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US 7,181,987 B2Granted
Precessional device and method
OwnerPeter Winston Hamadyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A precessional device having independent control of the output torque generated by the device and the oscillation race of the device is disclosed. The device comprises a rotor supported by an axle wherein the ends of the axle are supported by a circular race. The circular race is rotatable, and may be driven by, for example, a motor, thereby controlling the oscillation rate of the device independently of the output torque arising front the rotation rate of the rotor. The motor may be controlled by a control program that adjusts the rotation rate of the circular race to modify the shape of the resistance curve.
Claims17
An apparatus comprising:
- a track defining a continuous surface with a circular shape;
- and
- a rotor that spins about a spin axis and rotates about a rotational axis, wherein the rotor has axle tips that frictionally contact the continuous surface of the track, wherein the frictional contact defines a relationship between a spin rate of the rotor about the spin axis and a rotation rate of the rotor about the rotational axis;
- wherein the track rotates, and wherein the rotation of the track modifies a relative rotation rate of the rotor about the rotation axis independent of the spin rate of the rotor about the spin axis.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.