IN-LINE ACTUATOR APPARATUS AND METHOD

摘要

The present invention is an in line electric motor actuator. An electric motor (10) has a rotor shaft (12) engaged with a gear set (30) within a housing (20). As an example, the gear set (30) may be a planetary gear set. The planetary gears (34) are engaged with a disk (40). The disk (40) is fixed to a shaft rod or other force transmitting component, such as lead screw (50). The lead screw (50) is engaged with a traveling block (60). When the lead screw (50) rotates, the traveling block (60) moves along the lead screw (50). The lateral movement of the traveling block (60) may be linked to further force application devices, such as a pin or a cable. In one aspect of the invention, the rotor shaft (112) is a hollow tube, and the lead screw (150) is a spindle or rod disposed to slide in and out of the rotor shaft tube (112).