Mechanical power transmitting system

A system including a rotatable drive member, a load and a power transmitting device for drivingly connecting said drive memebr to said load, said device comprising a weight means, a carriage, means connected to said carriage restraining said weight means to movement along a path fixed relative to said carriage and consisting of two substantially parallel segments joined by two substantially semicircular end segments, said weight means being distributed substantially uniformly along a continuous portion of the length of said path so that during each traverse of said path by said weight means a first centrifugal force is produced as said weight means passes over the first of said two semicircular segments and a second centrifugal force having a direction generally opposite to that of said first centrifugal force is produced as said weight means moves over the other of said two semicircular segments of said path, means drivingly connecting said drive member to said weight means to cause said weight means to be driven along said path in response to rotation of said drive member, a frame, means restraining said carriage to reciprocating movement relative to said frame along a given elongated path fixed relative to said frame under the influence of said centrifugal forces, and means for drivingly connecting said carriage to said load to cause said load to be driven in response to the reciprocating motion of said carriage, said means restraining said carriage to reciprocating motion restraining said carriage to motion along a substantially straight line path, said load having a rotatable input member, and said means drivingly connecting said carriage to said load including a reciprocating motion to unidirectional rotary motion converting mechanism, said reciprocating motion to unidirectional rotaty motion converting mechanism including a crank supported for rotation about a given axis, an arm connecting said carriage to said crank for angularly reciprocating said crank about said given axis in response to the reciprocation of said carriage along said straight line path, a series of rotatable members, a flexible member attached to said crank and trained about said series of rotatable members so that said flexbile member moves in one direction and the opposite as said crank is reciprocated in opposite directions about said given axis, two of the rotatable members about which said flexible member is trained being the input members of two one-way clutches, each of said one-way clutches having an output member, and said clutches being arranged so that when said flexible member moves in one direction one of said clutches is engaged to drive its output member in one angular direction and so that when said flexible member moves in the opposite direction the other of said one-way clutches is engaged to drive its output member in the same angular direction, and means drivingly connecting both of said output members of said two one-way clutches to said rotatable input member of said load.

A power transmitting system comprising a frame, a carriage, means supporting said carriage on said frame for reciprocating movement of said carriage relative to said frame along a given elongated path of reciprocation fixed relative to said frame, a weight means, means driving said weight means along an endless elongated path fixed relative to said carriage and having two curved end segments at opposite ends thereof, said weight means being distributed substantially uniformly along a continuous fractional portion of the length of said endless path, which portion is substantially less than the total length of said path, so that during each traverse of said endless path by said weight means a first centrifugal force, directed in one direction along the axis joining said two end segments, is produced as said weight means passes over the first of said two curved end segments and a second centrifugal force, directed in the opposite direction along said axis, is produced as said weight means passes over the other of said two curved end segments, said endless path being so arranged relative to said path of reciprocation that said axis along which said first and second centrifugal forces are directed is oriented in generally the same direction as said path of reciprocation so that said centrifugal forces drive said carriage in reciprocating movement relative to said frame along said path of reciprocation, said path of reciprocation having a length at least as great as the radius of curvature of one of said two curved end segments, and means utilizing said reciprocating movement of said carriage, whereby said carriage is enabled to move through strokes of relatively large amplitude and duration.