Mechanical motion control apparatus

Mechanical motion control apparatus comprising:

• drive means;
• driven means driven by said drive means;
• and
• movement control means secured to said driven means, said movement control means including an elongated cam follower secured to said driven means, and a cam surface at least partially surrounding said drive and driven means, said cam surface cooperating with said cam follower to control movement of said driven means, so as to provide a period of pure rotational movement of said driven means, a period of decelerating rotational and simultaneous accelerating nonrotational movement of said driven means and a period of constant velocity nonrotational movement of said driven means relative to said drive means while said drive means continuously moves at a substantially constant velocity, said cam surface including a first portion comprising a slot having a constant radius of curvature for controlling said pure rotational movement, a second portion for controlling said decelerating rotational motion and a third portion for controlling said nonrotational motion, said third portion being of a constant radius of curvature having a center coaxial with the axis of rotation of said drive means.

Mechanical motion control apparatus comprising:

• supporting means;
• an input shaft journaled in said supporting means;
• an output shaft journaled in said supporting means coaxial with and spaced from said input shaft;
• a drive gear fixedly secured to said input shaft;
• a pivot arm having one end secured to said output shaft;
• driven gear means journaled on said pivot arm in meshing engagement with said drive gear;
• an elongated cam follower support arm having a center portion secured to said driven gear and first and second cam followers secured to opposite ends thereof;
• and
• a camming surface secured to said support means, at least one of said first and second cam followers engaging said cam surface and cooperating therewith to control rotational movement of said output shaft.

Mechanical motion control apparatus comprising:

• an input shaft;
• a drive means supported on said input shaft;
• a driven means supported in cooperating relationship with said drive means and adapted to be driven thereby;
• an elongated cam follower support arm secured to said driven means;
• a pair of cam followers secured to opposite ends of said support arm;
• and
• a stationary cam surface adapted to selectively engage one or both of said cam followers, said cam surface having a first portion cooperating with said cam followers to allow rotational movement of said driven means, a second portion cooperable with said cam followers to impart accelerating curvilinear motion to said driven means and a third portion cooperable with said cam followers to impart constant velocity curvilinear motion to said driven means.