Indexing drive and transmission

An indexing drive comprising

• a housing including a plurality of guideways;
• actuators slidably mounted in the guideways, respectively, the actuators each including a drive element extending beyond the associated guideway;
• a carrier including follower elements, the drive elements extendable to the follower elements, the follower elements being movable across the drive elements, the drive elements being movable toward and away from the follower elements, one of each drive element and each follower element including a concavity and the other of each drive element and each follower element including a convexity, the concavities being spaced from one another and the convexities being spaced from one another such that when one of the concavities is fully engaged with one of the convexities, another of the concavities and another of the convexities are sufficiently aligned to be partially engageable;
• a selectively activated source of pressurized fluid, the guideways each being coupled with the selectively activated source of pressurized fluid, the selectively activated source of pressurized fluid including a source of pneumatic pressure, passages extending from the source of pneumatic pressure to the guideways, respectively, and valves controlling the passages;
• and
• a controller, the selectively activated source of pneumatic pressure further including solenoids connected to the controller and controlling the valves, respectively.

An indexing drive comprising

• a housing including a plurality of guideways;
• actuators slidably mounted in the guideways, respectively, the actuators each including a drive element extending beyond the associated guideway;
• a carrier including follower elements, the drive elements extendable to the follower elements, the follower elements being movable across the drive elements, the drive elements being movable toward and away from the follower elements, one of each drive element and each follower element including a concavity and the other of each drive element and each follower element including a convexity, the concavities being spaced from one another and the convexities being spaced from one another such that when one of the concavities is fully engaged with one of the convexities, another of the concavities and another of the convexities are sufficiently aligned to be partially engageable;
• a controller;
• and
• electromagnetic coils connected to the controller and magnetically coupleable with the actuators, respectively.

An indexing drive comprising

• a housing including a plurality of guideways;
• actuators slidably mounted in the guideways, respectively, the actuators each including a drive element extending beyond the associated guideway and having a convexity;
• a carrier including follower elements each having a concavity, the follower elements defining a cylindrical surface with the concavities therein, the carrier being rotatably mounted about a carrier axis, the guideways including longitudinal centerlines intersecting with the carrier axis, the drive elements being extendable to the follower elements, the follower elements being movable across the drive elements, the concavities being spaced from one another and the convexities being spaced from one another such that when one of the concavities is fully engaged with one of the convexities, two other of the concavities and two other of the convexities are sufficiently aligned to be engageable, respectively, engagement of one of the two other concavities and one of the two other convexities requiring movement of the carrier in a first direction and engagement of the other of the two other concavities and the other of the two other convexities requiring movement of the carrier in a second direction;
• and
• a gear coupled with the carrier.

A transmission comprising

• an indexing drive including a housing including a plurality of guideways, actuators slidably mounted in the guideways, respectively, the actuators each including a drive element extending beyond the associated guideway, a carrier including follower elements, the drive elements extendable to the follower elements, the follower elements being movable across the drive elements, the drive elements being movable toward and away from the follower elements, one of each drive element and each follower element including a concavity and the other of each drive element and each follower element including a convexity, the concavities being spaced from one another and the convexities being spaced from one another such that when one of the concavities is fully engaged with one of the convexities, another of the concavities and another of the convexities are sufficiently aligned to be partially engageable;
• transmission gears;
• clutches engageable with the transmission gears, respectively;
• clutch control elements extending to operatively engage the clutches;
• linkage engaged with the carrier and the clutch control elements.

An indexing drive comprising

• a housing including a plurality of guideways;
• actuators slidably mounted in the guideways, respectively, the actuators each including a drive element extending beyond the associated guideway;
• a carrier including follower elements, the drive elements extendable to the follower elements, the follower elements being movable across the drive elements, the drive elements being movable toward and away from the follower elements, one of each drive element and each follower element including a concavity and the other of each drive element and each follower element including a convexity, the concavities being spaced from one another and the convexities being spaced from one another such that when one of the concavities is fully engaged with one of the convexities, another of the concavities and another of the convexities are sufficiently aligned to be partially engageable;
• and
• a gear coupled with the carrier.

An indexing drive comprising

• a housing including a plurality of guideways;
• actuators slidably mounted in the guideways, respectively, the actuators each including a drive element extendable beyond the associated guideway and having a convexity;
• a carrier including follower elements each having a concavity, the drive elements extendable to the follower elements, the follower elements being movable across the drive elements, the drive elements being movable toward and away from the follower elements, the concavities being spaced from one another and the convexities being spaced from one another such that when one of the concavities is fully engaged with one of the convexities, two other of the concavities and two other of the convexities are sufficiently aligned to be partially engageable, respectively, full engagement of one of the two other concavities and one of the two other convexities requiring movement of the carrier in a first direction and full engagement of the other of the two other concavities and the other of the two other convexities requiring movement of the carrier in a second direction;
• and
• a gear coupled with the carrier.