Patent ID: 7163239

Claim:
An actuator assembly comprising: an assembly body carrying: a gear wheel including an abutment rotationally fixed with a camming surface, the gear wheel being operable to drive an output member, a detent to interact with the camming surface, and an actuator drivingly connected to the gear wheel and operable to apply a force in a first direction to drive the output member in the first direction from a rest condition of the actuator assembly to an actuated condition of the actuator assembly and operable to apply a force in a second direction to drive the output member in the second direction from the actuated condition to the rest condition; and an energy storage device including a first end rotationally fixed with the assembly body, wherein movement of the output member in the second direction by the actuator stores energy in the energy storage device and movement of the output member in the first direction by the actuator is assisted by the energy storage device by release of the energy stored in the energy storage device, wherein the energy storage device acts on the abutment to assist movement of the output member in the first direction, and wherein the detent engages the energy storage device to releasably retain the energy storage device in an energy storage device rest position when the actuator assembly is in the rest condition, and an initial actuation of the actuator causes the camming surface to disengage the detent from the energy storage device to allow the energy storage device to assist further actuation of the actuator to move the output member in the first direction.