Connecting devices
AssigneeToyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorAtsutaka Mitsuhashi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gear assembly may include first and second gear wheels meshing with each other and having a meshing line. The meshing line is formed as a combined line that is positioned between first and second curves to determine a meshing range of the meshing line, so as to extend from a point on the first curve positioned radially inside the second curve in a circumferential direction in which the second curve is radially outwardly spaced from the first curve and to reach a point on the second curve. The combined line is composed of a combination of a plurality of line portions.
Claims5
A gear assembly comprising:
- first and second gear wheels, a plurality of teeth on the first gear wheel configured to mesh with a plurality of teeth on the second gear wheel, and having a meshing line, the meshing line defining a trajectory of contacting points of meshing teeth of the first and second gear wheels,
- wherein the meshing line is formed as a combined line that is positioned between a first addendum circle, of the first gear wheel, and a second addendum circle, of the second gear wheel, to determine a circumferential angular meshing range of the meshing line, so as to extend from a point on the first addendum circle positioned radially inside the second addendum circle in a circumferential direction in which the second addendum circle is gradually radially outwardly spaced from the first addendum circle and to reach a point on the second addendum circle, and
- wherein the combined line is composed of a combination of a plurality of line portions, one of the plurality of line portions intersecting the first addendum circle and another of the plurality line portions intersecting the second addendum circle.
A connecting device that is capable of rotatably connecting a seat back and a seat cushion, comprising:
- an internal gear member connected to one of the seat back and the seat cushion and having an internal gear wheel;
- and
- an external gear member connected to the other of the seat back and the seat cushion and having an external gear wheel,
- wherein the external gear member is coupled to the internal gear member while the external gear wheel meshes with the internal gear wheel,
- wherein the external gear wheel has an outer diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the internal gear wheel and has a number of teeth different from a number of teeth of the internal gear wheel,
- wherein when the external gear wheel relatively moves along an inner circumferential surface of the internal gear wheel while meshing points of the external and internal gear wheels are sequentially changed, the external gear wheel and the internal gear wheel are gradually rotated relative to each other due to a difference between the number of teeth of the internal gear wheel and the number of teeth of the external gear wheel, so that a tilt angle of the seat back can be changed,
- wherein a meshing line of the internal and external gear wheels is formed as a combined line that is positioned between a first addendum circle, of the internal gear wheel, and a second addendum circle, of the external gear wheel, to determine a circumferential angular meshing range of the meshing line, so as to extend from a point on the first addendum circle positioned radially inside the second addendum circle in a circumferential direction in which the second addendum circle is gradually radially outwardly spaced from the first addendum circle and to reach a point on the second addendum circle, the meshing line defining a trajectory of contacting points of meshing teeth of the internal and external gear wheels, and
- wherein the combined line is composed of a combination of a plurality of line portions, one of the plurality of line portions intersecting the first addendum circle and another of the plurality line portions intersecting the second addendum circle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.