Claims
- 1. A hypocycloid gear assembly comprising:
a pinion shaft having a pinon journal and a pinion body; a pinion carrier having an endplate, a carrier body having an internal cavity, and an output shaft; and wherein in operation the pinion journal travels in a purely linear motion and the output shaft in a purely rotational motion.
- 2. The hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 1 further comprising:
the internal cavity being a cylindrical tube-shaped hole whose centerline is offset from the centerline of the carrier body to form a window in the carrier body to expose the internal cavity, and the remaining portion of the carrier body forming a crescent around the internal cavity.
- 3. The hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 2 further comprising:
the pinion body having teeth on its exterior surface, the pinion body being inserted into the internal cavity of the carrier body so that its teeth protrude through the window in the carrier body.
- 4. The hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 3 further comprising:
a ring gear having teeth on its interior surface and placed over the carrier body; wherein the teeth of the pinion body meshes with the teeth of the ring gear.
- 5. The hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 4 further comprising:
the gear ratio of the ring gear to the pinion body being 2 to 1.
- 6. The hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 5 further comprising:
the pinion journal being connected to a engine piston.
- 7. The hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 1 further comprising:
the centerline of the pinion journal being offset from the centerline of the pinion body by and amount Y and the centerline of the internal cavity being offset from the centerline of the carrier body by an amount X.
- 8. The hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 7 further comprising:
the pinion body and the internal cavity having the same centerline; and the carrier body and the output shaft having the same centerline.
- 9. The hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 8 further comprising:
the pinion body being placed in the internal cavity of the pinion carrier; wherein the pinion body and the internal cavity travel in a circular direction about the centerline of the carrier body
- 10. The hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 9 further comprising:
a ring gear having a pitch diameter of PD; wherein X and Y are equal to ½ PD.
- 11. The hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 10 further comprising:
the pinion journal being at top dead center when internal cavity is at top dead center.
- 12. The hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 11 further comprising:
the pinion journal be connected to a engine piston.
- 13. The hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 1 further comprising:
the pinion shaft having two bearing surfaces on opposite ends of the pinion body; the pinion carrier having a bearing hole in the endplate serving as a bearing surface at one end of the carrier body, and a second bearing surface on an opposite end of the carrier body; and wherein the two bearing surfaces of the pinion carrier engage the two bearing surfaces of the pinion shaft.
- 14. The hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 1 further comprising:
the pinion journal being offset from the pinion body; and a counterweight located at the joint of the pinion journal and the pinion body.
- 15. A hypocycloid gear assembly for converting linear energy to rotation energy comprising:
a pinion shaft having a pinon journal, and a pinion body; a pinion carrier having an endplate, a carrier body with an internal cavity, and an output shaft; a ring gear; wherein the pinion body is inserted into the internal cavity of the carrier body and the ring gear is placed over the carrier body; and wherein the pinion journal travels in a purely linear motion and the pinion body travels in a circular direction about the pinion journal.
- 16. A hypocycloid gear assembly for converting linear energy to rotation energy of claim 15 further comprising:
the endplate and the output shaft having the same center of axis; the pinion body and the carrier body traveling in unison in a circle around the center of axis of the endplate, so that the output shaft is rotating on its center of axis and has a purely rotational motion.
- 17. A hypocycloid gear assembly for converting linear energy to rotation energy of claim 16 further comprising:
the carrier body having a window exposing the internal cavity; the ring gear having teeth along its interior surface; the pinion body having teeth on its exterior surface protruding through the window to mesh with the teeth of the ring gear so that the pinion journal is at top dead center when the bearing hole is at top dead center.
- 18. A hypocycloid gear assembly for converting linear energy to rotation energy of claim 17 further comprising:
the ring gear having a pitch diameter of PD; the gear ratio of the ring gear to the pinion body being 2 to 1; the centerline of the pinion journal being offset from the centerline of the pinion body by ½ PD; and the centerline of the output shaft being offset from the centerline of the internal cavity of the carrier body by ½ PD.
- 19. A hypocycloid gear assembly for converting linear energy to rotation energy of claim 18 further comprising:
a counterweight adjacent the pinion journal and rotating on the pinion journal's center of axis to balance the gearing assembly.
- 20. A hypocycloid gear assembly for converting linear energy to rotation energy of claim 19 further comprising:
the pinion journal being connected to a engine piston.
- 21. An engine using a hypocycloid gear assembly comprising:
an engine piston; a connecting rod; a pinion shaft having a pinon journal and a pinion body; a pinion carrier having an endplate, a carrier body having an internal cavity, and an output shaft; wherein the pinion journal is attached to the connecting rod and the connecting rod is attached to the piston; and wherein in operation the pinion journal travels in a purely linear motion and the output shaft has a purely rotational motion.
- 22. The engine using a hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 21 further comprising:
the internal cavity being a cylindrical tube-shaped hole whose centerline is offset from the centerline of the carrier body to form a window in the carrier body to expose the internal cavity, and the remaining portion of the carrier body forming a crescent around the internal cavity.
- 23. The engine using a hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 22 further comprising:
the pinion body having teeth on its exterior surface, the pinion body being inserted into the internal cavity of the carrier body so that its teeth protrude through the window in the carrier body.
- 24. The engine using a hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 23 further comprising:
a ring gear having teeth on its interior surface and placed over the carrier body; and wherein the teeth of the pinion body meshes with the teeth of the ring gear.
- 25. The engine using a hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 24 further comprising:
the gear ratio of the ring gear to the pinion body being 2 to 1.
- 26. The engine using a hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 21 further comprising:
the centerline of the pinion journal being offset from the centerline of the pinion body by and amount Y and the centerline of the internal cavity being offset from the centerline of the carrier body by an amount X.
- 27. The engine using a hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 26 further comprising:
the pinion body and the internal cavity having the same centerline; and the carrier body and the output shaft having the same centerline.
- 28. The engine using a hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 27 further comprising:
the pinion body being placed in the internal cavity of the pinion carrier; and wherein the pinion body and the internal cavity travel in a circular direction about the centerline of the carrier body.
- 29. The engine using a hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 28 further comprising:
a ring gear having a pitch diameter of PD; and wherein X and Y are equal to ½ PD.
- 30. The engine using a hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 29 further comprising:
the pinion journal being at top dead center when internal cavity is at top dead center.
- 31. The engine using a hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 30 further comprising:
the pinion journal be connected to a engine piston.
- 32. The engine using a hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 21 further comprising:
the pinion shaft having two bearing surfaces on opposite ends of the pinion body; the pinion carrier having a bearing hole in the endplate serving as a bearing surface at one end of the carrier body, and a second bearing surface on an opposite end of the carrier body; and wherein the two bearing surfaces of the pinion carrier engage the two bearing surfaces of the pinion shaft.
- 33. The engine using a hypocycloid gear assembly of claim 21 further comprising:
the pinion journal being offset from the pinion body; and a counterweight located at the joint of the pinion journal and the pinion body.
- 34. A method of operating a hypocycloid gearing mechanism comprising the steps of:
providing a pinion shaft having a pinion journal; providing a pinion carrier having an output shaft; moving the pinion journal in a purely linear motion; and converting the pinion journal's purely linear motion to a purely rotation motion in the output shaft.
- 35. A method of operating a hypocycloid gearing mechanism of claim 34 further comprising the steps of:
providing the pinion shaft with a pinion body; and rotating the pinion body around the center of axis of the pinion journal.
- 36. A method of operating a hypocycloid gearing mechanism of claim 35 further comprising the steps of:
providing the pinion carrier with a carrier body having an internal cavity; placing the pinion body in the internal cavity of the carrier body; and rotating the pinion body and internal cavity about the centerline of the carrier body.
- 37. A method of operating a hypocycloid gearing mechanism of claim 36 further comprising the steps of:
placing the pinion journal into the internal cavity of the carrier body when both are at their top dead center locations.
- 38. A method of operating a hypocycloid gearing mechanism of claim 37 further comprising the steps of:
providing the pinion body having teeth on its exterior surface and protruding through a window in the carrier body; placing a ring gear having teeth on its interior surface over the carrier body; and meshing the teeth of the pinion body and the teeth of the ring gear.
- 39. A method of operating a hypocycloid gearing mechanism of claim 38 further comprising the steps of:
providing an engine piston that is connected to the pinion journal.
- 40. A method of operating a hypocycloid gearing mechanism of claim 34 further comprising the steps of:
providing the output shaft having the same centerline as the carrier body such that the output shaft has a purely rotational motion.
- 41. A method of operating a hypocycloid gearing mechanism of claim 40 further comprising the steps of:
providing an engine piston that is connected to the pinion journal.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to provisional application 60/181,112 filed on Feb. 8, 2000.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60181112 |
Feb 2000 |
US |