Patent ID: 9157398
Filing Date: 2015-10-13
Classification: F02M,F03G

Abstract:
1. An active material actuator assembly exposable to a first load, and adapted to protect against an actual or predicted overload condition, said assembly comprising: an active material actuator having opposite work and fixed ends, drivenly coupled to the first load at the work end, and operable to undergo a first change in fundamental property when exposed to and occluded from a first activation signal, so as to be activated and deactivated respectively; and an active material overload protection device communicatively coupled to the actuator at the fixed end, operable to undergo a second change in fundamental property when exposed to and occluded from a second activation signal, so as to be activated and deactivated respectively, and configured to occlude the actuator from the first load when the first load exceeds a predetermined threshold; and not an automatic reset, such that the actuator is exposable to a second load only after the active material overload protection device has been either manually reset or replaced.