Shaft coupler

Claim 2

A coupler device for coupling a drive shaft and a driven shaft, means providing a structure presenting a plurality of yieldable beam members adapted to be supported by and rotatable with one of said shafts, the extremities of said beam members being secured on said one of said shafts against any movement along the respective longitudinal axes of said beam members, the inner surfaces of said beam members being uniformly oriented circumferentially about and spaced from the axis of said supporting shaft so as to define a non-circular opening of straight surfaces extending between corner areas for accommodating a plurality of rotary coupling members, a plurality of circumferentially spaced rotary coupling members positioned within said opening, and mounting means rotatable as a unit with said other shaft for positioning each of said rotary coupling members in engagement with the inner surface areas of two adjacent beam members in said corner areas of said yieldable beam members whereby to provide a flexible coupling between said shafts.

Claim 3

A coupler device for coupling a drive shaft and a driven shaft as set forth in claim 1, wherein the corner areas of said inner surfaces of said beam members have a curvature corresponding generally with the curvature of the peripheral surfaces of said rotary coupling members.

Claim 4

A coupler device for coupling a drive shaft and a driven shaft as set forth in claim 1, wherein portions of the yieldable beam members in the vicinity of adjacent extremities thereof are secured against radial displacement and displacement in directions longitudinally of said beam members and the intermediate portions of said beam member are laterally deflectable.

Claim 5

A coupler device for coupling a drive shaft and a driven shaft as set forth in claim 1, wherein the rotary coupling members are in the form of rollers, and means is provided for rotatably supporting said members.

Claim 6

A coupler device for coupling a drive shaft and a driven shaft, comprising a plurality of beam members carried on one of said shafts, said beam members being integrally formed from an elastomeric material in a closed generally polygonal loop, at least one coupling member carried on the other of said shafts to rotate therewith and positioned in engagement with the inner surface corner areas of two adjacent beam members whereby to provide a flexible coupling between said shafts, the radially outward periphery of said coupling member tracing a circle of a certain diameter during rotation of said other shaft, means for substantially anchoring the ends of said beam members in the plane of said circle and as chords to said circle with the radially outward sides of said beam members intermediate the ends thereOf being unconfined, said means further anchoring the ends of said beam members to position the inner peripheral junctions of adjoining beam members substantially on said circle and with the ends of said beam members anchored against any movement along the longitudinal axes of said beam members, whereby any relative rotation between said shafts produces a compression, a bending and a stretching of any of said beam members engaged by said coupling member.

Claim 7

A coupler device for coupling a drive shaft and a driven shaft, comprising a plurality of beam members carried on one of said shafts, said beam members being integrally formed from an elastomeric material in a closed generally polygonal loop, at least one coupling member carried on the other of said shafts to rotate therewith and positioned in engagement with the inner surface corner areas of two adjacent beam members whereby to provide a flexible coupling between said shafts, the radially outward periphery of said coupling member tracing a circle of a certain diameter during rotation of said other shaft, means for substantially anchoring the ends of said beam members in the plane of said circle and as chords to said circle with the radially outward sides of said beam members intermediate the ends thereOf being unconfined, said means further anchoring the ends of said beam members to position the inner peripheral junctions of adjoining beam members substantially on said circle and with the ends of said beam members anchored against any movement along the longitudinal axes of said beam members, whereby any relative rotation between said shafts produces a compression, a bending and a stretching of any of said beam members engaged by said coupling member.