Rotary-positioning device

Claim 1

A ROTARY INDEXING DEVICE COMPRISING A DRIVEN ROTOR HAVING A PLURALITY OF CAM BEARING MEANS FIXED AT A CONSTANT DISTANCE FROM THE ROTOR''S AXIS, EACH ANGULARLY EQUISPACED ONE FROM ITS NEIGHBOR, AND GROUPED TOGETHER AT LESS THAN 180* ABOUT THE ROTOR''S AXIS AND HAVING AN EQUAL NUMBER OF SIMILARLY DISPOSED CAM BEARING MEANS GROUPED TOGETHER IN THE OTHER 180*, SAID GROUPS BEING EQUALLY SPACED FROM EACH OTHER, ALL OF SAID CAM BEARING MEANS BEING ALTERNATELY FIXED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF SAID ROTOR, A CAM DRIVE HAVING TWO ROTARY CAMS, EACH OF WHICH INCLUDES A PLANE PASSING THROUGH ITS CAM SURFACES AND THOSE OF ITS RESPECTIVE SET OF ALTERNATE CAM BEARING MEANS AND EACH CAM IS ROTATABLE ON A COMMON AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO SAID PLANE, SAID CAM DRIVE AND SAID ROTOR BEING MOUNTED WITH THEIR AXES PARALLEL WITH ONE ANOTHER AND SPACED AT A FIXED DISTANCE TO GIVE A PREDETERMINED TORQUE, SAID CAMS BEING SHAPED EACH TO INCLUDE AN EQUIANGULAR DWELL SEGMENT OF CONSTANT RADII LONG ENOUGH SIMULTANEOUSLY TO BEAR BETWEEN SAID GROUPS RESPECTIVELY IN OPPOSING DIRECTIONS ON ONE OF THE TWO PAIRS OF ADJACENT ALTERNATE GROUP-END-POSITION CAM BEARING MEANS, SAID GROUPS BEING SUFFICIENTLY WIDELY SPACED TO ENSURE POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT OF SAID ROTOR BY SAID DWELL SEGMENTS WHEREBY THE ROTOR IS HELD FROM MOVING DURING THE ROTATION OF SAID CAM DRIVE IN THE DWELL ANGLE, ONE OF SAID CAMS FURTHER BEING ADAPTED WITH AN ACCELERATION SEGMENT OF INCREASING RADII BEARING ON THE LEADING CAM BEARING MEANS AS THE DWELL SEGMENTS LEAVE THIS RESPECTIVE PAIR OF CAM BEARING MEANS TO ACCELERATE SMOOTHLY THE ROTOR AT PREDETERMINED RATES, AND THE SECOND CAM BEING FURTHER SHAPED WITH AN ACCELERATION-LOCK SEGMENT OF CORRESPONDING DECREASING RADII FOR BEARING BACK ON THE TRAILING CAM BEARING MEANS SUFFICIENTLY TO ENSURE POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT OF SAID PAIR OF GROUP-END-POSITION CAM BEARING MEANS ON THESE ACCELERATION CAM SURFACES DURING THE ACCELERATION PERIOD, SAID SECOND CAM STILL FURHTER BEING SHAPED WITH A FIRST NOTCH SEGMENT TO ENGAGE POSITIVELY THE TRAILING CAM BEARING MEANS AS IT PASSES BETWEEN THE AXIS OF THE CAM DRIVE AND THE AXIS OF THE DRIVEN ROTOR THEREBY PERMITTING THE DRIVE CAM THEREAFTER TO DISENGAGE THE LEADING CAM BEARING MEANS, SAID CAMS ADDITIONALLY BEING SHAPED WITH AT LEAST ONE CONSTANT VELOCITY SET OF SEGMENTS WHICH SET INCLUDES: (I) A CONSTANT-DRIVE SEGMENT OF INCREASING RADII TO BEAR ON THE FORMER TRAILING, NOW LEADING, CAM BEARING MEANS AND (II) A CONSTANT-DRIVE-LOCK SEGMENT OR CORRESPONDINGLY DECREASING RADII TO ENCOUNTER AND TO BEAR BACK ON THE NEXT TRAILING CAM BEARING MEANS, WHICH TWO SEGMENTS RESPECTIVELY ENGAGE THE NEWLY ADJACENT PAIR OF CAM-BEARING MEANS IN A POSITIVE MANNER TO IMPART A CONSTANT ANGLE OF VELOCITY TO SAID DRIVEN ROTOR, AND (III) ANOTHER NOTCH SEGMENT TO RECEIVE THE NEWLY TRAILING CAM BEARING MEANS FROM THE CONSTANTDRIVE-LOCK SEGMENT AND TO ENGAGE IT POSITIVELY AS IT PASSES BETWEEN THE AXIS OF THE CAM DRIVE AND THE AXIS OF THE DRIVEN ROTOR THEREBY PERMITTING THE DRIVE CAM THEREAFTER TO DISENGAGE THE NEWLY LEADING CAM BEARING MEANS, THE NUMBER OF SAID CONSTANT VELOCITY SEGMENT SETS BEING EQUAL TO ONE LESS THAN THE NUMBER OF CAM BEARING MEANS IN ONE OF THE DRIVEN ROTOR''S GROUPS, THESE CAMS FINALLY BEING SHAPED WITH A DECELERATION SEGMENT OF DECREASING RADII FOR ENCOUNTERNG AND BEARING BACK ON THE NEXT TRAILING CAM BEARING MEANS, WHICH TOGETHER WITH THE FORMER TRAILING, AND NOW LEADING, CAM BEARING MEANS FORMS A NEWLY ADJACENT PAIR, WHEREBY SMOOTHLY TO DECELERATE SAID ROTOR AND A DECELERATION-LOCK SEGMENT OF CORRESPONDINGLY INCREASING RADII TO RECEIVE THE NEWLY-LEADING CAM BEARING MEANS FROM THE LAST NOTCH SEGMENT AND TO BEAR FORWARD ON THIS NEWLY-LEADING CAM BEARING MEANS SUFFICIENTLY TO ENSURE POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT OF THE NEW PAIR ON THESE DECELERATION CAM SURFACES DURING THE DECELERATION PERIOD TO THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT DWELL PERIOD.