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US 4,643,047 AGranted
Speed reducing gearing mechanism employing trochoidally formed gear surfaces for rolling torque transmission
AssigneeAdvanced Energy Concepts '81 Ltd.
InventorsRobert Distin, James Shaffer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An epicyclic speed reducing mechanism employs, as torque transmitting elements, a series of rolling elements which are constrained to travel along a substantially trochoidal path defined by means of complementary or conjugate surface regions formed on the driving and driven members. The invention is applicable to single or multiple stage speed reducers, and may be of the counterweighted or counterbalanced variety, the latter including a constant velocity coupling operating between an orbiting and rotating element and a further element. In the disclosed embodiments, the rolling elements may be either balls or rollers, and the surface regions may be conjugate epitrochoidal and hypotrochoidal grooves.
Claims37
A speed reducing transmission, comprising:
- a driving member;
- a driving member;
- and
- an intermediate element comprising a plurality of rolling elements, said rolling elements transmitting torque from said driving member to said driven member, wherein said driving and driven members are provided with complementary generally trochoidally shaped surface regions upon which said rolling elements bear as they roll, said surface regions being formed so that said rolling elements travel in a substantially trochoidal path, said surface regions being further formed such that each individual rolling element is in substantially constant rolling contact with both said generally trochoidally shaped surface regions simultaneously.
1 more element
A speed reducing transmission, comprising:
- an input;
- an output;
- a stator;
- and
- an intermediate, solely orbitally driven member between said stator and said output, a pair of intermediate elements respectively disposed between said stator and said intermediate member and between said output and said intermediate member, said intermediate elements each comprising a series of rolling elements,
- said stator and said output each having a generally trochoidal gear surface formed thereon, and said intermediate member having two such gear surfaces formed thereon, on opposite sides thereof, the rolling elements of a first of said intermediate elements rollingly engaging gear surfaces of said intermediate member and said stator, such that at least a substantial number of said rolling elements are in rolling contact with both these gear surfaces simultaneously, and the rolling elements of a second of said intermediate elements rollingly engaging gear surface of said intermediate member and said output, such that at least a substantial number thereof are in rolling contact with both these latter gear surfaces simultaneously.
3 more elements
A speed reducing transmission, comprising:
- an input;
- a stator;
- an output;
- a plurality of rolling elements for transmitting torque from the input to the output;
- an intermediate member between said stator and said output, said intermediate member comprising first and second race members, said stator and said output being provided with races complementary to races on said first and second race members, respectively, said first race member and said stator race having a first set of rolling elements disposed therebetween, said second race member and said output race having a second set of rolling elements disposed therebetween, said race of said first race member and said stator race being formed with substantially trochoidal curvature such that each of said rolling elements disposed therebetween is in substantially rolling contact with said race of said first race member and said stator race;
- and
- means for orbitally driving said intermediate member.
4 more elements
A speed reducing transmission, comprising:
- an input;
- an output;
- a stator;
- an intermediate member between said stator and said output;
- means for orbitally driving said intermediate member;
- a plurality of rolling torque transmitting elements arranged between said intermediate member and said output, and between said intermediate member and said stator, said intermediate member being provided with first and second race members on either side thereof in rolling contact with said rolling elements, wherein said stator is provided with a race member complementary to the confronting race member of said intermediate member and upon which said rolling elements therebetween bear as they roll, said complementary race members being formed with substantially trochoidal curvature such that said rolling elements travel along a substantially trochoidal path, said complementary race members being further formed such that all of said rolling elements disposed therebetween are maintained in substantially constant rolling contact with both of said complementary race members.
3 more elements
A speed reducing transmission, comprising:
- a driving member, a driven member and an intermediate element comprising a plurality of rolling elements arranged in a single layer and floating cage means therefor, said rolling elements transmitting torque from said driving member to said driven member, wherein said driving and driven members are provided with complementary surface regions upon which said rolling elements bear as they roll, said surface regions being formed of a plurality of lobes which together entrain said rolling elements, said surface regions being further formed with substantially trochoidal curvature such that all of said rolling elements are simultaneously maintained in substantially constant rolling contact with both of said complementary surface regions.
A speed reducing transmission, comprising:
- a driving member;
- a driven member;
- and
- an intermediate element comprising a plurality of rolling elements, said rolling elements transmitting torque from said driving member to said driven member, wherein said driving and driven members are provided with complementary surface regions upon which said rolling elements bear as they roll, said surface regions comprising at least one set of conjugate epitrochoidal and hypotrochoidal races for said rolling elements, the epitrochoidal race being provided on one of said members and the hypotrochoidal race on the other of said members, whereby said rolling elements travel in a substantially trochoidal path, said epitrochoidal and hypotrochoidal races being formed and arranged such that each of said rolling elements is in substantially constant rolling contact with both said races.
1 more element
A speed reducing transmission, comprising:
- an input;
- an output;
- a stator;
- an intermediate member between said stator and said output;
- means for orbitally driving said intermediate member;
- and
- a plurality of rolling torque transmitting elements arranged between said intermediate member and said output, and between said intermediate member and said stator, wherein said stator and said intermediate member are provided with complementary surfaces upon which said rolling elements therebetween bear as they roll, said surfaces being formed such that said rolling elements travel along a substantially trochoidal path, said complementary surfaces being further formed such that all of said rolling elements disposed therebetween are maintained in substantially constant rolling contact with both of said complementary surfaces, wherein said complementary surfaces comprise epitrochoidal and hypotrochoidal races for said rolling elements.
4 more elements
A speed reducing transmission, comprising:
- a driving member;
- a driven member;
- and
- an intermediate element comprising a plurality of rolling elements, said rolling elements transmitting torque from said driving member to said driven member, said driving and driven members being respectively provided with surface regions having conjugate epitrochoidal and hypotrochoidal curvature, wherein each said rolling element is maintained in substantially constant rolling contact with both said epitrochoidal and hypotrochoidal surfaces.
1 more element
A speed reducing transmission, comprising:
- a stator;
- an intermediate member;
- an output member;
- rolling elements transmitting torque between said stator, said intermediate member, and said output member, said stator and said output member each having race members maintained in rolling contact with said rolling elements, said intermediate member having a race member arranged on either side thereof and likewise maintained in rolling engagement with said rolling elements, wherein at least two of said race members are formed as a conjugate pair of epitrochoidal and hypotrochoidal races.
1 more element
A speed reducing mechanism, comprising:
- an input;
- a stator;
- an output;
- and
- an intermediate element between said stator and said output, said intermediate element comprising a plurality of balls, each of which reacts against said stator and transmits torque to said output member and is in constant rolling contact with each, said stator and said output member each including surface regions upon which each said ball bears as it rolls, said surface regions being formed with substantially trochoidal curvature such that said balls travel in a substantially trochoidal path.
2 more elements
A transmission, comprising:
- a driving member;
- a driven member;
- and
- an intermediate element arranged between said driving and driven members, said intermediate element comprising a plurality of rolling elements and rolling element cage means, said rolling elements transmitting torque from said driving member to said driven member, said driving and driven members being respectively provided with surface regions having substantially trochoidal curvature such that said rolling elements travel in a substantially trochoidal path as they transmit torque between said surface regions, said rolling element cage means comprising a floating, non-torque transmitting element primarily functioning to maintain said rolling elements in a predetermined spaced relationship.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.