Patents by Inventor Joseph A. Aikins

Joseph A. Aikins has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6032344
    Abstract: A system for operation of pneumatic tooling has a plurality of pneumatically operable tools (2). A servo-controller (21) is switchable to actuate any of the plurality of tools, to move that tool to a desired position. A position transducer (4) includes an element (9, 10) which is displaced from a home position by such actuation of any one of the tools. The position transducer sends a position feedback signal to indicate to the servo-controller when the desired tool position has been reached. The servo-controller is switchable by virtue of having its output connected to a number of valves (22), i.e. one valve per tool, where preferably only one valve is energized at a time. When a valve is at rest, the pneumatic circuit is such that the tool is held in its home position. When energized, the servo-controller outputs are routed to the tool to operate the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2000
    Assignee: ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth J. Peltier, Joseph A. Aikins