Patent · US Expired

Speed reducing gearing mechanism employing trochoidally formed gear surfaces for rolling torque transmission

US4643047A · kind A · utility

36Cited by
45References
37Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 20, 1981
Grant dateFeb 17, 1987
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 20, 2001

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10T74/19981
  • WIPO fieldMechanical elements
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

An epicyclic speed reducing mechanism employs, as torque transmitting elements, a series of rolling elements which are constrained to travel along a substantially trochoidal path defined by means of complementary or conjugate surface regions formed on the driving and driven members. The invention is applicable to single or multiple stage speed reducers, and may be of the counterweighted or counterbalanced variety, the latter including a constant velocity coupling operating between an orbiting and rotating element and a further element. In the disclosed embodiments, the rolling elements may be either balls or rollers, and the surface regions may be conjugate epitrochoidal and hypotrochoidal grooves.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.