Patent ID: 8656716

Claim:
A pneumatic actuator, comprising: a pressurized gas source; a cylinder having a top section, a bottom section and a middle section between the top section and the bottom section, with an inner width of a chamber of the middle section larger than an inner width of a first working chamber of the bottom section and a second working chamber of the top section, with the bottom section including a prechamber adjacent to the first working chamber, the inner width of the prechamber smaller than an inner width of the first working chamber; and a piston moveable between a rest position and an extended position, the piston borders with the cylinder at the first working chamber in the bottom section which is connected with the pressurized gas source by the prechamber that is in communication with a fluid inlet opening, which is pressurizable with a first portion of a pressurized gas of the pressurized gas source for moving the piston out of the rest position, the piston having a piston plate and a bolt extending outwardly from the piston plate into the prechamber when the piston is in the rest position, the cylinder including a lock that engages the bolt of the piston to lock the piston in the rest position, and a portion of the pressurized gas flows past edges of the piston plate into the second working chamber when the piston is in the middle section of the cylinder to progressively decelerate the piston, wherein the second working chamber in the top section of the cylinder for moving the piston into the rest position is connected with the pressurized gas source and is pressurizable in a delayed manner with a second portion of the pressurized gas thereof.