US 12,000,415 B1
Pneumatic operation and self-alignment of linear actuator
Blake Sessions, Boston, MA (US)
Assigned to Liftwave, Inc., Somerville, MA (US)
Filed by Liftwave, Inc., Somerville, MA (US)
Filed on Jun. 30, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/217,360.
Int. Cl. F15B 15/14 (2006.01); F15B 15/26 (2006.01)
CPC F15B 15/1471 (2013.01) [F15B 15/262 (2013.01); F15B 2211/50572 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An alignment system for a belt-driven linear actuator comprising:
an actuator chassis comprising an inner surface;
a traveling assembly comprising an operating piston and an output shaft and configured to translate along a primary axis defined by a centerline of the output shaft;
a roller rotatably coupled to the traveling assembly and configured to mechanically engage with the inner surface of the actuator chassis, the roller having an axis of rotation that is perpendicular to the primary axis, wherein the roller has a curved surface shaped to maximize a contact area between the roller and the inner surface;
a first flanged sheave coupled to the output shaft;
a second flanged sheave coupled to the actuator chassis; and
a belt extending between and around the first and second sheaves.