US3826157A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Roller/ball transmission
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1972-08-11
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Granted: 1974-07-30
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Expires: 1992-08-11
Abstract
Abstract A power transmission including an input power source having an input shaft, a sphere connected through a gear system to the input shaft so as to rotate about its own axis when the input shaft is rotating, the axis of the sphere being in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the input shaft, and a control mechanism associated with the sphere for adjusting the orientation of the sphere''s axis within the plane referred to. The transmission further includes an output spider, or ring including a plurality of rollers frictionally engaging the sphere, and therethrough transmitting a portion of the motion of the sphere to the output shaft which is attached to the spider. By controlling the orientation of the rotational axis of the sphere, the relative speeds of the spider and the sphere may be varied, and therefore the speed of the output shaft may be varied with respect to that of the input shaft. A loading device is provided to retain the axis of the sphere in a desired position but is set to release upon a high output torque so as to prevent scoring between the rollers and the surface of the sphere.
Inventors
- 👤 C Stoll
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 09:13
CPC Classifications
F; F16; F16H; F16H15/00; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S476/00; Y10S476/90
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
187 words
A power transmission device comprising an input shaft whose fixed axis intersects the fixed axis of an output means at an angle, the intersection being at the center of a sphere means which is rotated by said input shaft in fixed ratio about a diameter perpendicular to said axis of said input shaft, a ring means carried by said output means for transmitting motion from said sphere means to the output means, said ring means carrying a plurality of cylindrical rollers disposed tangentially in spaced relation around the ring and whose cylindrical surfaces frictionally engage the surface of the sphere means in a great circle perpendicular to said axis of said output means, and whose individual axes lie in the plane of said great circle, with the rotational axis of the sphere means being adjustaBle angularly about said input shaft, thereby permitting continuous variations of the angle between the rotational axis of said sphere means and the plane of said great circle from a maximum positive through zero to a maximum negative, and thereby imparting, through said cylindrical rollers a corresponding speed variation to said output means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
187 words
A power transmission device comprising an input shaft whose fixed axis intersects the fixed axis of an output means at an angle, the intersection being at the center of a sphere means which is rotated by said input shaft in fixed ratio about a diameter perpendicular to said axis of said input shaft, a ring means carried by said output means for transmitting motion from said sphere means to the output means, said ring means carrying a plurality of cylindrical rollers disposed tangentially in spaced relation around the ring and whose cylindrical surfaces frictionally engage the surface of the sphere means in a great circle perpendicular to said axis of said output means, and whose individual axes lie in the plane of said great circle, with the rotational axis of the sphere means being adjustaBle angularly about said input shaft, thereby permitting continuous variations of the angle between the rotational axis of said sphere means and the plane of said great circle from a maximum positive through zero to a maximum negative, and thereby imparting, through said cylindrical rollers a corresponding speed variation to said output means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
127 words
The power transmission device of claim 1 wherein said sphere means is hollow and is constructed of two equal segments, rigidly but detachably joined to a mandrel, said sphere means being mounted for rotation about the axis of said mandrel on internal ball bearings supported on a bearing mount which protrudes from the inside of the sphere means to the outside through a narrow equatorial slot between said segments of said sphere means and is externally mounted by means for permitting angular adjustment of said mandrel about the axis of said input shaft, and said sphere means being internally driven by a bevel pinion, attached to said input shaft which passes through said slot, the bevel pinion engaging a bevel gear attached to one of said segments.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
48 words
The power transmission device of claim 2 wherein the angle between the rotational axis of said sphere means and the plane of the roller axes is manually controlled by means for turning said bearing mount around said input shaft, and thereby controlling the output speed of the device.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
75 words
The power transmission device of claim 3 having an overload protective means for forcibly rotating said bearing mount about said axis of said input shaft and means for holding said bearing mount with a fixed torque in a position to give a desired output speed, the fixed torque being overcome when the output torque exceeds some predetermined value, thus permitting said bearing mount to tend toward its natural resting position, corresponding to zero output speed.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
The power transmission device of claim 2 wherein the cylindrical rollers are held against the surface of said sphere means with means for supplying a predetermined yieldable pressure, thus providing the frictional engagement between rollers and sphere means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
41 words
The power transmission device of claim 5 wherein said cylindrical rollers are sufficiently wide to bridge said slot between said segments so that said rollers may not drop into said slot during traverse, but rather engage the edges of said segments.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
54 words
The power transmission device of claim 5 wherein the faces of said rollers are hollow ground to match said sphere means, thereby providing line contact instead of point contact between said roller and said sphere means and also preventing a slight inward motion of said rollers when said slot between said segments is bridged.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
The power transmission device of claim 3 wherein the angular orientation of the rotational axis of said sphere means about said axis of said input shaft is readable on a scale, as an indication of output speed.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
39 words
The power transmission device of claim 1 wherein said output means is a shaft attached at one end to said ring means, and having means at another end thereof for coupling to other mechanical equipment to provide power therefore.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-07-29 | 1978-01-28 | 1978-07-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-07-29 | 1982-01-28 | 1982-07-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-07-29 | 1986-01-28 | 1986-07-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |