Self aligning gear

Abstract

A self-aligning gear includes a toothed ring gear having inner gear teeth alternating with inner grooves on an inner circumference and outer gear teeth on an outer circumference, a spline gear having spline teeth alternating with spline grooves on an outer circumference, wherein the spline teeth fit in the inner grooves of the toothed ring gear, and a curved-faces pin assembly including a cylindrical pin having semicircular ends and an elastomeric material pattern which conforms to the shape of the spline grooves and inner grooves. The grooves have either trapezoidal walls or semicylindrical walls. The self-aligning gear also includes a locking assembly with a flanged hub and threaded disc to secure the components. The elastomeric material provides alignment compensation through controlled deformation while maintaining torque transfer capability. The self-aligning gear compensates for misalignment in gear transmissions, extending operational life while maintaining power transmission efficiency.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.