Automatic lubrication device for mechanical actuation systems
AssigneeSundstrand Corporation
InventorDuane H. Grimm
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Periodic lubrication of mechanical actuation systems may be avoided in a self-lubricating mechanism for such a system that includes a bidirectional rotary shaft (22), a housing (10), and a one-way clutch (90, 92) having an output element (92) moved in response to one direction of rotation of the shaft (22) and which may remain stationary for the opposite direction of rotation of the shaft (22). Included is a variable volume lubricant reservoir (40, 58) within the housing (10) and a gear system (44, 80, 94, 96, 98) interconnects the output element (92) and the reservoir (40, 58) to continuously feed lubricant therefrom whenever the shaft (22) is rotated in one direction.
Claims11
A self lubrication mechanism having a bidirectional rotary input comprising;
- a housing;
- a rotary input shaft journaled for bidirectional rotation within and extending from said housing;
- a one-way clutch within said housing and coupled to said shaft, said clutch having an output element that is rotated by said shaft for one direction of rotation of said shaft and which may remain stationary for the opposite direction of rotation of said shaft;
- a pair of coupled planetary gears in said housing and rotatable in response to rotation of said clutch output;
- a fixed ring gear meshed with one of said planet gears;
- a rotatable ring gear meshed with the other of said planet gears and rotatable in response to rotation of said planet gears;
- a variable volume, lubricant reservoir with in said housing and having an outlet from which lubricant may exit to be directed to a component to be lubricated;
- and
- means responsive to rotation of said rotatable ring gear for progressively decreasing the volume of said reservoir to thereby direct lubricant through said outlet.
A self lubrication mechanism having a bidirectional input comprising:
- a housing;
- a shaft journaled in said housing for bidirectional rotary motion;
- an annular cylinder within said housing generally concentric with said shaft and adapted to receive a lubricant;
- an outlet port extending from said cylinder;
- an annular piston reciprocally received within said cylinder generally concentric with said shaft and operable to expel lubricant in said cylinder through said outlet port, said piston, oppositely of said cylinder, including an internally threaded surface concentric with said shaft;
- means interconnecting said housing and said piston for allowing axial movement of the piston while restraining rotational movement thereof;
- a one way clutch in said housing and having an output element rotatable with said shaft for one direction of shaft rotation and which may remain stationary for the opposite direction of shaft rotation, said output element being concentric with said shaft;
- a carrier in said housing concentric with said shaft and coupled to said output element;
- a fixed ring gear within said housing and concentric with said shaft;
- a rotatable ring gear within said housing concentric with said shaft and having an externally threaded surface concentric with said shaft and threaded said internally threaded in surface of said piston;
- and
- at least one set of coupled planet gears carried by said carrier for revolution about said shaft and journaled on said carrier for rotation relative thereto about an axis parallel to said shaft, one of said planet gears being meshed with said fixed ring gear to form a first gear set and the other of said planet gears being meshed with said rotatable ring gear to form a second gear set, the ratios of said first and second gear sets being close to each other but not identical.
A self lubricating mechanism for a system including a rotary shaft and comprising;
- a housing;
- a shaft journaled with said housing for bidirectional rotary motion;
- a one way clutch connected to said shaft and having an output element that is moved in response to one direction of rotation of said shaft and which may remain stationary for the opposite direction of rotation of said shaft;
- a variable volume lubricant reservoir within said housing;
- and
- means responsive to movement of said output element for progressively reducing the volume of said reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.