US2949889A

US2949889A - Motor operated latch mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2949889A
Application number: US417339A
Authority: US
Inventors: Stephen G Ivankovics; Garold R Mikel
Original assignee: Bendix Corp
Current assignee: Bendix Corp
Priority date: 1954-03-19
Filing date: 1954-03-19
Publication date: 1960-08-23
Anticipated expiration: 1977-08-23

Description

Aug. 23, 1960 s G. IVANKOVICS ETAL 2,949,889

MOTOR OPERATED LATCH MECHANISM Filed March 19, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. STEP/lZW 6- /VANA0 W65 BY 64/9010 AJV/Ail.

1960 s. G. IVANKOVICS ETAL 2,949,889

MOTOR OPERATED LATCH MECHANISM III I-l W L IN VEN TOR.

l swam 6'. mwmwcs United States Patent ice MOTOR OPERATED LATCH MECHANISM Stephen G. Ivankovics and Garold R. Mikel, South Bend,

Ind., assignors to The Bendix Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 19, 1954, Ser. No. 417,339

1 Claim. (Cl. 121- 40) This invention relates in general to locking means and in particular to a latch mechanism adapted to hold in place the power element of a loaded mechanism such as an energized pressure differential operated motor.

It is an object of our invention to provide a power operated latch mechanism for holding, in its ready to fire position, the power element of a loaded pressure differential operated firing motor.

Yet another object of our invention is to provide a double acting tubular shaped hydraulic latch motor the power element of which is adapted to actuate, that is move to their latching position, a plurality of latch elements; and another object of our invention is to combine, with the latch motor, a motor to be controlled by said latch motor the power element of the controlled motor being held in a certain positionby the latch elements and serving, with an operation of the controlled motor, to return the latch elements to their inoperative position.

A further object of our invention is to provide a controlled pressure difierential operated motor having a fluid receiving compartment outlined by a portion of the casing of the motor and the power element of the motor, said compartment housing a power operated latch mechanism, including a tubular pressure differential operated latch motor, a rod connected to the power element of the motor being slidably mounted within the tubular casing of the latch motor.

Another object of our invention is to provide an easily serviced and compact pressure difierential operated latch mechanism of relatively few parts.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following description, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a view, largely in section, disclosing the latching mechanism of our invention adapted to control a pressure differential operated motor; and

Figure 2 is a sectional view disclosing the details of the latch mechanism of our invention.

There is disclosed, in the two figures of the drawings, one embodiment of our invention said embodiment including, in the broadest sense, means to be latched or locked in position and means to effect this operation. The latter means preferably includes a double acting hydraulic latch motor 10 comprising a tubular shaped casing member 12 having secured to one end thereof a flange 14 constituting one end of the motor. To the flange 14 there is secured a tubular shaped casing member 16 housed within the casing member 12. A tubular shaped casing member 13 is spaced from the casing member 16 to provide an annular shaped opening 15 which receives ball latch members 17. The casing of the motor 10 is, in the present embodiment of our invention and as is clearly disclosed in Figure 2, completed by a portion of a hereinafter described fluid pressure motor 18, that is the controlled motor of our invention. In the present embodiment of our invention the motor 10 is secured to the aforementioned motor 18 by a ring member 20 said member being secured to the casing of the motor 18.

Continuing the description of the latch motor 10 a tubular shaped power element or piston member 22 is reciprocable within the casing of said motor said power element being reduced in diameter at one end thereof to receive a cam like ring member 24 of relatively hard material. The member 24 and a large diametered portion 26 of the piston member 22 together outline an annular recess 28 in the power element to receive the ball latch members 17. These latch members are moved outwardly by the ring 24 when the piston 22 is moved to the right, Figure 2, thereby more completely forcing said latch members into the annular shaped opening 15. In this operation the balls 17 are moved into contact with the outer face of a hollow piston rod 34- and with a ring 36 of relatively hard material secured to said rod. The ring 36 in contacting the balls 17 serves as a stop means to prevent a leftward movement, Figure 2, of the piston 40 when said balls are in their latching position; and said ring also serves as a cam to force the balls 17 into the motor 10.

Describing now the controlled portion of the mechanism of our invention the aforementioned fluid pressure motor 18 includes a casing 38 and a piston or power element 40 reciprocable therein. The casing is provided with a plurality of openings 42 therein said openings registering with'a housing member 44. This member 44, or so-called accumulator, houses a power fluid, such as air, under pressure and the pressure of the air and ingress and egrees of the same to and from the accumulator is controlled by a plurality of valves and otherinstru' ments 46, Figure 1, constituting no part of our invention.

The controlling latch motor 10 and latch elements 17, together with the controlled motor 18, in other words all of the mechanism disclosed in this application are disclosed in the Herron et a1. application for US. Patent No. 448,098 filed August 5, 1954, now US. Patent No. 2,810,288.

Describing now the operation of the mechanism of our invention and incidentally describing elements thereof not heretofore described, the controlled fluid pressure motor 18, which may be termed a firing motor, is primed, that is conditioned in its ready to tire state, by the necessary operation of controls including the controls 46. By this operation the pressure of the air in the accumulator 44 and a compartment 48 of the motor 18 are built up to say p.s.i. Now immediately prior to and in preparation for this operation the piston 40 is moved to and locked in the position disclosed in two figures of the drawing this operation being effected by the operation of the latch motor 10 and by the energization of a double acting fluid pressure motor 50, Figure 1, constituting no part of our invention. Describing the latter motor and its operation, a power element 52 thereof and a rod 54 connected to said power element are moved to the right, Figure 1, a yolk member 56 connected to the rod 54 serving to abut a stop member 57 secured to the rod 34; and this operation serves to move the piston 40 to the ready to fire position disclosed in the drawings. The motor 50 includes fluid receiving compartments 58 and 60 to which are connected conduits 62 and 64 respectively, said conduits being connected to a valve mechanism, not shown, operative to control the ingress and egress of power fluid, preferably oil, to and fronrthe compartments 58 and 60 depending on the direction of motion desired of the power element of the motor. After the piston 40 of the controlled motor 18 has been placed in its ready to fire position the motor 50 is energized to return the yolk 56 to the position disclosed in Figure 1. It is also to be noted that the rightward movement of the piston 40 is limited by a stop 66 secured to the rod 34 said stop moving into abutment with the flange portion 14 of the casing of the motor 10.

After the power element of the firing motor 18 is placed in its ready to fire position the latch motor is energized to move the piston 22 thereof to the right to the position disclosed in the drawings. This operation is effected by the operation of a valve mechanism, not shown, said mechanism controlling the flow of power fluid, preferably oil, via a conduit 68 into a compartment 70 of the latch motor. Simultaneous with this operation oil is forced, via a conduit 72, from a compartment 74 of the motor 10. As described above the balls 17 or latch elements of our invention are now positioned to lock the piston 40 in its ready to tire position; for they then are contacted by the stop ring 36.

The motor 18 is now ready to be fired whereupon the operator operates the control valve mechanism of the latch motor 10 to move the power element 22 to the left oil under pressure entering the motor compartment 74 and flowing from the compartment 70; and this operation releases the then energized motor 18 the piston '40 thereof moving rapidly to the left, Figure 2, and pulling with it say a guided missile or other device 76 being tested said device being secured to the rod 34. In this operation the latch balls 17 are forced back into the recess 28 in the piston 22 said balls being then completely housed within the latch motor.

The firing operation having been completed, the motor 50 is then again energized to move the piston 40 back to its ready to fire position and the latch motor 10 is then again energized to position the latch members 17 in their operative position. The motor 50 is then energized to return the yolk 56 to its oif position and the motor 18 is again primed with air under pressure thereby completing the operation of preparing the mechanism for another firing operation. I There is thus provided a relatively simple and compact power operated latching mechanism including a controlled device, such as the motor 18 and the controlling mechanism such as the latching motor 10 and latch members 17. The latching motor and latch members operated thereby may however be used as a latch mechanism for other devices than the motor 18 disclosed in the drawings; for the casing of the motor 10 may be secured to other mechanisms to be controlled, the latch members 17 then serving to temporarily hold or latch a member in position.

We claim:

The combination with a single acting pressure differential operated motor comprising a cylindrical casing, a reciprocable power piston located in said casing and hav ing a piston rod connected to said piston and extending through an end wall of said casing, of a cylindrical latch casing mechanism surrounding said piston rod and having one end mounted on an end wall within said motor casing, said latch casing having an opening adjacent to said rod, a movable latch member located in said opening, a reciprocable fluid actuated sleeve member located in said latch casing and having means for presetting and releasing said latch, includingv a recess formed in the sleeve intermediate the ends thereof adapted to receive the latch, a latch setting membermounted on said rod and located adjacent to the opening in said latch casing and in engagement with said latch member at the time of presetting by the return movement of said sleeve, manually controlled fluid pressure means for pressurizing the sleeve in one direction to release the latch and in the opposite direction to preset said latch, and a stop member mounted on the rod and spaced from said latch setting member for engaging the latch casing to efiect positioning of said latch setting member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 11,503,280 Osbourne July 29, 1924 11,956,110 Turrettini Apr. 24, 1934 2,393,962 Ash-ton Feb. 5, 1946 2,632,425 Grover Mar. 24, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 48,98 1 Sweden Aug. 24, 1917 443,871 Great Britain Mar. 5, 1936 573,033 Great Britain Nov. 2, 1945