Cycloid gear assembly with alternating contact between transfer members and pins and related technology

A gear assembly comprising:

• a first support extending circumferentially around an axis in a first plane intersecting the axis;
• a second support extending circumferentially around the axis in a second plane intersecting the axis, wherein the first and second planes are spaced apart from one another along the axis;
• a first transfer member including first lobes and first troughs circumferentially alternating in a third plane intersecting the axis;
• a second transfer member including second lobes and second troughs circumferentially alternating in a fourth plane intersecting the axis, wherein the third and fourth planes are between the first and second planes along the axis;
• and
• pins circumferentially distributed around the axis, individually extending between the first and second supports, and individually configured to rotate relative to the first and second supports as the first and second transfer members move out-of-phase with one another about the axis,
• wherein:
• an average angle in the third plane between circumferentially neighboring pairs of the pins is no more than one third an average angle in the third plane between circumferentially neighboring pairs of the first lobes,
• an average angle in the fourth plane between circumferentially neighboring pairs of the pins is no more than one third an average angle in the fourth plane between circumferentially neighboring pairs of the second lobes, and
• the gear assembly is configured to transfer torque via the pins without any one of the pins simultaneously contacting the first and second transfer members.

A gear assembly comprising:

• a first support extending circumferentially around an axis in a first plane intersecting the axis;
• a second support extending circumferentially around the axis in a second plane intersecting the axis, wherein the first and second planes are spaced apart from one another along the axis;
• a first transfer member including first lobes and first troughs circumferentially alternating in a third plane intersecting the axis;
• a second transfer member including second lobes and second troughs circumferentially alternating in a fourth plane intersecting the axis, wherein the third and fourth planes are between the first and second planes along the axis;
• and
• pins circumferentially distributed around the axis, individually extending between the first and second supports, and individually configured to rotate relative to the first and second supports as the first and second transfer members move out-of-phase with one another about the axis,
• wherein:
• a total quantity of the first lobes is at most one third a total quantity of the pins,
• a total quantity of the second lobes is at most one third the total quantity of the pins, and
• the gear assembly is configured to transfer torque via the pins without any one of the pins simultaneously contacting the first and second transfer members.