Patent Publication Number: US-2022224214-A1

Title: Linear actuator

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to China Application Serial Number 202120061849.5, filed Jan. 11, 2021, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a linear actuator. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a linear actuator with a motor. 
     Description of Related Art 
     In general, the electronic components inside the linear actuator are electrically connected to the circuit board through wires. However, with the development of linear actuators, amount of the internal electronic components is increasing, and crossed wires also make the structure of linear actuator more complex, so that the structure of the linear actuator becomes more complicated, and the assembly of the linear actuator also becomes more complicated. Not only is the assembly time increased but also the cost of manufacturing is substantially increased. 
     Therefore, the development of a linear actuator which can be quickly assembled has become the goal of the relevant industries. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a linear actuator includes a controlling module, a driving module and a transmission module. The controlling module includes a circuit board, two micro switches and a socket. The two micro switches are electrically connected to the circuit board. A first end of the socket is electrically connected to the circuit board, and a second end of the socket has a plurality of first connecting parts. The driving module is electrically connected to the controlling module and includes a motor and a connecting mount. The connecting mount is electrically connected to the motor and has a plurality of second connecting parts. The second connecting parts are detachably connected to the first connecting parts so as to electrically connect the connecting mount to the socket. The transmission module is connected to the motor and driven by the motor. 
     These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present disclosure can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiment, with reference made to the accompanying drawings as follows: 
         FIG. 1  is a three-dimensional schematic view of a linear actuator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  shows a three-dimensional schematic view of a part of the linear actuator according to the embodiment in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  shows a three-dimensional schematic view of another part of the linear actuator according to the embodiment in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  shows a partial exploded view of the controlling module according to the embodiment in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  shows a partial exploded view of the linear actuator according to the embodiment in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The embodiment will be described with the drawings. For clarity, some practical details will be described below. However, it should be noted that the present disclosure should not be limited by the practical details, that is, in some embodiment, the practical details is unnecessary. In addition, for simplifying the drawings, some conventional structures and elements will be simply illustrated, and repeated elements may be represented by the same labels. 
     It will be understood that when an element (or device) is referred to as being “connected to” another element, it can be directly connected to other elements, or it can be indirectly connected to the other element, that is, intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected to” another element, there are no intervening elements present. In addition, the terms first, second, third, etc. are used herein to describe various elements or components, and these elements or components should not be limited by these terms. Consequently, a first element or component discussed below could be termed a second element or component. 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 .  FIG. 1  is a three-dimensional schematic view of a linear actuator  100  according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 2  shows a three-dimensional schematic view of a part of the linear actuator  100  according to the embodiment in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 3  shows a three-dimensional schematic view of another part of the linear actuator  100  according to the embodiment in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 4  shows a partial exploded view of the controlling module  110  according to the embodiment in  FIG. 1 . The linear actuator  100  includes a controlling module  110 , a driving module  120  and a transmission module  130 . The driving module  120  is electrically connected to the controlling module  110 , and the transmission module  130  is connected to and driven by the driving module  120 . 
     In detail, the controlling module  110  includes a circuit board  111 , two micro switches  112  and a socket  113 . The micro switches  112  are electrically connected to the circuit board  111 . The micro switches  112  are triggered by a distance transmission gear  116 , and the distance transmission gear  116  is connected to the transmission module  130 . A first end of the socket  113  is electrically connected to the circuit board  111 , and a second end of the socket  113  has a plurality of first connecting parts  114 . 
     The driving module  120  includes a motor  121  and a connecting mount  122 . The connecting mount  122  is electrically connected to the motor  121 . The connecting mount  122  has a plurality of second connecting parts  123 . The second connecting parts  123  are detachably connected to the first connecting parts  114  of the socket  113  so as to electrically connect the connecting mount  122  to the socket  113 . The driving module  120  can further include at least one wire  125 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the number of the wires  125  is three. One of two ends of each wire  125  is electrically connected to the first end of the connecting mount  122 , and the other one of the two ends of each wire  125  is electrically connected to the motor  121 . The transmission module  130  is connected to the motor  121  and includes a threaded rod  131 , and the transmission module  130  is driven by the motor  121 . 
     Specifically, when the motor  121  rotates, the distance transmission gear  116  is linked to trigger the micro switches  112 , and the rotation status of the motor  121  can be obtained to be converted into the distance of the threaded rod  131 . When the threaded rod  131  reaches the preset position, the motor  121  can be controlled to stop. The micro switches  112 , the distance transmission gear  116  and the motor  121  are conventional and are not the key factors of present disclosure, and the details thereof will not be mentioned. 
     The conventional micro switch is not disposed on the circuit board, and there are no sockets and connecting mounts. Instead, the conventional micro switch is connected by many wires for electrical connecting. With the above structural configuration, the motor  121  can be electrically connected to the circuit board  111  through the socket  113  and the connecting mount  122 . Components such as the motor  121  and the micro switches  112  can be electrically connected to a controller (not shown) through another socket (not shown) on the circuit board  111 . Therefore, the amount of wires can be reduced, and the assembly of the linear actuator  100  can be more convenient and faster, and also the reliability thereof can be increased. 
     Specifically, the micro switches  112  and the socket  113  can be electrically connected to the circuit board  111 , so as to make the controlling module  110  be assembled into a semi-finished product first, and then the first connecting parts  114  of the socket  113  are aligned with the second connecting parts  123  of the connecting mount  122  to complete the assembly. Therefore, it not only reduces the complexity of the internal structure of the linear actuator  100 , but also facilitates modular assembly, and the linear actuator  100  can be more suitable for automatic production. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , each of the first connecting parts  114  can have a pin structure, and each of the second connecting parts  123  can have a slot structure. Therefore, the number of the wire and the manual soldering process can be reduced. In the other embodiment, each of the first connecting parts can have a slot structure, and each of the second connecting parts can have a pin structure. The relative positions of the slot structure and the pin structure can be configured according to the needs of use, and the present disclosure will not be limited thereto. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the socket  113  can include a fixing unit  115  for detachably abutting against the connecting mount  122 . The connecting mount  122  can include a fixing part  124  protruding from a body of the connecting mount  122 , and the fixing unit  115  of the socket  113  detachably abuts against the fixing part  124 . Therefore, the strength of the connection between the socket  113  and the connecting mount  122  can be increased, and the socket  113  and the connecting mount  122  are less likely to separate due to the operation of the linear actuator  100 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the controlling module  110  can further include a case  140 . The case  140  has an accommodating space  141 , and the circuit board  111  is disposed in the accommodating space  141 . The case  140  can further include an accommodating groove  142 , and the circuit board  111  is fixed in the accommodating groove  142 . In  FIG. 4 , the circuit board  111  can be inserted in the accommodating groove  142 , and thus the accommodating groove  142  can limit the position of the circuit board  111 . When the motor  121  operates, the circuit board  111  would not be affected by shaking, and the circuit board  111  can be electrically connected to the micro switches  112  and the socket  113  stably. Therefore, the stability of the overall structure of the linear actuator  100  can be effectively increased. 
     The linear actuator  100  can further include a housing  150 . The housing  150  is detachably connected to the case  140  and has a first inner space  151  and a second inner space  152 . The motor  121  is disposed in the first inner space  151 , the transmission module  130  is disposed in the second inner space  152 , and the connecting mount  122  is disposed on an outer surface  153  of the housing  150  (shown in  FIG. 5 ). 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 4 and 5 .  FIG. 5  shows a partial exploded view of the linear actuator  100  according to the embodiment in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the housing  150  can further include an inserting groove  154 , and the case  140  can further include an inserting flange  143 . The inserting groove  154  is used for inserting the inserting flange  143 . When the inserting flange  143  of the case  140  is abutted against the housing  150  and slidably inserted into the inserting groove  154 , the position of the connecting mount  122  can be aligned with the position of the socket  113 . With the structural configuration of the sliding insertion of the case  140  and the housing  150 , the manual calibration can be omitted, so that the connecting mount  122  and the socket  113  can be positioned more quickly. Further, the stability of the connection between the connecting mount  122  and the socket  113  can also be increased. 
     In summary, the linear actuator of the present disclosure has the following advantages. First, the internal structure of the linear actuator can be simplified by the arrangement of the socket and the connecting mount, and it facilitates modular assembly, so that the assembly of the linear actuator can be more convenient and faster. Second, the wires can be reduced by the arrangement of the pin structure and the slot structure, and the manual soldering process can be reduced. Third, with the structural configuration of the case and the housing, the positioning effect of the socket and the connecting mount can be increased, and the assembly of the linear actuator can be more convenient. 
     Although the present disclosure has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they fall within the scope of the following claims.