Offset face gear transmission

A gear arrangement for transmitting torque from an input shaft rotating about a first axis to an output shaft rotating about a second axis parallel and offset from the first axis, the gear arrangement comprising:

• upper gear means in meshing engagement with the input shaft for transmitting torque from the input shaft through an angle and for dividing the torque into a first portion and a second portion;
• lower gear means in meshing engagement with the output shaft for receiving the first torque portion and the second torque portion from the upper gear means, for combining the two torques, and for transmitting the torque through an angle to the output shaft;
• and
• transmitting shaft means coupled to the upper gear means and the lower gear means for transmitting the first and second torque portions from the upper gear means to the lower gear means, wherein
• an output face gear is coupled to the output shaft;
• and
• the upper gear means comprises:
• a first upper face gear in meshing engagement with the input shaft;
• a second upper face gear in meshing engagement with the input shaft, concentric with the first upper face gear and rotating in a direction opposite thereto, and
• the lower gear means comprises:
• a first lower helical pinion gear in meshing engagement with the output face gear, and
• a second lower helical pinion gear in meshing engagement with the output face gear, and concentric with the first lower helical pinion gear and rotating in a direction opposite thereto.

A gear arrangement for transmitting torque from an input shaft rotating about a first axis to an output shaft rotating about a second axis parallel and offset from the first, the gear arrangement comprising:

• a first upper face gear in meshing engagement with the input shaft;
• a second upper face gear in meshing engagement with the input shaft;
• an inner face gear shaft connected to the first upper face gear and rotating about an axis perpendicular to the first axis;
• an outer face gear shaft connected to the second upper face gear and rotating about an axis perpendicular to the first axis in a direction counter to that of the inner face gear shaft;
• an inner face gear shaft pinion located at the lower end of the inner face gear shaft;
• an outer face gear shaft pinion located at the lower end of the outer face gear shaft;
• and
• an output face gear in meshing engagement with the inner face gear shaft pinion and the outer face gear shaft pinion.

A gear arrangement for transmitting torque from a first engine output shaft to a first propeller drive shaft parallel and offset from the first engine output shaft, the gear arrangement comprising:

• a first engine pinion gear located at the end of the engine output shaft having teeth whose edges are disposed parallel to the output shaft axis of rotation;
• a first upper face gear having a top surface and a bottom surface, with radial teeth disposed along the periphery of the bottom surface in meshing engagement with the first engine pinion gear;
• a second upper face gear having a top surface and a bottom surface, with radial teeth disposed along the periphery of the top surface in meshing engagement with the first engine pinion gear;
• a vertically oriented first upper face gear shaft connected to the first upper face gear and having a pinion at its lower end with teeth whose edges are parallel to the first upper face gear shaft axis of rotation;
• a vertically oriented second upper face gear shaft connected to the second upper face gear having a pinion at its lower end with teeth whose edges are parallel to the second upper face gear shaft axis of rotation;
• and
• a first output face gear having a meshing surface with radial teeth disposed along the periphery in meshing engagement with the first upper face gear shaft pinion and the second upper face gear shaft pinion, and connected to the first propeller drive shaft.