Mechanical transmission

Claim 2

A rotary-to-rotary transmission comprising stationary gear means having an axis, a rotatably mounted output gear arranged in a coaxial relation with said stationary gear means, floating ring gear means having an axis eccentric with respect to said stationary gear means axis and disposed in meshing engagement with said stationary gear means and said output gear, a drive shaft, eccentric roller means including at least two rollers engaged with said drive shaft at circumferentially spaced points thereon and with the inner circumference of said ring gear means at circumferentially spaced points thereon spaced different distances from said stationary gear axis, and means responsive in operation to rotation of said drive shaft for moving said roller means about said stationary gear axis.

Claim 3

A transmission according to claim 1 wherein said stationary gear means has a predetermined number of teeth and said ring gear has two sets of teeth, one of said sets being in meshing engagement with said stationary gear and the other one of said sets being in meshing engagement with said output gear, said one set having a number of teeth different than said predetermined number.

Claim 4

A transmission according to claim 2 wherein said ring gear means is positioned axially within said stationary gear means and cam means operable in response to rotation of said drive shaft for progressively moving the area of engagement of said ring and stationary gear means about the circumference of said stationary gear means.

Claim 5

A transmission according to claim 1 wherein said stationary gear means consists of a gear axially aligned with said output gear, said gears having radially inwardly directed teeth located on pitch circles of substantially the same diameter, said output gear having a number of teeth different from the number of teeth on said stationary gear.

Claim 6

A transmission according to claim 2 wherein said stationary gear means and said output gear have teeth arranged on pitch circles of different diameters and said two sets of ring gear teeth are arranged on pitch circles of different diameters.

Claim 7

A transmission according to claim 1 wherein said roller means comprises at least two rollers of different diameters.

Claim 8

A transmission according to claim 1 wherein said means for moving said roller means includes sun gear means on said drive shaft, and planet gear means integral with said roller means and disposed in meshing engagement with said sun gear means and said ring gear.

Claim 9

A transmission according to claim 7 wherein said means for moving said rollers comprises a rotatable carrier arranged in a supporting relation with said rollers.

Claim 10

A rotary-to-rotary transmission comprising a stationary gear, a rotatably mounted output gear, said gears being arranged in a concentric relation, a floating ring gear arranged in meshing engagement with said stationary and output gears, said ring gear having an axis arranged eccentric with respect to the axis of said stationary and output gears and being mounted for orbiting movement in which the axis thereof moves about said stationary and output gear axis, a drive shaft, and cam means responsive in operation to rotation of said drive shaft and engaged with said ring gear for applying a moving force vector to said ring gear moving in a path extending in one direction about said ring gear and cooperating with said meshing engagement of said gears so as to produce said orbital movement and thereby provide for rotation of said output gear, said cam means comprising a plurality of roller members, one of said members being of a larger diameter than the remainder of the rollers.

Claim 11

A rotary-to-rotary transmission comprising a stationary gear, a rotatably mounted output gear, said gears being arranged in a concentric relation, a floating ring gear arranged in meshing engagement with said stationary and output gears, said ring gear having an axis arranged eccentric with respect to the axis of said stationary and output gears and being mounted for orbiting movement in which the axis thereof moves about said stationary and output gear axis, a drive shaft, and cam means responsive in operation to rotation of said drive shaft and engaged with said ring gear for applying a moving force vector to said ring gear moving in a path extending in one direction about said ring gear and cooperating with said meshing engagement of said gears so as to produce said orbital movement and thereby provide for rotation of said output gear, said cam means comprising a plurality of roller members, one of said members being of a larger diameter than the remainder of the rollers.

Claim 12

A rotary-to-rotary transmission comprising stationary gear means having teeth arranged in a circular formation about an axis, coaxial rotatable output gear means having teeth arranged in a circular formation about said axis, a pair of floating ring gears spaced apart in a direction along said axis, each of said ring gears having an axis eccentric to said stationary gear means axis, said ring gears being meshingly engaged with diametrically opposite portions of said stationary gear means so that the axes of said ring gears are disposed substantially 180* apart on opposite sides of said stationary gear means axis, a drive shaft and cam assembly engaged with said ring gears and operable on rotation of said assembly to move said ring gears in unison so that the axes thereof orbit about said stationary gear means axis, and coacting meshing teeth on said output gear means and said ring gears providing for rotation of said output gear means in response to said movement of said ring gears.

Claim 13

A rotary-to-rotary transmission comprising stationary gear means having teeth arranged in a circular formation about an axis, coaxial rotatable output gear means having teeth arranged in a circular formation about said axis, a pair of floating ring gears spaced apart in a direction along said axis, each of said ring gears having an axis eccentric to said stationary gear means axis, said ring gears being meshingly engaged with diametrically opposite portions of said stationary gear means so that the axes of said ring gears are disposed substantially 180* apart on opposite sides of said stationary gear means axis, a drive shaft and cam assembly engaged with said ring gears and operable on rotation of said assembly to move said ring gears in unison so that the axes thereof orbit about said stationary gear means axis, and coacting meshing teeth on said output gear means and said ring gears providing for rotation of said output gear means in response to said movement of said ring gears.

Claim 14

A transmission according to claim 10 wherein said output and stationary gear means are axially aligned and have radially inwardly directed teeth located on pitch circles of substantially the same diameter, said output gear having a number of teeth different from the number of teeth on said stationary gear.

Claim 15

A transmission according to claim 10 wherein each of said ring gears has two sets of teeth disposed on pitch circles of different diameters, one set being engaged with said stationary gear means and the other set being engaged with said output gear means, said output and stationary gear means having radially inwardly directed teeth arranged on pitch circles of different diameters.

Claim 16

A transmission according to claim 10 wherein said drive shaft and cam assembly comprises a drive shaft concentric with said stationary gear, a pair of sun gear members on said shaft in substantial radial alignment with said ring gears, a set of planet gear roller members corresponding to and driven by each of said sun gear members and arranged in meshing engagement with one of said ring gear members, said gear roller members being in rolling engagement with said shaft and said ring gears, and one of the gear roller members in each of said sets being larger than the other members in said set so as to maintain the eccentric relation of ring gears and said stationary gear and maintain said ring gears in engagement with said stationary gear.