Damped and cushioned stop

Claim 2

A damped, self-restoring stop adapted to arrest relative axial movement between a pair of mechanical elements comprising, in combination, means defining a housing disposed axially stationary with respect to one of said pair of mechanical elements and adapted for engagement on the other after a predetermined amount of relative axial movement between said pair of mechanical elements, said housing being axially collapsible by said other mechanical elements from an initial condition and including an axially extending outer wall portion and an axially extending inner wall portion spaced from said outer wall portion and a first laterally extending end wall rigidly connected to siad outer wall portion and a second laterally extending end wall rigidly connected to said inner wall portion and disposed in opposed relationship with respect to said first end wall, said outer wall portion and said first end wall being axially movable relative to said inner wall portion and said second end wall during axial collapse of said housing, and an elastically deformable combination restoring and damping member disposed in said housing between said inner and said outer wall portions and said end walls so that axial collapse of said housing effects simultaneous elastic axial compression and lateral expansion of said combination member whereby the latter resiliently arrests relative axial movement between said pair of mechanical elements wHile concurrently storing potential energy for expanding said housing to the initial condition thereof and simultaneously frictionally engages said wall portions thereby to dissipate kinetic energy and damp the collapse and expansion of said housing.

Claim 3

In a screw and nut type acutator assembly wherein relative rotation between a nut portion and an associated screw portion of said assembly effects relative axial movement between the two portions, a damped self-restoring stop adapted to resiliently arrest relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions comprising, means defining a housing disposed axially stationary with respect to one of said screw and said nut portions and adapted for engagement on the other after a predetermined amount of relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions, said housing being axially collapsible by said other of said screw and said nut portions from an initial condition and including spaced axially extending inner and outer wall portions adapted for relative axial movement during collapse of said housing and a pair of laterally extending opposed end walls each rigidly connected to a respective one of said wall portions, anti-friction bearing means between said housing and said other of said screw and said nut portions, and an elastically deformable combination restoring and damping member disposed in said housing between said wall portions and said end walls so that axial collapse of said housing effects simultaneous elastic axial compression and lateral expansion of said combination member whereby the latter resiliently arrests relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions while concurrently storing potential energy for expanding said housing to the initial condition thereof and simultaneously frictionally engages said wall portions thereby to dissipate kinetic energy and damp the collapse and expansion of said housing.

Claim 4

In a screw and nut type acutator assembly wherein relative rotation between a nut portion and an associated screw portion of said assembly effects relative axial movement between the two portions, a damped self-restoring stop adapted to resiliently arrest relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions comprising, means defining a housing disposed axially stationary with respect to one of said screw and said nut portions and adapted for engagement on the other after a predetermined amount of relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions, said housing being axially collapsible by said other of said screw and said nut portions from an initial condition and including spaced axially extending inner and outer wall portions adapted for relative axial movement during collapse of said housing and a pair of laterally extending opposed end walls each rigidly connected to a respective one of said wall portions, anti-friction bearing means between said housing and said other of said screw and said nut portions, and an elastically deformable combination restoring and damping member disposed in said housing between said wall portions and said end walls so that axial collapse of said housing effects simultaneous elastic axial compression and lateral expansion of said combination member whereby the latter resiliently arrests relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions while concurrently storing potential energy for expanding said housing to the initial condition thereof and simultaneously frictionally engages said wall portions thereby to dissipate kinetic energy and damp the collapse and expansion of said housing.

Claim 5

In a screw and nut type actuator assembly wherein relative rotation between a nut portion and an associated screw portion of said assembly effects relative axial movement between the two portions, a damped self-restoring stop adapted to resiliently arrest relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions comprising, means defining an annular housing disposed axially stationary with respect to one of said screw and said nut portions and adapted for engagement on the other after a predetermined amount of relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions, said housing being axially collapsible by said other of said screw and said nut portions from an initial condition and including an axially extending cylindrical inner wall portion and an axially extending concentric cylindrical outer wall portion radially spaced from said inner wall portion and axially movable relative to the latter during collapse of said housing and a pair of laterally extending end walls each rigidly connected to a respective one of said inner and said outer wall portions, anti-friction bearing means between said housing and said other of said screw and said nut portions, and an annular elastically deformable combination restoring and damping member disposed in said housing between said wall portions and said end walls so that axial collapse of said housing effects simultaneous elastic axial compression and radial expansion of said combination member whereby the latter resiliently arrests relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions while concurrently storing potential energy for expanding said housing to the initial condition thereof and simultaneously frictionally engages said inner and said outer wall portions thereby to dissipate kinetic energy and damp the collapse and expansion of said housing.

Claim 6

In a screw and nut type actuator assembly wherein relative rotation between a nut portion and an associated screw portion of said assembly effects relative axial movement between the two portions, a damped self-restoring stop adapted to resiliently arrest relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions comprising, means defining an annular housing disposed axially stationary with respect to one of said screw and said nut portions and adapted for engagement on the other after a predetermined amount of relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions, said housing being axially collapsible by said other of said screw and said nut portions from an initial condition and including an axially extending cylindrical inner wall portion and an axially extending concentric cylindrical outer wall portion radially spaced from said inner wall portion and axially movable relative to the latter during collapse of said housing and a pair of laterally extending end walls each rigidly connected to a respective one of said inner and said outer wall portions, anti-friction bearing means between said housing and said other of said screw and said nut portions, and an annular elastically deformable combination restoring and damping member disposed in said housing between said wall portions and said end walls so that axial collapse of said housing effects simultaneous elastic axial compression and radial expansion of said combination member whereby the latter resiliently arrests relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions while concurrently storing potential energy for expanding said housing to the initial condition thereof and simultaneously frictionally engages said inner and said outer wall portions thereby to dissipate kinetic energy and damp the collapse and expansion of said housing.

Claim 7

In a screw and nut type actuator assembly wherein relative rotation between a nut portion and an associated screw portion of said assembly effects relative axial movement between the two portions, a damped self-restoring stop adapted to resilientLy arrest relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions comprising, means on said screw portion defining a housing disposed axially stationary with respect to said screw portion and engageable on said nut portion after a predetermined amount of relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions, said housing being axially collapsible by said nut portion from an initial condition and including an axially extending cylindrical inner wall portion and an axially extending cylindrical outer wall portion radially spaced from said inner wall portion and axially movable relative to the latter during collapse of said housing and a pair of laterally extending end walls each rigidly connected to a respective one of said wall portions, anti-friction bearing means between said housing and said nut portion, an annular spacer floatingly disposed in said housing and dividing the latter into a plurality of sub-chambers axially collapsible concurrently with axial collapse of said housing, and a plurality of annular elastically deformable combination restoring and damping members disposed in respective ones of said sub-chambers so that axial collapse of each of said sub-chambers effects simultaneous elastic axial compression and radial expansion of each of said combination members whereby said combination members resiliently arrest relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions while concurrently storing potential energy for expanding said housing to the initial condition thereof and simultaneously frictionally engage each of said wall portions thereby to dissipate kinetic energy and damp the collapse and expansion of said housing.

Claim 8

In a screw and nut type actuator assembly wherein relative rotation between a nut portion and an associated screw portion of said assembly effects relative axial movement between the two portions, a damped self-restoring stop adapted to resilientLy arrest relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions comprising, means on said screw portion defining a housing disposed axially stationary with respect to said screw portion and engageable on said nut portion after a predetermined amount of relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions, said housing being axially collapsible by said nut portion from an initial condition and including an axially extending cylindrical inner wall portion and an axially extending cylindrical outer wall portion radially spaced from said inner wall portion and axially movable relative to the latter during collapse of said housing and a pair of laterally extending end walls each rigidly connected to a respective one of said wall portions, anti-friction bearing means between said housing and said nut portion, an annular spacer floatingly disposed in said housing and dividing the latter into a plurality of sub-chambers axially collapsible concurrently with axial collapse of said housing, and a plurality of annular elastically deformable combination restoring and damping members disposed in respective ones of said sub-chambers so that axial collapse of each of said sub-chambers effects simultaneous elastic axial compression and radial expansion of each of said combination members whereby said combination members resiliently arrest relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions while concurrently storing potential energy for expanding said housing to the initial condition thereof and simultaneously frictionally engage each of said wall portions thereby to dissipate kinetic energy and damp the collapse and expansion of said housing.

Claim 9

In a screw and nut type actuator assembly wherein relative rotation between a nut portion and an associated screw portion of said assembly effects relative axial movement between the two portions, a damped self-restoring stop adapted to resiliently arrest relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions comprising, means defining a cylindrical surface at one end of said screw portion, a slider member having an internal cylindrical surface and a radially inwardly directed rigid annular flange, said slider member being slidably disposed about said cylindrical surface with said annular flange situated generally adjacent the inboard end of said cylindrical surface and adapted for engagement on said nut portion after a predetermined amount of relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions, anti-friction bearing means between said slider member and said nut portion, means on said screw portion defining a fixed abutment adjacent the outboard end of said cylindrical surface cooperating with the latter and with said internal cylindrical surface and said flange in defining an annular housing axially collapsible by said nut portion from an initial condition, a plurality of annular spacers floatingly disposed in said housing and dividing the latter into a plurality of sub-chambers axially collapsible concurrently with axial collapse of said housing, and a plurality of annular elastically deformable combination restoring and damping members disposed in respective ones of said sub-chambers so that axial collapse of each of said sub-chambers effects simultaneous elastic axial compression and radial expansion of each of said combination members whereby said combination members resiliently arrest relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions while concurrently storing potential energy for expanding said housing to the initial condition thereof and simultaneously frictionally engaging each of said internal surface on said slider and said cylindrical surface on said screw portion thereby to dissipate kinetic energy and damp the collapse and expansion of said housing.

Claim 10

In a screw and nut type actuator assembly wherein relative rotation between a nut portion and an associated screw portion of said assembly effects relative axial movement between the two portions, a damped self-restoring stop adapted to resiliently arrest relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions comprising, means defining a cylindrical surface at one end of said screw portion, a slider member having an internal cylindrical surface and a radially inwardly directed rigid annular flange, said slider member being slidably disposed about said cylindrical surface with said annular flange situated generally adjacent the inboard end of said cylindrical surface and adapted for engagement on said nut portion after a predetermined amount of relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions, anti-friction bearing means between said slider member and said nut portion, means on said screw portion defining a fixed abutment adjacent the outboard end of said cylindrical surface cooperating with the latter and with said internal cylindrical surface and said flange in defining an annular housing axially collapsible by said nut portion from an initial condition, a plurality of annular spacers floatingly disposed in said housing and dividing the latter into a plurality of sub-chambers axially collapsible concurrently with axial collapse of said housing, and a plurality of annular elastically deformable combination restoring and damping members disposed in respective ones of said sub-chambers so that axial collapse of each of said sub-chambers effects simultaneous elastic axial compression and radial expansion of each of said combination members whereby said combination members resiliently arrest relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions while concurrently storing potential energy for expanding said housing to the initial condition thereof and simultaneously frictionally engaging each of said internal surface on said slider and said cylindrical surface on said screw portion thereby to dissipate kinetic energy and damp the collapse and expansion of said housing.

Claim 11

In a screw and nut type actuator assembly wherein relative rotation between a nut portion and an associated screw portion of said assembly effects reative axial movement between the two portions, a double acTing damped self-restoring stop adapted to resiliently arrest relative axial movement of said nut portion in either of two opposite directions comprising, means defining a cylindrical surface on said screw portion, an inner slider member slidably disposed on said cylindrical surface and including an external cylindrical surface defining an inner wall portion and an outturned annular flange disposed adjacent one end of said cylindrical surface defining a first end wall, means on said screw portion adapted to retain said inner slider member thereon, an outer slider member telescopically disposed about said inner slider member and including an internal cylindrical surface defining an outer wall portion and an inturned annular flange disposed adjacent the other end of said cylindrical surface on said screw portion defining a second end wall, means on said screw portion adapted to retain said outer slider member thereon, said inner and said outer wall portions and said first and said second end walls cooperating in defining an axially collapsible housing on said screw portion situated in axially stationary relation to the latter, means associated with said nut portion adapted for alternate engagement on said inner and said outer slider members after a predetermined amount of axial movement of said nut portion relative to said screw portion in corresponding ones of said two opposite directions thereby to effect axial collapse of said housing from an initial condition, anti-friction bearing means associated with said housing and adapted to prevent unitary rotation of said housing with said nut portion during axial collapse of said housing, a plurality of annular spacers floatingly disposed in said housing and dividing the latter into a plurality of sub-chambers axially collapsible concurrently with axial collapse of said housing, and a plurality of annular elastically deformable combination restoring and damping members disposed in respective ones of said sub-chambers so that axial collapse of each of said sub-chambers effects simultaneous elastic axial compression and radial expansion of each of said combination members whereby said combination members resiliently arrest relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions while concurrently storing potential energy for expanding said housing to the initial condition thereof and simultaneously frictionally engage each of said inner and said outer wall portions of said housing thereby to dissipate kinetic energy and damp the collapse and expansion of said housing.

Claim 12

In a screw and nut type actuator assembly wherein relative rotation between a nut portion and an associated screw portion of said assembly effects reative axial movement between the two portions, a double acTing damped self-restoring stop adapted to resiliently arrest relative axial movement of said nut portion in either of two opposite directions comprising, means defining a cylindrical surface on said screw portion, an inner slider member slidably disposed on said cylindrical surface and including an external cylindrical surface defining an inner wall portion and an outturned annular flange disposed adjacent one end of said cylindrical surface defining a first end wall, means on said screw portion adapted to retain said inner slider member thereon, an outer slider member telescopically disposed about said inner slider member and including an internal cylindrical surface defining an outer wall portion and an inturned annular flange disposed adjacent the other end of said cylindrical surface on said screw portion defining a second end wall, means on said screw portion adapted to retain said outer slider member thereon, said inner and said outer wall portions and said first and said second end walls cooperating in defining an axially collapsible housing on said screw portion situated in axially stationary relation to the latter, means associated with said nut portion adapted for alternate engagement on said inner and said outer slider members after a predetermined amount of axial movement of said nut portion relative to said screw portion in corresponding ones of said two opposite directions thereby to effect axial collapse of said housing from an initial condition, anti-friction bearing means associated with said housing and adapted to prevent unitary rotation of said housing with said nut portion during axial collapse of said housing, a plurality of annular spacers floatingly disposed in said housing and dividing the latter into a plurality of sub-chambers axially collapsible concurrently with axial collapse of said housing, and a plurality of annular elastically deformable combination restoring and damping members disposed in respective ones of said sub-chambers so that axial collapse of each of said sub-chambers effects simultaneous elastic axial compression and radial expansion of each of said combination members whereby said combination members resiliently arrest relative axial movement between said screw and said nut portions while concurrently storing potential energy for expanding said housing to the initial condition thereof and simultaneously frictionally engage each of said inner and said outer wall portions of said housing thereby to dissipate kinetic energy and damp the collapse and expansion of said housing.