Rotary assembly and drive therefor

In a rotary assembly, an inner shaft having an end region, an outer cylinder coaxially surrounding and freely turnable with respect to said inner shaft, support means supporting said inner shaft at said end region thereof for angular deflection with respect to said cylinder when the latter is loaded sufficiently, a drive shaft coaxial with said inner shaft and outer cylinder, said drive shaft being freely rotatable with respect to said inner shaft, an inner gear fixed coaxially to said drive shaft for rotation therewith, an intermediate gear meshing with said inner gear, mounting means carried by said inner shaft and mounting said intermediate gear for rotary movement with respect to said inner shaft about an axis parallel thereto, and circumferential gear means coaxial with said inner shaft and outer cylinder and meshing with said intermediate gear so that rotation of said drive shaft is transmitted through said inner gear and intermediate gear to said circumferential gear means, said circumferential gear means being operatively connected with said outer cylinder for rotating the latter with respect to said inner shaft, whereby a drive from said drive shaft is transmitted to said outer cylinder through said inner gear, intermediate gear, and circumferential gear means, said circumferential gear means including at least two circumferential meshing transmissions for transmitting the drive from said intermediate gear to said outer cylinder, one of said circumferential meshing transmissions cooperating with said intermediate gear and the other being situated along a train of transmission between said intermediate gear and said outer cylinder, and said circumferential gear means including in said train of transmission an annular, rotary floating means for accommodating said circumferential gear means to any angular deflection between said inner shaft and said outer cylinder.