US 4,756,203 AGranted

Intermittent drive mechanism

AssigneeYoshida Kogyo K. K.

InventorYasuhiko Matsuda

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Abstract

An intermittent drive mechanism includes a pair of non-circular drive and driven gears for translating a constant velocity rotary motion of an input shaft into a non-uniform velocity rotary motion of an intermediate shaft, the latter-mentioned rotary motion having a sinusoidal angular speed pattern, and a harmonic speed reducer drivingly connecting the intermediate shaft to an output shaft which is connected to a flexible spline of the speed reduce. A rigid circular spline of the speed reducer is angularly reciprocated under the control of an eccentric cam on the input shaft in such a manner that the motion of the sinusoidal angular speed pattern is transmitted from the intermediate shaft to the output shaft in a certain decelerated condition only while the intermediate shaft turns through a half of each turn. The motion transmission takes place gently without causing undesired shock at the beginning and the end of the motion.

Claims5

Dependent claims

An intermittent drive mechanism comprising:

(a) an input shaft rotating at a constant velocity and supporting thereon a non-circular drive gear;
(b) an intermediate shaft extending parallel with said input shaft and supporting thereon a non-circular driven gear held in driven mesh with said drive gear;
(c) an output shaft;
(d) a speed reducer drivingly connecting said intermediate shaft with said output shaft and including
(i) an elliptical cam fixedly connected with said intermediate shaft,
(ii) an externally toothed flexible spline slidably fitted over said elliptical cam and firmly connected with said output shaft, and
(iii) an internally toothed rigid circular spline rotatable relatively to said intermediate shaft, said flexible spline having teeth thereon at least two less in number than teeth on said rigid circular spline and meshing with said rigid circular spline at two diametrically opposite regions extending along a major axis of said elliptical cam;
(e) an eccentric cam firmly connected with said input shaft for corotation therewith;
and
(f) a crank lever operatively connecting said eccentric cam with said rigid circular spline for transmitting a reciprocating rotary motion to said rigid circular spline.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.