|
PatentVote.com: Vote on your favourite invention!
|
|
|
 |
Title: Controlled motion apparatus
Claims: Claims:
What is claimed is: 1. Controlled motion apparatus comprising a rigid base member, a support member, and means for mounting the support member to the rigid base for controlled motion relative to the base, said support member mounting means comprising three independently-driven displacement actuators each having a fixed part and a linearly movable part and having one of said parts connected by means of a first non-rotatable universal joint to a region of said support member and having the other of said parts connected by means of a second non-rotatable universal joint to a region of said rigid base, each of said actuators being capable upon actuation of causing a linear motion displacement of said support member along one of three orthogonal axes of an XYZ coordinate system but without permitting rotation about its respective displacement axis of the actuator movable part with respect to its fixed part or of the actuator fixed part in response to a linear displacement of the support along any of the three orthogonal axes, said non-rotating actuators by means of the first and second non-rotatable universal joint connections cooperating, during driving of the actuators to cause the said support member to undergo a controlled motion relative to the rigid base member, to maintain the support member substantially parallel to a desired plane formed by two axes of the coordinate system and to constrain the motion of said support member substantially parallel to said desired plane, and means connected to the apparatus for sensing the amount of support member displacement in its three displacement axes and generating signals representative of said displacement. 2. Controlled motion apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the universal joints connected to each actuator comprises gimbal rings mounted at each actuator end with said gimbal rings each including first and second transversely-oriented gimbal pins, and means for securing the first gimbal pins of the gimbal rings at opposite ends of each actuator and means for securing the second gimbal pins of the gimbal rings to the support and base members, respectively. 3. Controlled motion apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the actuators comprise nested tubes constituting the fixed and movable parts and having anti-rotation means, and means within the nested tubes for displacing them relative to one another, the sensing means sensing the displacement being connected to the nested tubes. 4. Controlled motion apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising means for rotating as a whole each actuator including both the fixed and movable parts and including the non-rotatable first and second universal joints about its displacement axis, said rotating means being separate from the actuator's linear displacement. 5. Controlled motion apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the anti-rotation means comprise a splining structure coupling together the nested tubes. 6. Controlled motion apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the anti-rotation means comprise linear bearings coupling together the nested tubes. 7. Controlled motion apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the actuator-rotating means comprise means for journalling each actuator within the rigid base member, and means coupled between the actuator and the rigid base for controllably rotating each actuator independently of the other actuators. Other info: Inventors: Jones, Cecil R. (21127 Bank Mill Rd., Saratoga, CA, 95070) Application Number: 06/322466 Filing Date: 1981-11-18 Publication_date: 1984-03-13 Assignee: Jones, Cecil R. Primary Class(es): 188/378 73/663, 403/74, 403/57 Other Classes: B06B3/00; B23Q1/48; F16C3/035; G01M7/06; B23Q1/25; F16C3/02; G01M7/00; F16D3/22; B06B3/00 US Patent Ref:
Other Refs:
Primary Examiner: Stoner Jr., Bruce H. Assistant Examiner: Oberleitner, Robert J. Attorney: Schoenle, Paul David Decker, Ken C. Claims:
|
|