Anti-lash gear with alignment device
AssigneeCummins Engine Company, Inc.
InventorsDavid P. Genter, Charles E. Long, Ilya L. Piraner, Dennis R. Tibbetts
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An engine system with a gear train to provide engine timing is disclosed. A technique to minimize backlash and noise caused by the gear train is included. An anti-backlash gear assembly useful to reduce backlash in the gear train is also disclosed. One disclosed gear assembly has at least two gear wheels with the circular thickness of the teeth of one gear wheel being less than the circular thickness of the other gear wheel. A gear assembly is also disclosed that has a bias torque of at least about 100 foot-pounds. A device carried on an anti-lash gear assembly to generally align teeth of the assembly for installation is also provided.
Claims23
An anti-lash gear assembly, comprising:
- (a) a first gear wheel with a first number of circumferentially disposed teeth;
- (b) a second gear wheel engaging said first wheel with a spring bias configured to yieldingly rotate said first and second wheels relative to each other about a generally common rotational axis, said second wheel defining a second number of teeth each being paired to a corresponding one of said first teeth to provide a number of composite teeth each having a variable size to reduce backlash when engaged in a mesh;
- and
- (c) an adjustment device with a threaded stem coupled to said first wheel and a head coupled to said stem, said head having a first selectable position to form a bearing relationship with said second wheel in opposition to said spring bias to align said first and second teeth for installation.
An anti-lash gear assembly, comprising:
- (a) a first gear wheel defining a first number of circumferentially disposed teeth and a first number of helical splines;
- (b) a second gear wheel defining a second number of circumferentially disposed teeth and a second number of helical splines, said second splines engaging said first splines with a spring bias to yieldingly rotate said first and second wheels relative to each other about a generally common rotational axis, said second teeth being paired to a corresponding one of said first teeth to provide a number of composite teeth which vary in size in accordance with rotation of said first and second wheels relative to each other;
- and
- (c) an alignment device coupled to at least one of said first and second wheels, said device being configured to selectively align said first and second teeth.
An anti-lash gear assembly, comprising:
- (a) a first gear wheel with a first number of circumferentially disposed teeth;
- (b) a second gear wheel engaging said first wheel with a spring bias configured to yieldingly rotate said first and second wheels relative to each other about a generally common rotational axis, said second wheel defining a second number of teeth each being paired to a corresponding one of said first teeth to provide a number of composite teeth of variable thickness to reduce backlash;
- and
- (c) an alignment device with a threaded stem coupled to said first wheel and a head, said head being selectively positionable relative to said first wheel to provide an adjustable bearing relationship with said second wheel in opposition to said spring bias and correspondingly vary alignment of said first and second teeth.
An anti-lash gear assembly, comprising:
- a first gear wheel defining a first number of circumferentially disposed teeth and a first number of splines;
- and
- a second gear wheel defining a second number of circumferentially disposed teeth and a second number of splines, said first and second splines engaging each other about a generally common rotational axis, said first and second splines being inclined relative to said axis and being configured to rotate said first and second wheels relative to each other, said second teeth each being paired to a corresponding one of said first teeth to provide a number of composite teeth which vary in size with rotation of said first and second wheels relative to each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.