US651410A

US651410A - Speed-reducing friction-gearing.

Info

Publication number: US651410A
Application number: US70376699A
Authority: US
Inventors: Royal E Ball
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1899-01-30
Filing date: 1899-01-30
Publication date: 1900-06-12
Anticipated expiration: 1917-06-12

Description

No. 65|,4|0. Patented .Iune l2, moo;

' n.- E. BALL.

' SPEED REDUCING FRICTION GEABING.

(Application filed Jan. 30, 1899.)

(No Model.)

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIQE.

ROYAL E. BALL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SPEED-REDUCING FRlCTlON-GEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 651,410, dated June 12, 190 0.

Application filed January 30, 1899. Serial No. 703,766. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROYAL E. BALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, borough of Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Speed Reducing Friction-Gearing, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable any one skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to means for reducing the speed of mechanism actuated by a drive- I 5 shaft-for example, where a high-speed motor-shaft is used for driving machines or a vehicle.

The chief object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficient friction device for gearing down or reducing the speed; and to such end my invention consists in the various novel and peculiar arrangements and combinations of the several parts of the device, all as hereinafter fully described and then pointed out in the claims.

I have illustrated a type of my invention in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a sectional View of a device embodying my invention,the section being taken. 0 on a vertical plane extending longitudinally through the center of the drive-shaft. Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the device, the plane of which is indicated by line 2 2, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, in which like 5 numbers of reference indicate like parts throughout, 2 is the motor or drive shaft from which motion is to be transmitted to the desired mechanism at a reduced speed. This shaft, which may be, for instance, that of an ordinary electric motor, is surrounded by a concentric rotary roller-cage, which in the present instance comprises a disk or member 3, arranged concentrically with the driveshaft 2, at the outer end thereof, and provided 5 with a set of inwardly-projecting studs 4 4,

which are fixed therein. These studs are set These rollers are set each of the rollers by frictional contact with the periphery of the rollers, and their revolu- 6o tions in rolling around the drive-shaft and the outer stationary case 10 cause the frame or cage in which they are mounted to turn slowly'in the same direction as the shaft. The disk 3 of the roller-cage has connected with it a toothed gear 7, which consists in a toothed ring secured in fixed position upon the periphery of the disk 3, and the teeth of this gear mesh with a pinion 8, mounted on a shaft 9, so that the motion of the driveshaft 2 may be transmitted to the shaft 9 at a much-reduced speed through the intermediary of the roller-cage. The roller-cage is provided with a bushing 10, fixed in the journal-box 11. These parts are so arranged that the peripheries of the rollers 5 are maintained in frictional contact with both the driveshaft 2 and the interior of the bushing 10 when the drive-shaft is running.

While the invention contemplates the use of cylindrical tubular rollers of uniform diameter throughout, operating in conjunction with a cylindrical portion of the drive-shaft, I propose, however, to form the tubular rollers like a truncated cone, so that the exterior thereof tapers gradually from one end to the other, and to give to the portion of the driveshaft adjacent the rollers a corresponding taper, so that the frustum-shaped rollers and part of the shaft have the same apex length. Thus in the structure shown the outer end of the drive-shaft 2 is tapered,beginning at point 13, to its outer end, the smaller end of the taper being at the outer end. The rollers 5, which are of the same diameter as the tapered 5 portion of the shaft at each point where they make contact, are tapered and are disposed with their larger ends lying inwardly, as shown in the drawings. The bushing 10 is formed with an interior taper,with the smaller mo end of the taper lying outwardly. In order to set the tapered rollers at the proper angle, I incline the rods or studs 4 slightly with reference to the axis of the roller-cage, and thereby cause the parts to run true.

In conjunction with the tapered rollers 5 of the roller-cage I arrange the drive-shaft 2 so that it has capacity of endwise movement and provide it with bearing 14, in which it may turn whenever the shaft is drawn out from the roller-cage.

15 is a lever pivoted at 16 and provided with a circular bracket 17, encircling the driveshaft and carrying inwardly-projecting pins 18 at opposite points thereon, which take loosely into the annular groove 19, formed around the exterior of the collar 20, fixed upon the shaft. By means of this lever the shaft may be shifted endwise, and normally the lever is drawn outwardly by a spring 21, so that it keeps the conical end of the shaft jammed in the conical nest or set of rollers, so as to make good frictional contact between such conical portion of the shaft and each of the rollers. The center of the outer end of the drive-shaft 2 bears upon a slightly-raised center or boss 22,formed upon the inner face of the disk 3 when the shaft is forced into the rollercage, and this materially assists in steadying the parts when in motion and at the same time limits the distance that the drive-shaft can be forced into the roller-cage.

By having the tubular rollers of the same exterior diameters as the portion of the shaft around which they roll each complete revolution of a roller serves to carry such roller once around the shaft.

In regard to the ratio of the speed of the drive-shaft to the speed of the concentric or driven roller-cage I find that one is to the other as the external diameter of the rollercage shaft is to the diameter of the driveshaft. Expressed as a formula it is as follows: Speed of the drive-shaft divided by the speed of the roller-cage equals the external diameter of the roller-cage divided by the diameter of the drive-shaft. For example, referring to Fig. 2, Where a b is the external diameter of the roller-cage and c d is the diameter of the drive-shaft, the quotient of the latter into the former will give the speed ratio between the drive-shaft and the rollercage.

By virtue of this construction I am enabled to provide a very simple and eflicient speedreducing gear which is well adapted for use with electric motors in reducing the speed thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A speed-reducing friction-gear comprising the combination of an endwise-movable drive-shaft and means for moving the shaft endwise, said shaft having a portion thereof tapered and being provided with a bearing in which it rests when the shaft is moved away from the roller-cage, a rotary annular roller-cage provided with a set of rollers tapering in the reverse direction to the taper of the shaft, a journal-box concentric with said drive shaft, said roller-cage being interposed between'said journal-box and driveshaft with its rollers in contact therewith and adapted to engage with the tapered surface of said shaft when the shaft is moved endwise into the roller-cage, said roller-cage being provided with a gear member independent of said rollers, whereby the motion of the drive-shaft may be transmitted to said gear member at a reduced speed, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A speed-reducingfriction gear comprising the combination of a drive-shaft, a rotary annular roller-cage consisting in'a gear-wheel and a set of rods projecting from one face of the said gear-wheel and arranged in a circle thereon, a tubular roller loosely mounted on" each of said rods, a journal-box concentric with said drive-shaft, said cage being placed over one end of said shaft with the rollers arranged in rolling contact between the journal-' box and the shaft, whereby the motion of the drive-shaft may be transmitted to said gear member at a reduced speed, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A speed-reducing friction-gear compris ing the combination of an endwise-movable drive-shaft and means for moving the shaft endwise, a rotary annular roller-cage provided with a set of loosely-mounted rollers each having its axis in a plane containing the axis of the drive-shaft, a journal-box concentric with said drive-shaft, said roller-cage being interposed between said journal-box and drive-shaft with its rollers in contact with the surface of each and being provided with an end plate or disk against the inner face of which the end of the drive-shaft is adapted to bear when moved endwise into the rollercage, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A speed-reducing friction-gear com prising the combination of an endwise-movable drive-shaft and means for moving the shaft endwise, said shaft having its outer end tapered with the smaller part of the taper lying outwardly, and being provided with a bearing in which it rests when the shaft is moved inwardly, a journal-box concentric with said drive-shaft and tapered in the same direction as the tapered portion of the shaft, a rollercage provided with a set of loosely-mounted rollers each having its axis in a plane containing the axis of the drive-shaft, said rollers being tapered in the same direction as the tapered portion of the shaft and being interposed between the same and said journalbox so as to have a rolling contact with each of said parts, said roller-cage being provided too with an end plate or disk against the inner my hand, this 26th day of January, 1899, in face of which the end of the drive-shaft is presence of the two subscribing witnesses.

adapted to bear when said shaft is moved into the roller-cage, said disk being provided ROYAL BALL 5 with a gear member, substantially as and for WVitnesses:

the purpose set forth. v H. WILLARD JOHNSON, In testimony whereof I have hereunto set WILL H. ARCHIBALD.