said shaft means; and rotating said shaft means in said cylinder means to radially compress said seals between said shaft means and said cylinder means. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
- cylinder means having at least two inwardly radially extending opposed ribs;
Specification