Integral balls and cams type motorized speed converter with bearings arrangement

• US 5,562,564 A
• Filed: 11/21/1994
• Issued: 10/08/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Synkinetics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Synkinetics, Inc.
• Inventors: Folino, Frank A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ta, Khoi Q.
• Application Number:
  US08/342,908
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 74/421 A, 74/63, 475/196, 476/15, 476/23, 476/36, 476/63
• US Class Current: 476/36
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2075/025 two
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2075/027 four
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2025/063 the intermediate members being balls engaging on opposite cam discs
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 25/06 with intermediate members guided along tracks on both rotary members
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 35/02 for conveying rotary motion with cyclically varying velocity ratio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/1518 Rotary cam drive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/1836 Rotary to rotary
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/18456 Crank, pitman, and lever
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19684 Motor and gearing

Abstract

Method and apparatus having a single continuous track of segments, each segment having its own profile, and wherein ones of the segments have the same profile, for generating a varying motion output.

Claims

1. Apparatus for converting a rotary motion input to a different motion output, comprising

a housing plate device for mounting to the housing of a rotary motor, the motor having a rotor for supply of a rotary motion input, said housing plate device defining a central journal, said journal coaxial to a central axis of the housing device,

a drive cam and a driven cam, the drive cam for being mounted on an input shaft coupled to the motor rotor and the driven cam for being mounted on an output shaft, the input and output shafts being coaxial and independently rotatable about said axis,

means for isolation from said input shaft of radial, thrust and moment loading externally applied to said output shaft, said means including a web component, said web component for direct mounting to said housing plate, said web component defining a central journal for rotatable mounting of a first end of said output shaft axially proximal to said drive cam, and

said housing journal for coaxial receipt of a second end of said output shaft axially distal to said drive cam,

wherein said web component comprises at least one elongate slot, said slot for receiving an interacting element, said drive cam for driving said driven cam via said interacting element traveling in said slot.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a pair of axially separated bearings one of which is directly grounded to the housing plate device, and one is grounded to said housing plate device via said web, said bearings for journaling said output shaft.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said web component comprises a retainer, said slot formed in said retainer and said retainer having more than one said elongate slot, for retaining a respective interacting element traveling in a respective said slot.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said driven cam comprises a driven cam device and a driven cam track defined on a face of said driven cam device.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said interacting elements are balls and said retainer comprises a slotted reaction disk, wherein said balls are put in motion by rotation of said drive cam, wherein said in-motion balls put said driven cam in motion, and wherein a respective said ball is in a respective one of said slots.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said drive cam comprises a drive cam disk and a continuous drive cam track defined on a face of said drive cam disk.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said drive and driven cams together comprise a conjugate pair of devices rotatable about a common axis, a first device of said pair being an input device for supply of angular velocity and rotary motive force and a second device of said pair being an output device,

said means for retaining and said interacting elements cooperating with said pair and said cooperating elements comprising means for transmitting angular velocity and rotary motive force of said input device to angular velocity and rotary motive force of said output device as said interacting elements are put in motion by said input device, and

said input device cooperating with ones of said in-motion interacting elements and said output device for transmitting, through said ones of in-motion interacting elements, said angular velocity and rotary motive force of said input device to angular velocity and rotary motive force of said output device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said transmitting is done substantially equally and simultaneously through said ones of in-motion interacting elements.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said drive cam comprises a drive cam disk and a continuous drive cam track defined on a face of said drive cam disk, wherein said drive cam track comprises a single continuous track of segments.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein ones of said segments have a common radial profile.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein ones of said segments have a uniform radius for defining a respective dwell period.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein ones of said segments have a non-uniform radius.

13. Method for converting a continuous rotary motion input to a rotary motion output, comprising the steps of

driving a driven cam with a rotary drive cam, the drive cam for mounting on an input shaft with the driven cam for mounting on an output shaft and housed in a housing plate, the input and output shafts being coaxial and independently rotatable about a longitudinal axis, said housing plate defining a central housing journal,

mounting a web component to said housing plate, said web component having at least one elongate slot for receipt of an interacting element, said drive cam and said driven cam interacting via said interacting element, said web component defining a central journal for rotatable mounting of a first end of said output shaft axially proximal to said drive cam, and

mounting said housing with said journal aligned for receipt of a second end of said output shaft axially distal to said drive cam and coaxial to said axis.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of suspending said output shaft within two axially separated bearings at least one of which is directly grounded to the said housing plate.

15. Apparatus for converting rotary motion of a motor rotor shaft input to a different rotary motion output, said rotor shaft extending axially along a longitudinal motor axis, the apparatus comprising

a housing plate for mounting to a motor, said plate defining a central housing journal,

a drive cam and a driven cam, said driven cam defining an output shaft, said drive cam for being mounted to said motor rotor shaft, said cams for being mounted in said housing with said motor rotor shaft and output shaft being coaxial and independently rotatable about the motor longitudinal axis,

means for isolation of radial, thrust and moment loading externally applied to said output shaft from said rotor shaft, said means including a web component, said web component for mounting to said housing plate, said web component having at least an elongate slot for receipt of at least one interacting element for interacting between the drive cam and the driven cam and

said web component defining a central journal for rotatable mounting of a first end of said output shaft axially proximal to said drive cam, and said housing journal for receipt of a second end of said output shaft axially distal to said drive cam.

16. Apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a pair of bearings at least one of which is directly grounded to said housing plate, said bearings for journaling said output shaft.

17. Apparatus of claim 15 wherein said web component further comprises a slotted disk, said disk for retaining at least one interacting element in a slot of the disk, said drive cam for driving said driven track means via said at least one ball guided in said slot.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a motor having a rotor shaft, said rotor shaft coupled to said drive cam and supported by a bearing surface.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said driven cam comprises a driven cam track defined on a face of a driven disk.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said drive cam comprises a drive cam track defined on a face of a drive disk.

21. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said drive cam comprises a drive cam disk and a continuous drive cam track defined on a face of said drive cam disk.

22. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said drive cam defines a single continuous track of cam segments, each said cam segment having a predetermined profile.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein at least one of said segments has a profile for varying the rate of rotation of said output shaft while the drive cam is rotating at a fixed rate of rotation.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein ones of said segments have a uniform radius for defining a respective dwell period in said output shaft rotation.