Device for varying light transmission employing roller-cable mechanism

Claim 2

Apparatus comprising: a guideway providing a pair of spaced bearing surfaces; a plurality of rollers disposed between said bearing surfaces, said rollers being oriented such that their outer diameters extend between said bearing surfaces, the summation of said outer diameters exceeding the spacing between said bearing surfaces; means for urging said rollers towards each other within said guideway, said urging means including elongated biasing means coupled at each end to respective ends of said guideway and passing between the axes of and formed in an S shape around said rollers so as to urge said outer diameters of said rollers into engagement with each other and said spaced bearing surfaces; and means displaceably coupled on at least one of said rollers for supporting said biasing means at least partially coaxially with said one roller at a diameter different from the outer diameter of said one roller, said supporting means being displaceable relative to said one roller such that during advancement of said rollers along said guideway said supporting means may be displaced relative to said one roller in compensation for the difference in turning radius of said one roller and said support of said biasing means.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said supporting means additionally includes means for guIding said biasing means between said roller axes.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said biasing means is an elongated member coupled at each end to respective ends of said guideway and formed in an S shape around said rollers.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said biasing means includes a plurality of elongated members.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said biasing means includes at least one multi-strand cable.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said supporting means are sleeve members rotatably mounted on each of said rollers, said sleeve members being of smaller outer diameter than said rollers, and said sleeve members including peripheral slot means configured for guiding said biasing means around and between said rollers.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said biasing means includes at least one multistrand cable of given overall thickness, said given diameter is less than said roller diameter by an amount substantially equal to or greater than twice said cable thickness so that said biasing means biases said rollers into rollable engagement with each other and said guideway without compressing said cable against said guideway.

Claim 11

Apparatus comprising: a guideway providing a pair of spaced bearing surfaces; at least one roller cluster mounted between said spaced surfaces for generally linear displacement along a path defined by said guideway, said roller cluster including a pair of roller units, each of said roller units having a first and second roller means configured for rotational motion with respect to each other, said first roller means having outer diameters such that the summation thereof exceeds the spacing of said bearing surfaces, said second roller means of each roller unit having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of its respective first roller means; and elongate bias means coupled at each end to respective ends of said guideway and extending at least in part substantially parallel to said guideway, around portions of said second roller means and between said roller units so as to bias said first roller means of each unit into rollable engagement with each other and with said bearing surfaces, said second roller means being configured to support said elongate bias means at a radius different than the outer radius of said second roller means and rotatable with respect thereto thereby permitting different rolling rates of said first rolling means along said guideway and said second rolling means along said bias means as said cluster is translated along said guideway.

Claim 12

Apparatus comprising: a guideway providing a pair of spaced bearing surfaces; at least one roller cluster mounted between said spaced surfaces for generally linear displacement along a path defined by said guideway, said roller cluster including a pair of roller units, each of said roller units having a first and second roller means configured for rotational motion with respect to each other, said first roller means having outer diameters such that the summation thereof exceeds the spacing of said bearing surfaces, said second roller means of each roller unit having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of its respective first roller means; and elongate bias means coupled at each end to respective ends of said guideway and extending at least in part substantially parallel to said guideway, around portions of said second roller means and between said roller units so as to bias said first roller means of each unit into rollable engagement with each other and with said bearing surfaces, said second roller means being configured to support said elongate bias means at a radius different than the outer radius of said second roller means and rotatable with respect thereto thereby permitting different rolling rates of said first rolling means along said guideway and said second rolling means along said bias means as said cluster is translated along said guideway.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said first and second roller means of each roller unit are coaxially mounted, said second roller means of each unit includes slot means configured to support said elongate bias means at a radius less than the radius of said first roller means and to laterally guide said bias means around each of said roller units.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: each said second roller means is a sleeve concentrically mounted on reduced radius portions of respective first roller means.

Claim 15

Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: said elongate bias means is in S form about and between said roller units.

Claim 16

Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said elongate bias means includes at least one multi-strand cable.

Claim 17

Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said elongate bias means comprises a plurality of multi-strand cables.

Claim 18

Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said second roller means have outer diameters less than the outer diameter of their respective first roller means, said bias means includes at least one multistrand cable having a given thickness, and additionally comprising at least one peripheral slot about each of said second roller means as guide means for locAting said elongate bias means about and between said roller units, each of said slots being bottomed at a radius less than the radius of said first roller means by an amount at least equal to the thickness of said cable so that said cable is not compressed between said second roller means and said guideway.

Claim 19

The apparatus according to claim 9 additionally comprising load coupling means extending from said roller grouping, in the direction of the axes of said rollers.

Claim 20

The apparatus according to claim 9 for use with a rotatably mounted aircraft window, said apparatus additionally comprising: means fixedly extending in an axial direction from one of said first roller means; pulley means mounted on said extending means; and means affixed to such window and windable on said pulley means as said roller grouping is subject to such displacement to thereby rotate such aircraft window.

Claim 21

The apparatus according to claim 9 wherein each of said roller units is a multiple roller assembly with one major radius roller structure in the form of a pair of wheels affixed to an axle extended therebetween, said wheels providing said first roller means, and said assembly including a second, minor radius sleeve roller of smaller radius than that of said wheels rotatably mounted on said axle and providing said second roller means.

Claim 22

A roller assembly for use as part of a roller cluster device configured for translational motion along a cable and within a guideway, said roller assembly comprising: first roller means configured for guideway and roller cluster rollable engagement; second roller means concentrically rotatably mounted on said first roller means and configured for rollable engagement with such cable means; and guide means for locating such cable around at least a part of said second roller means.

Claim 23

A roller assembly for use as part of a roller cluster device configured for translational motion along a cable and within a guideway, said roller assembly comprising: first roller means configured for guideway and roller cluster rollable engagement; second roller means concentrically rotatably mounted on said first roller means and configured for rollable engagement with such cable means; and guide means for locating such cable around at least a part of said second roller means.

Claim 24

A roller unit according to claim 19 wherein said guide means is a slot formation around the periphery of said second roller means, said slot being bottomed at a radius less than the radius of said first roller means.

Claim 25

A pair of roller assemblies each according to claim 20 and both part of such cluster, one of such assemblies additionally comprising: pulley means as a working output member for said unit, said pulley means being fixedly coupled to said first roller means and axially extended therefrom, and actuator means for displacing such roller cluster device along such guideway.

Claim 26

Apparatus comprising a guideway providing a pair of spaced bearing surfaces, a roller grouping mounted between said bearing surfaces for linear displacement along a path defined by said guideway, said roller grouping including a pair of multiple roller units, each of said roller units including equal radius first roller means and second roller means of less radius, said first roller means having diameters totalling more than said spacing between bearing surfaces, elongate bias means extending along said guideway around portions of said second roller means and between said roller units so as to bias said roller means of each unit into rollable engagement with each other and said bearing surfaces, each of said second roller means being formed as a sleeve concentrically mounted on reduced radius portions of respective first roller means, and said second roller means including guide means for locating said bias means about and between said roller units, said guide means being in the form of peripheral slots about each of said second roller means and bottomed at equal radii which is less than the radii of said first roller means.

Claim 27

Apparatus comprising a guideway providing a pair of spaced bearing surfaces, a roller grouping mounted between said bearing surfaces for linear displacement along a path defined by said guideway, said roller grouping including a pair of multiple roller units, each of said roller units including equal radius first roller means and second roller means of less radius, said first roller means having diameters totalling more than said spacing between bearing surfaces, elongate bias means extending along said guideway around portions of said second roller means and between said roller units so as to bias said roller means of each unit into rollable engagement with each other and said bearing surfaces, each of said second roller means being formed as a sleeve concentrically mounted on reduced radius portions of respective first roller means, and said second roller means including guide means for locating said bias means about and between said roller units, said guide means being in the form of peripheral slots about each of said second roller means and bottomed at equal radii which is less than the radii of said first roller means.

Claim 28

Apparatus according to claim 22 additionally comprising working output means extending from said roller grouping, in the direction of the axes of said rollers, said working output means including pulley means affixed to and axially extending from one of said first roller means, and means windable on said pulley means as said roller grouping is subject to such displacement to rotate an arcuately mounted window.

Claim 29

Apparatus comprising: a first light polarizing element; a second light polarizing element juxtaposed with respect to said first light polarizing element; and means for effecting relative rotational motion between said polarizing elements whereby the light transmitting characteristic of said polarizing elements in combination may be varied, said means including an actuator member in the form of a roller-cable assembly mounted for displacement along a linear path and connected to at least one of said polarizer elements, said roller-cable assembly including a pair of roller units each having a first roller means configured for rolling engagement with said guideway and a second roller means configured for engagement with said cable, and said first and second roller means of each roller unit being displaceable with respect to each other so as to permit differential motion of each of said first and said second roller means during said translation of said roller-cable assembly.

Claim 30

Apparatus comprising: a first light polarizing element; a second light polarizing element juxtaposed with respect to said first light polarizing element; and means for effecting relative rotational motion between said polarizing elements whereby the light transmitting characteristic of said polarizing elements in combination may be varied, said means including an actuator member in the form of a roller-cable assembly mounted for displacement along a linear path and connected to at least one of said polarizer elements, said roller-cable assembly including a pair of roller units each having a first roller means configured for rolling engagement with said guideway and a second roller means configured for engagement with said cable, and said first and second roller means of each roller unit being displaceable with respect to each other so as to permit differential motion of each of said first and said second roller means during said translation of said roller-cable assembly.

Claim 31

A control device for providing a variable transmission of light passing through an aperture such as through the windows of aircraft, said device comprising: an assembly including at least one pair of rollers with a flexible roller-cable wrapped around portions of said rollers in an S configuration and means providing a pair of spaced bearing surfaces constituting a guideway between and toward which rollers are positioned and biased, said roller-cable assembly including a pair of roller units each having a first roller means configured for rolling engagement with said guideway and a second roller means configured for engagement with said cable, and said first and second roller means of each roller unit being displaceable with respect to each other so as to permit differential motion of each of said means during said translation of said roller-cable assembly.

Claim 32

A control device for providing a variable transmission of light passing through an aperture such as through the windows of aircraft, said device comprising: an assembly including at least one pair of rollers with a flexible roller-cable wrapped around portions of said rollers in an S configuration and means providing a pair of spaced bearing surfaces constituting a guideway between and toward which rollers are positioned and biased, said roller-cable assembly including a pair of roller units each having a first roller means configured for rolling engagement with said guideway and a second roller means configured for engagement with said cable, and said first and second roller means of each roller unit being displaceable with respect to each other so as to permit differential motion of each of said means during said translation of said roller-cable assembly.

Claim 33

A control device as defined in claim 25 wherein said actuating means is a manually movable knob to which said pulley is rotationally connected.