Power transmission system
AssigneeMaxaxam Corporation
InventorGeorge E. Brackett
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A worm drive system includes a worm wheel having two sets of angularly arranged rollers. Each set of rollers mates with a separate screw thread on a worm screw associated with the worm wheel. The worm drive system may also include a second worm screw having two separate screw threads, each one mating with a corresponding set of rollers on the worm wheel. The worm drive system may be used as a speed increaser and/or a speed decreaser by suitably selecting the ratio between the worm wheel and the worm screws. The worm screws rotate in the same angular direction if the screw threads on one worm screw have the same hand, which is different from the hand of the screw threads on the other worm screw. The worm drive system also has a load-sharing capability and an anti-backlash capability.
Claims20
A worm drive system, comprising:
- (a) a worm wheel mounted for rotation about a worm wheel axis of rotation;
- (b) first and second sets of rollers, each of said rollers having a roller axis, and means for mounting each of said rollers on said worm wheel for rotation about its roller axis relative to said worm wheel, the roller axes of said rollers of said first and second sets being disposed in different orientations relative to said worm wheel axis of rotation so that said roller axes of said rollers of said first set extend toward one point on said worm wheel axis of rotation and said roller axes of said rollers of said second set extend toward another, different point on said worm wheel axis of rotation;
- and
- (c) a first worm screw having a first screw thread in mating engagement with said first set of rollers on said worm wheel and a second screw thread in mating engagement with said second set of rollers on said worm wheel, said second screw thread of said first worm screw being separate and distinct from said first screw thread of said first worm screw, said second screw thread having a configuration different than said screw thread, said first screw thread having surfaces matching the surfaces generated by said rollers of said first set upon simultaneous rotation of said worm wheel and said first worm screw, the second screw thread having surfaces matching the surfaces generated by said rollers of said second set upon simultaneous rotation of said worm wheel and said first worm screw.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.