US 7,247,116 B2Granted

Planetary motor

AssigneeThe John Hopkins University

InventorsDan Stoianovici, Louis R. Kavoussi

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Abstract

A motor suitable for use in a medical imaging environment has (a) a cylindrical outer gear having a bore with a centerline and an internal surface with circumferentially distributed and radially directed teeth, (b) a means for mounting this outer gear such that it is constrained to move in rotational motion about its centerline, (c) a cylindrical planetary gear having a bore and an external surface having circumferentially distributed and radially directed teeth, (d) a means located within the planetary gear bore for applying a fluid pressure driven force to cause it to move in translational-circular motion about the outer gear's centerline, and (e) wherein the teeth of these gears are configured so as to cooperate such that the translational-circular motion of the planetary gear causes the rotational movement of the outer gear.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A planetary motor comprising:

a cylindrical outer gear having a bore with a centerline and an internal surface with circumferentially distributed and radially directed teeth,
a means for mounting said outer gear such that said outer gear is constrained to move in rotational motion about the centerline of said outer gear,
a cylindrical planetary gear having a bore and an external surface having circumferentially distributed and radially directed teeth,
a means located within said planetary gear bore for applying a fluid pressure driven force to specified points on said planetary gear so as to cause said planetary gear to move in translational-circular motion about the centerline of said outer gear,
wherein said planetary gear is configured to fit within the bore of said outer gear in such a manner that a plurality of said outer gear teeth and said planetary gear teeth intermesh, and
wherein said planetary gear and outer gear teeth are configured so as to cooperate such that the translational-circular motion of said planetary gear causes said rotational movement of said outer gear.

3 more elements

A method of providing a planetary motor comprising the steps of:

utilizing a cylindrical outer gear having a bore with a centerline and an internal surface with circumferentially distributed and radially directed teeth,
mounting said outer gear such that said outer gear is constrained to move in rotational motion about the centerline of said outer gear,
utilizing a cylindrical planetary gear having a bore and an external surface having circumferentially distributed and radially directed teeth,
applying a fluid pressure driven force to specified points on said planetary gear so as to cause planetary gear to move in translational-circular motion about the centerline of said outer gear,
configuring said planetary gear to fit within the bore of said outer gear in such a manner that a plurality of said outer gear teeth and said planetary gear teeth intermesh, and
configuring said planetary gear and outer gear teeth so as to cooperate such that the translational-circular motion of said planetary gear causes said rotational movement of said outer gear.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/501,098Filed 8 Aug 2006 · division
Priority: 19 Sep 2002
Published: US 2007/0034047 A115 Feb 2007
Granted: 24 Jul 2007
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

F03C 1/04
With multiple-cylinders, characterised by the number or arrangement of cylinders: with cylinders in star or fan arrangement
F16H 49/001
Other gearings: wave gearings, e.g. harmonic drive transmissions
Y10T 74/19
Machine element or mechanism: gearing
F03C
Positive-displacement engines driven by liquids

Family

Application60/411,906Us provisional application · filed 19 Sep 2002
Application10/666,213Parent of this division · filed 18 Sep 2003
US 2007/0034047 A1Pre-grant publication · published 15 Feb 2007
US 7,086,309 B2Parent of this division
US 2005/0124452 A1Published application
US 7,247,116 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.