1. Field of the Invention
The inventions relate to features improving performance of compound archery bows, namely:
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modern compound bows typically include a rigid central, structural riser typically composed of alloys of aluminum, magnesium, and/or titanium, and a pair of resilient bow-limbs variously, mounted, anchored, and aligned extending from the opposite ends of the riser.
Single-cam compound bows have a single, power-cam pulley or bow eccentric (power cam) mounted and supported for rotation typically at the distal end of the lower extending bow limb and an idler or control pulley mounted and supported for rotation typically at the distal end of the upper of the extending bow limb. A power cable with a yoke end presenting a pair of loops typically is anchored around extending axle ends of the idler/control pulley at the distal end of upper bow limb. The other end of the power cable is anchored and journaled for winding around a lobed cam cable race of the power cam as the bow is drawn. The drawstring cable of a single-cam bow typically loops around the idler/control pulley with each cable end anchored to, and journaled for unwinding from around two separate lobed cam cable races of the power cam as the bow is drawn and released for launching an arrow. In some instances the ends of drawstring cable are respectively anchored between the bow limbs with one end journaled for unwinding from around a lobed cable race of the power cam and the other end unwinding from around a lobed cable race of the idler/control pulley. Still other embodiments contemplate looping the drawstring cable around the idler/control pulley and anchoring the cable within the periphery of the cable race dividing the cable into a drawstring segment and a control string segment. [See U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,202, Darlington.] Typically the power cable and the control segment of the drawstring cable (the inside cables) cross ‘inside’ between the drawstring cable segment and the riser. The crossing inside cables can and do often rub against each other as the single-cam compound bow is drawn and released.
Dual-cam compound bows have power cams mounted and supported for rotation at the distal ends of both the upper and lower extending resilient limbs of the bow. Two power cables each have one end anchored and journaled for winding around a lobed race of one of the respective power cams. The power cables typically have a yoke end presenting a pair of looped ends for anchoring around extending axle ends of the power cam on the opposite bow limb. The respective ends of the drawstring cable that launches arrows from the bow are anchored and journaled for unwinding from around lobed drawstring cable races of the respective power cams winding the respective power cables up around the power cable races of the power cams as the bow is drawn. Other embodiments contemplate a binary cam arrangement where the respective power cables each have both ends respectively anchored for winding and unwinding from around lobed cable races of the respective power cams, where, each power cable winds up around one power cam and unwinds from around the other power cam on the opposite bow limb as the is drawstring cable is drawn. [See U.S. Pat. No. 7,305,979, Yehle.] Typically, the power cable and the return segment cables) cross ‘inside’ the drawstring cable segment between it and the riser. As with single cam bows, the crossing inside cables of dual-cam compound bows can and often do rub against each other as the bow is drawn and released.
In both single and dual-cam compound bows the lobed cam races of the power cam upon which the drawstring and power-string cables wind and unwind are configured to vary the force resisting the draw of the drawstring cable of the bow for launching an arrow with the objectives of lessening the force required as the drawstring cable approaches a maximum (peak) draw position, while preserving the stored or potential energy of the drawn bow, and to tailor acceleration of a nocked arrow upon release of the drawstring.
Design aspects that affect performance of compound bows include the mounts securing the bow limbs to the riser, flexure and alignment of the bow limbs relative to the riser and each other such that the drawstring cable and the centerline of the assembled bow share a common plane. Also the bow limbs, power-cams and idler/control pulleys all must be synchronized, tuned balanced and aligned with the objectives of assuring a nocked arrow is accelerated linearly by the drawn drawstring cable upon release. Ideally, the bow limbs should flex evenly without twisting both as the bow is drawn and upon release for driving an arrow. The cam races of the respective power cams of dual-cam bows and the power cam and idler/control pulley of single cam bows should not induce any variances in either the vertical or horizontal positions of the nock position of the arrow on the released drawstring cable it accelerates the arrow from the bow.
Compound bows also necessarily include a cable guard rod mounted on the bow riser extending backward parallel the bowstring plane typically with a translating cable slider that captures the inside, crossing cables and holds them laterally out from the plane of the drawstring cable segment away from fletching of launched arrows. Typically the respective crossing inside cables are captured and in separate variously configured channels milled into solid pieces of low friction, ultra-high-molecular-weight (UHMW) polymer such as POM (Delrin®) or PTFT (Teflon®). However, as compound bows are drawn and released, the locus of the crossing intersection of the inside cables translates both horizontally back and forth and vertically up and down as the bow limbs flex in and spring apart launching arrows. The body of existing cable sliders between the respective milled cable channels capturing the cross inside cables constrain (prevent) the locus of crossing intersection of the inside cables from moving through the sliders, i.e., constrain vertical translation of the crossing intersection of the inside cables to either above or below the horizontal plane of a guard rod on-which the cable slider slides. In fact, as illustrated in
Also the crossing inside cables of most compound bows will rub against each other as the bow is drawn and released. Skewing asymmetrical stresses attributable to cable guard rods with constraining slides, and frictional stresses of rubbing crossing of inside strings compromise compound bow performance.
Compound bow are classified by the M
A single-cam, compound bow is described with the following functional improvements:
a, 5b & 5c respectively present an exploded component view of the cable glider, an assembled perspective view of the cable guider and a left side elevation view of a compound bow with the cable glider secured to a cable guard rod for separating and holding the inside crossing cables to the right side with the drawstring cable undrawn.
a-7c respectively present top, side and bottom views of the male cable slide component shown in
a-8c respectively present top, bottom and side section views of the female cable slide component shown in
a is a right side elevation view of the dual cam power pulley showing the respective power lobe and draw lobe cam configurations of the cable races and cable anchor posts.
b is a left side elevation view of the dual cam power pulley showing the draw lobe cam configuration of the draw cable race and cable anchor post.
c is an edge view of the dual cam power pulley showing the dual cable races of the lobed cams.
a is an exploded side elevation view of a bow limb, an improved limb-top trim structure, and, a swivel washer, a resilient washer and an attachment bolt.
b is a perspective view of the inside of the limb-top trim.
c is an assembled side elevation view a bow limb and the improved limb-top trim, the anchor bolt and washers.
a and 13b are respectively top and bottom plan views of the bow
The crossing inside cables 21 & 36 thread through a pair of spaced parallel glide-axles 41 & 42 of a cable glider 39 secured on the cable guard rod 38 (
Inclining or tilting the respective locus planes of the crossing inside cables 21 & 36 angularly apart precludes the crossing inside cables 21 & 36 from rubbing against each other at the locus of their crossing intersection, i.e. separates the cables. In particular, at the bottom end of the bow 11, the crossing inside cables 21 & 36 are located in a common plane (ideally the central reference plane of the bow 11) as they oppositely wind around and unwind from around the cable race 30 of the power-lobe cam 28 of the dual cam power pulley 17. Likewise, at the top end of the bow 11, the crossing inside cables 21 & 36 are located in a common plane (again ideally the central reference plane of the bow) by the cable race 31 of the idler/control pulley 19 and the yoke end 22 of the power cable 21 with loops 23 anchoring around the extending ends 24 of the axle 26 of the idler/control pulley 16. Also, appreciate that the planes of the respective cable races, 31 of the idler/control pulley 19, 34 of the draw-lobe cam 35 of the dual cam power pulley 17 preferably lie and rotate in a common plane (again ideally the central reference plane of the bow 11). Further, appreciate that the crossing inside cables 21 & 36 are spaced apart in common planes at the respective distal ends of the bow 11. The spaced pair of parallel axles 41 & 42 of the cable glide 39 secured to, or the cable slide 40 sliding on the cable guard 38 holding the inside cables 21 & 23 angularly out from the central reference plan of the bow 11 thus establish inclined locus planes for the respective inside cables 21 & 36 that tilt out from the bow ends at different angles determined by the spacing between pair of glide-axles 41 & 42 around which the respective cables are trained. Accordingly, the loci or paths of the inside cables 21 & 36 spread further apart as they approach the spaced pair of parallel axles 41 & 42 hence preclude any contact at the locus of the crossing intersection of the inside cable 21 & 36 as the bow is draw and released.
As the bow 11 is drawn, the drawstring cable segment 37 unwinds from around the cable race 34 of the draw-lobe cam 35, and the inside cable segment 36 of the drawstring cable 29 (carried around the cable race 31 of idler/control pulley 19) unwinds from around the cable race 30 of the power-lobe cam 28 simultaneously winding up the power cable 21 around cable race 30 of the power-lobe cam 28 of the dual power cam pulley 17. The locus of the crossing intersection of the inside cables 21 & 36 rises vertically relative to the plane of the cable guard rod 38 and translates horizontally backward as the bow limbs 13t & 13b flex together. The parallel inside and outside glide-axles 41 & 42 of either the cable glider 39 or the cable slider 40 separate and hold the crossing inside cables 21 & 36 away from the plane of the drawstring cable segment 37, each being aligned in the respective inclined locus plane of the particular inside cable 21 or 36 and allow the crossing intersection locus of the, inside cables 21 & 36 to freely translate horizontally and vertically up into, around and through the cable glider 39 or cable slider 40 (
Upon release of the drawstring cable segment 37 from the fully drawn position for launching an arrow, the released drawstring cable 29 winds up both around the cable race 34 of the draw-lobe cam 35 and the cable race 30 of the power-lobe cam 28 of the dual power cam pulley 17 as the inside power cable 21 unwinds from around cable race 30 of the power-lobe cam 28 responsive to the bow limbs 13t & 13b springing back to the initial brace position. The locus of the crossing intersection of the inside cables 21 & 36 descends vertically relative to the plane of the cable guard rod 38 and translates horizontally forward freely down into, around and through the cable glider 39 or cable slider 40 (
In short the glide axles of the cable glider 39 and the cable slider 40 supported by the guard rod 38 address and solve primary performance and design issues afflicting “short axle” length or compact “parallel” compound bows, namely stresses vibrations induced by rubbing contact of the skewed-out inside bow cables on release, and constraints imposed by cable guards that limit the location of the crossing locus of the inside cables to either above or below the horizontal position of the guard rod as the bow is drawn and released. (Compare
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
In particular, looking at
Comparing
It should also be noted that respective circumferential lengths of the drawstring cable segments 36 & 37 of the drawstring cable 29 unwinding from, and winding around the respective lobe cam races 30 & 34 of the dual cams 28 & 35 must be equal at all times as the bow is drawn and released, otherwise the nock position of an arrow on the released outside drawstring cable segment 29 will vertically translate up and/or down in the plane of the drawstring cable 29 as it is wound up around the dual cams 28 & 35, powered by the bow limbs 13t & 13b flexing apart, accelerating an arrow from the bow 11.
Turning now to
The skilled compound bow designer should note and appreciate that combination of the limb-top trim structure 82, swivel washer 89 and attachment bolt 91 only couples the slotted anchor ends 14 of the bow limbs 13t & 13b to the riser body 12. In particular, each bow limb 13t & 13bt extends rearward and is comfortably received seating between aligning shoulders 92 of the limb pod cradle structure 81 for flexure around a convex hemicylindrical surface of a limb-pod cylinder 93 seated in the limb pod cradles 81. (See
The skilled compound bow designer should also appreciate that tension of the power and drawstring cables 21 & 29 at the brace position can be completely relieved by simply unscrewing the attachment bolts 91 allowing for field replacement of both the bow limbs 13t & 13b and cables 21 & 29. In other words, it is the combination of the attachment bolts 91 holding the limb-top trim structures 82 receiving and capturing the slotted anchor ends 14 of the bow limbs 13t & 13b for tensioning of the power and drawstring cables 21 & 29 carried by the pulleys 17 & 19 at the distal ends of the bow limbs that allows an archer to disassemble and reassemble the component parts the bow 11 in the field.
In more detail, looking at
The radius of the concave semi-cylindrical relief 94, and the shouldered concave semi-cylindrical ear structures 96 of the limb-pod cradle structure 81 should be selected with reference to the elastic strain or flexure properties/parameters of an anticipated range of resilient bow limbs 13 designed for the particular bow. In particular, a bow-limb flexing around the provided convex cylindrical surface, as the bow is drawn compresses the limb-pod cylinder 93 seated in the cradle structure 81. The compressive response provided by the under lying limb-pod cylinder 93 must be radially and transversely uniform for holding the flexing bow limb without twisting longitudinally well above the top edges of the receiving semi-cylindrical volume of the cradle structure 81.
Polyoxymethylene (POM) plastic blends have been found to be suitable materials for limb-pod cylinders 93. POM plastic blends have strength, toughness, dimensional stability, good machinability, good wear characteristics. POM plastics have modulus of elasticity range of 1.30-3.60 GPa, flexure modulus ranging of 1.10-3.38 GPa, and relatively low coefficients of friction ranging from 0.190-0.300. POM plastics include polyacetal, acetal resin, polytrioxane, polyformaldehyde, and paraformaldehyde and are identified in commercial trade by the trademarks Delrin®, Kepital®, Celcon®, Hostaform®, Iupitaland® and Ultraform®. For example, Delrin® AF Blend is a combination of Teflon* fibers uniformly dispersed in Delrin® acetal resin available from E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company Corporation (DuPont®).
In fact, it was found that properties of a limb-pod cylinder ⅝″, 0.685 inches, in diameter machined from a Delrin® blend of a polyoxymethylene plastic (POM) available from DuPont® synergistically responded to compressive load and release stress of constrained of flexing bow limbs produced for a particular proto-type bow 11. The bow was easy to tune, and comfortable to use. The response both on draw and release was smoother, and shots the were repeatable and more accurate. Post arrow launch vibrations of the bow components were also significantly decreased.
It should be recognized that skilled compound bow designer can specify different configurations for the described mechanisms implementing the invented improvements for compound bows that performs substantially the same function, in substantially the same way to achieve substantially the same result as those components described and specified in this application. Similarly, the respective elements described for effecting the desired functionality could be configured differently, per constraints imposed by different mechanical systems, yet perform substantially the same function, in substantially the same way to achieve substantially the same result as those components described and specified above by the Applicants. Accordingly, while mechanical components suitable for implementing the invented compound bow improvements for may not be exactly as described herein, they may fall within the spirit and the scope of invention as described and set forth in the appended claims.
This Application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/332,508 filed by the applicants 18 Feb. 2009 and claims all applicable benefits under 35 U.S.C. §120. This Application also claims all applicable benefits under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) relative to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/175,419 filed on behalf of the Applicant William C. Dahl II on 4 May 2009 entitled “SUPER CABLE GUARD GLIDE SLIDER FOR COMPOUND BOWS. Both U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/332,508 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/175,419 are incorporated by reference in their entirety into this application.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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5339790 | Smith | Aug 1994 | A |
5368006 | McPherson | Nov 1994 | A |
5720267 | Walk | Feb 1998 | A |
6024076 | Laborde et al. | Feb 2000 | A |
6244259 | Adkins | Jun 2001 | B1 |
6321736 | McPherson | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6446619 | McPherson | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6715479 | Bunk | Apr 2004 | B1 |
6786214 | Andrews | Sep 2004 | B2 |
6792930 | Kronengold et al. | Sep 2004 | B1 |
7308890 | Wheeler | Dec 2007 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20100263650 A1 | Oct 2010 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61175419 | May 2009 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 29332508 | Feb 2009 | US |
Child | 12773564 | US |