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US 12,320,387 B2Granted
Drive shaft with non-cylindrical shape
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorsMark R. Gurvich, Brayton Reed, Joyel M. Schaefer, Michael King
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A drive shaft extends between axial ends and has at least one portion through which an outer diameter of the drive shaft changes through an infinite number of diameters, with the at least one portion extending across at least 15% of an axial distance between the axial ends of the drive shaft. A drive shaft with a generally spiral undulation at its outer periphery is also disclosed.
Claims18
A drive shaft comprising:
- a drive shaft extending between axial ends and having an effective axial cross-sectional shape defining an outer periphery which is either convex or concave, across at least 15% of an axial distance between the axial ends of the drive shaft;
- and
- wherein there are local undulations along at least a portion of said outer periphery between said axial ends such that if centers of the local undulations are connected they generate the outer diameter periphery to be either a convex or concave curve in shape.
A drive shaft comprising:
- a drive shaft extending between axial ends and having at least one portion through which an outer diameter of the drive shaft changes through an infinite number of diameters, with at least one portion extending across at least 15% of an axial distance between the axial ends of the drive shaft;
- and
- wherein there are local undulations along at least a portion of said outer periphery between said axial ends such that if centers of the local undulations are connected they generate the outer diameter periphery to be either a convex or concave curve in shape.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.