Flexural pivot

• US 6,666,612 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2002
• Issued: 12/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Be System Etudes CAO Realisations, Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales
• Original Assignee: Be System Etudes CAO Realisations, Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales
• Inventors: Lorigny, Eric Pascal Jean, Meizel, Eric Lionel
• Primary Examiner(s): Binda, Gregory J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Flandro, Ryan M.
• Application Number:
  US10/082,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20020084563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 403/339, 403/340, 403/325, 403/327, 403/329, 403/331, 403/373, 403/374.1, 403/291, 464/77, 464/100, 464/101, 267/160, 267/227, 267/229, 267/36.1, 267/179, 162/21, 162/25--27, 162/86
• US Class Current: 403/291
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/12 incorporating flexible connections, e.g. leaf springs
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 3/005 incorporating leaf springs, flexible parts of reduced thickness or the like acting as pivots
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/54 Flexible member is joint component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/606 Leaf spring
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/608 Pivoted

Abstract

A pivot has identical first and second members partially engaged in each other and mobile in rotation relative to each other about a common axis, against the action of at least two return leaf springs each having first and second ends anchored in the first and second parts, respectively, by being wedged inside them.

Claims

1. A flexural pivot comprising substantially identical first and second members partly engaged in each other and rotatable relative to each other about a common axis against action of a return leaf spring having first and second ends anchored in said first and second members, respectively, in which pivot each of said ends of said leaf spring is wedged in an axial housing provided in one of said members, between a wall portion of said housing and a pair of superposed wedges gripped between another wall portion of said housing and said leaf spring, said leaf spring and said wall portion of said housing on which said leaf spring bears being substantially flat and said other wall portion of said housing and a surface portion of said pair of wedges bearing on said other wall portion being substantially cylindrical.

2. The pivot claimed in claim 1 wherein said wedges bear on each other through two facing flat faces inclined to the axis of said axial housing.

3. The pivot claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one of said wedges also abuts against a key inserted into said axial housing.

4. The pivot claimed in claim 1 wherein each member has a cylindrical portion with a substantially semicylindrical recess and a portion constituting a foot slid axially into said recess of the other member.

5. The pivot claimed in claim 4 wherein said foot has abutment surfaces adapted to cooperate with abutment surfaces of the housing into which it is inserted to delimit the maximum relative angular movement of said two members relative to each other.

6. The pivot claimed in claim 1 including two leaf springs in crossed, substantially perpendicular, planes.

7. The pivot claimed in claim 1 including first, second and third leaf springs and wherein said second leaf spring is disposed between the other two leaf springs so as to straddle a middle part of said pivot.

8. A flexural pivot comprising substantially identical first and second members partly engaged in each other and rotatable relative to each other about a common axis against action of a return leaf spring having first and second ends anchored in said first and second members, respectively, each of said ends of said leaf spring being wedged in an axial housing provided in one of said members against a wall portion of said housing by at least one wedge which abuts against a key inserted into said axial housing, said leaf spring and said wall portion of said housing on which said leaf spring bears being substantially flat, said wedge being gripped between another wall portion of said housing and said leaf spring, and a surface portion of said wedge bearing on said another wall portion being substantially cylindrical.

9. The pivot as set forth in claim 8 wherein said wedge includes a pair of superposed wedges bearing on each other through two facing flat faces inclined to the axis of said axial housing.

10. The pivot as set forth in claim 8 wherein each member has a cylindrical portion with a substantially semicylindrical recess and a portion constituting a foot slid axially into said recess of the other member.

11. The pivot as set forth in claim 10 wherein said foot has abutment surfaces adapted to cooperate with abutment surfaces of the housing into which it is inserted to delimit the maximum relative angular movement of said two members relative to each other.

12. The pivot as set forth in claim 8, including two leaf springs in crossed, substantially perpendicular, planes.

13. The pivot as set forth in claim 8 including first, second and third leaf springs and wherein said second leaf spring is disposed between the other two leaf springs so as to straddle a middle part of said pivot.

14. A flexural pivot comprising substantially identical first and second members partly engaged in each other and rotatable relative to each other about a common axis against action of a return leaf spring having first and second ends anchored in said first and second members, respectively, in which pivot each of said ends of said leaf spring is wedged in an axial housing provided in one of said members, between a wall portion of said housing and a pair of superposed wedges gripped between another wall portion of said housing and said leaf spring, at least one of said wedges abutting against a key inserted into said axial housing.

15. The pivot as set forth in claim 14, wherein said wedge has a cylindrical lateral portion.