Device for cyclically varying the phase relationship between two rotating shafts

Apparatus for effecting cyclical accelerations and decelerations in a driven shaft in response to rotating a drive shaft at a constant velocity, including:

• a drive shaft and a means for rotating the drive shaft about a fixed longitudinal drive axis, and a drive gear mounted concentrically on said drive shaft for rotation with said drive shaft;
• a driven shaft rotatable on a longitudinal driven shaft fixed relative to said drive axis, and a driven gear mounted concentrically on said driven shaft for rotation with said shaft;
• and
• a drive linkage means for drivably engaging said drive gear and said driven gear, and including:
• a first intermediate gear rotatable about a longitudinal first axis, and a first connecting means rotatably mounted to said drive gear and said first intermediate gear, for maintaining said drive gear and first gear in driving engagement while maintaining a fixed distance between the drive axis and the first axis;
• a second intermediate gear rotatable about a longitudinal second axis, and a second connecting means rotatably mounted to said first gear and said second gear for maintaining said first gear and said second gear in driving engagement while maintaining a fixed distance between said first and second axes;
• a third connecting means rotatably connected to said second gear and said driven gear, for maintaining said second gear and driven gear in driving engagement while maintaining a fixed distance between said second axis and said driven shaft axis;
• and
• a moving means including a transversely reciprocable element connected to an associated one of said first and second intermediate gears for controllably and transversely reciprocating said associated gear while said drive gear rotates, to transversely reciprocate said first and second intermediate gears and their associated axes, and thereby dynamically alter a phase relationship between said drive gear and said driven gear.