Abstract:
A device generating pulsed motions comprises: (A) two parallel shafts ( 3; 4 ) each having a longitudinal axis ( 5; 6 ), a rear end ( 7; 8 ) and a front end ( 9; 10 ), (B) a gear unit ( 2 ) comprising at least two gears ( 20; 21 ) where at least two gears ( 20 ) are oval gears and each gear ( 20; 21 ) is connected to a rear end ( 7; 8 ) of the two shafts ( 3; 4 ), (C) two arcuate drive levers ( 30; 31 ) each having a first end ( 32; 33 ) and at least one second end ( 34; 35 ), where each first end ( 32; 33 ) of the drive levers ( 30; 31 ) is connected to one front end ( 9; 10 ) of the two shafts ( 3; 4 ) in rotatable manner about a first axis of rotation ( 11; 12 ), and (E) a drive body ( 40 ) which is connected to the second ends ( 34; 35 ) of the drive levers ( 30; 31 ) in rotatable manner about two second axes of rotation ( 13; 14 ), where (F) the drive body ( 40 ) is a polysomic body.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
   1. Field of Invention 
   The present invention relates to a device having a polysomic drive body for generating pulsed motions in a gas, liquid and/or of a bulk good. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   The patent document WO 99/05435 ABT discloses a gear unit transmitting torques in positive, i.e. geometrically locking manner between two shafts which are connected to the ends of a chain of at least two displaceable connecting links, where this chain is based on the principle of the everted, hereafter invertable links cube (Paul Schatz, “Rhythmusforschung und Technik”, [“Rhythm Research and Engineering”] Freies Geistesleben Publisher, 1975/98, 2 nd  edition}. In one embodiment mode the two connecting links are circular panes or tori allowing converting the kinetic energy of a flow of gas, of liquid or of another viscous medium, into a torque applied to two shafts rotating in pulsed manner. Inversely, a torque applied to at least one rotating shaft may be converted also into a pulsed flow motion of a gas, of a liquid or another viscous medium, however the relative motion of the two circular panes do generate high power dissipation and thereby entail low efficiency. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The objective of the present invention is to offer palliation. Its goal is to create a device generating pulsed motions and comprising a drive body of maximum efficiency. 
   The present invention solves this problem by a pulsed motion generator comprising two parallel shafts each having a longitudinal axis each having a rear end and each having a front end, a gear unit comprising at least two gears being oval gears and each gear being connected to one of the rear ends of the two shafts, two arcuate drive levers each having a first end and each having at least one second end, where each first end of the drive levers are connected in rotatable manner with one respective front end of the two shafts about a first axis of rotation, and a drive body connected to the second ends of the drive levers so as to be rotatable about two second axes of rotation, characterized in that the drive body is a polysomic body. 
   The advantages attained by the present invention substantially are as follows:
         a flow of a gas, of a liquid and/or of a bulk good can be attained with maximum drive body efficiency, and   extensive flow within a large volume of the gas, of the liquid and/or of the bulk good is attainable, or   inversely, the kinetic energy of a flowing gas, or a flowing liquid and/or a flowing bulk good is convertible at maximum efficiency into the rotation of at least one shaft.       

   Accordingly the drive body may be used on one hand to generate a pulsed flow of a gas, of a liquid and/or of a bulk good using motor drives while on the other hand it may be used to generate a shaft rotation by means of the kinetic energy in the flow of a gas, of a liquid and/or of a bulk good. In the latter application, a generator may be connected by a gear unit of oval gears to the minimum of one shaft rotating in pulsed manner. 
   In a preferred embodiment mode of the present invention, the drive body is an oloid in the form of a special polysome design. The mathematical definition of the oloid is given in the work “Rhythmusforschung und Technik:” [Rhythm Research and Engineering], Paul Schatz, Freies Geistesleben Publisher, 1998, 2 nd  edition. 
   The oloid offers the advantages of low impedance, for instance when being used as an agitator/stirrer. As shown by the inversion kinematics discovered by Paul Schatz, the oloid moves like a paddle or like a fish tail fin in the medium to be agitated and as a result generates a rhythmically pulsed flow. 
   In a further embodiment mode, the legs of each arcuate drive lever will subtend a plane. Each first axis of rotation is transverse to the plane which is subtended by the legs of the corresponding drive lever and which contains that drive lever that is connected to said axis of rotation, whereas the two second axes of rotation are situated in these planes. The two second axes of rotation are mutually skewed. This drive lever design offers the advantage that the drive body may be used as the middle link of an articulation based on the principle of inverted articulations, namely that the gas, the liquid or the bulk good shall be moved in rhythmic pulses. The inverted articulation principle is one of the illustrative embodiments of the Paul Schatz inverse kinematics and is comprehensively discussed in “Rhythmusforschung und Technik”, Freies Geistesleben Publisher, 1975/98, 2 nd  edition. 
   In a further embodiment mode of the present invention, the two axes of rotation are apart a distance A. 
   In another embodiment mode, a gap B keeps the first axis of rotation apart from the second axis of rotation at every drive lever. Preferably the spacings A and B meet the condition A=B. 
   Each oval gear comprises a large semi-axis a and an small semi-axis b. The oval shape of these gears then is determined by the fact that two mutually meshing gears will roll on each other in positively locking manner at constant axial separation. The axial gap between two mutually meshing oval gears is composed of the sum of the large semi-axis a and the small semi-axis b of these two oval gears. 
   In another embodiment mode at least one oval gear exhibits a ratio of 1/√2 of its small semi-axis b to its large semi-axis a. 
   In still another embodiment mode, at least one oval gear exhibits a ratio of 1/2 of its small semi-axis b to its large semi-axis a. 
   The two ratios of 1/√2 and 1/2 of the small semi-axis b to the large semi-axis a are appropriate to convert uniform rotational motion for instance of a drive shaft into an irregular rotational motion of the two shafts acting on the drive lever, where said shafts run in rotationally pulsed manner according to the principle of invertible articulations. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention and its further developments are elucidated below as several illustrative embodiments, which are partly shown in schematic views. 
       FIG. 1  is an elevation of one embodiment of the device of the present invention, 
       FIG. 2  is a topview of the embodiment of the device shown in  FIG. 1 , 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective of the drive body of one embodiment mode of the device of the invention, and 
       FIG. 4  shows the development of the drive body of  FIG. 3 , 
       FIG. 5  is a topview of the gear unit of another embodiment mode of the device of the invention, 
       FIG. 6  is a topview of the gear unit of still another embodiment mode of the device of the invention, 
       FIG. 7  is a topview of the gear unit of still another embodiment mode of the device of the invention, and 
       FIG. 8  is a topview of the gear unit of yet another embodiment mode of the device of the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of the device of the invention used to generate a flow motion of the fluid enclosing the drive body  40 . The drive body  40  is designed as an oloid and it is configured in a manner that its central part constitutes the middle link of an invertible articulation consisting of three links. The two outer links are U-shaped drive levers  30 ;  31  each fitted at their legs with two front, free ends  34 ;  35  and at their connection brackets each with one rear end  32 ;  33 . Each of the rear ends  32 ;  33  of the two drive levers  30 ;  31  are displaceably related, hereafter connected, by means of a first axis of rotation  11 ;  12  to a front end  9 ;  10  of two parallel shafts  3 ;  4 . The two first axes of rotation  11 ;  12  are connected in such manner to the drive levers  30 ;  31  that the first axis of rotation  11  connected to the drive lever  30  is perpendicular to a plane  36 ;  37  subtended by the legs and the connecting bracket of the drive lever  30  and in that the first axis of rotation  12  connected to the second drive lever  31  is perpendicular to a plane  37  subtended by the legs and the connecting bracket of the second drive lever  31 . A gap B separates the first and second axis of rotation  11 ;  12 ;  13 ;  14  at each drive lever  30 ;  31 . 
   The drive body  40  is displaceably connected to the drive levers  30 ,  31  by means of two second axes of rotation  13 ;  14  rotatably configured on the front ends  34 ;  35  of the drive levers  30 ;  31 . The two second axes of rotation  13 ;  14  are configured obliquely to each other and apart by a distance A. That distance A in this case corresponds to the gap B. 
   The gap between the two parallel shafts  3 ;  4  follows from the constraint that the drive levers  30 ;  31  and the middle part between the two axes of rotation  13 ;  14  of the drive body  40  designed as an oloid shall constitute the three links of an invertible articulation. The (omitted) rear ends of the two parallel shafts  3 ;  4  are supported in rotatable manner about their longitudinal axes  5 ;  6 . In the embodiment shown herein, only the first shaft  3  in a gear unit housing  15  is connected by a gear unit  2  of oval gears  20  to the drive shaft  16  of the motorized drive element(s)  1 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , the longitudinal axes  5 ;  17  of the first shaft  3  and of the drive shaft  16  are a distance Z apart which corresponds to the sum of the small semi-axis b and the large semi-axis a of the two oval gears  20 ′;  20 ″. Accordingly the two oval gears  20 ′;  20 ″ shall be mutually engaged at any arbitrary angle of rotation. The two oval gears  20 ′;  20 ″ in the gear unit  2  make it possible to convert a uniform rotation of the drive shaft  16  into an irregular, rhythmically pulsing rotation of the first shaft  3 . By selecting in this instance the ratio of the small semi-axis b to the large semi-axis a of the oval gears  20 ′;  20 ″ to be 1/√2, the irregular rotation of the first shaft  3  is able to induce the tumbling and rotational motion of the first drive lever  30  of the invertible articulation. 
   As seen in  FIG. 2 , only one of the two parallel shafts  3  is connected to the drive shaft  16  of the motorized drive element  1  by the gear unit  2  of oval gears  20 ′,  20 ″. 
     FIG. 3  is a perspective elevation of the drive body  40  designed as an oloid.  FIG. 4  shows the development of this oloid. The developed oloid surface  25  is composed of a rectangular middle element  26  and in each case of four quarter-circle elements  27  configured on the long sides of said rectangular middle element. The length of the middle element  26  is l and its width is b, in this instance the width b corresponding to the distance A ( FIG. 1 ) between the two second axes of rotation  13 ;  14 . The radii r of the quarter-circle elements  27  are one fourth the length l, i.e., r=l/4. Furthermore the centers  28  of the quarter-circle elements  27  are configured in a manner that they are spaced apart by the radius r from the ends of the long sides, whereas, on the other long side of said rectangular middle element  26 , two of the centers  28  coincide with the corners between the long and short sides of said element  26  and a further, third center  28  is configured at the half length l of the long side of said rectangular middle element  26 . 
     FIG. 5  shows an embodiment of the gear unit  2  which merely differs from that shown in  FIG. 2  in that both shafts  3 ;  4  are being actuated by means of the unit  2  from the drive shaft  16 . For that purpose an intermediate gear unit fitted with four circular gears  21  is mounted between the drive shaft  16  and a further similar shaft  18  parallel to the drive shaft  16 . The longitudinal axes  5 ;  6 ;  17 ;  19  of the drive shaft  16 , of the second uniformly rotating shaft  18  and of the two irregularly rotating shafts  3 ;  4  are parallel and are configured at the corners of a rectangle having a height Z. The two oval gears  20 ′;  20 ″ transmitting torques between the first shaft  3  and the drive shaft  16  are rotated relative to their semi-axes a; b ( FIG. 2 ) by 90°. This feature also applies to the two oval gears  20 ′″  20 ″″ which transmit torques between the second shaft  4  and the second uniformly rotating shaft  18 . Both pairs of gears  20 ′;  20 ″ and  20 ′″;  20 ″″ are rotationally 90° apart. The number of circular gears  21  is therefore selected in a way to result in opposite directions of rotation for the drive shaft  16  and the second uniformly rotating shaft  18 . 
     FIG. 6  shows another embodiment of the gear unit  2  differing from that of  FIG. 2  by the torque transmission from the drive shaft  16  connected to the drive elements  1  to both shafts  3 ;  4  being implemented by gears  20 ′;  21 ′. Furthermore in this instance the oval gears  20 ′;  20 ″;  20 ′″ are designed in a manner that the ratio of the small semi-axis b to the large semi-axis a is 1/√2. The torque transmission from the uniformly rotating drive shaft  16  to the irregularly rotating first shaft  3  is implemented by mutually meshing oval gears  20 ′;  20 ′″ that are shifted by 90° with respect to their semi-axes a; b. Torque transmission from the uniformly rotating drive shaft  16  to the irregularly rotating second shaft  4  is implemented by a pair of oval gears  20 ′;  20 ″ and a pair of circular gears  21 ′;  21 ″, the torque transmission taking place from the oval gear  20 ′ connected to the uniformly rotating drive shaft  16 , to the oval gear  20 ′″ connected to an irregularly rotating accessory shaft  22 , and from there by means of a circular gear  21 ′ which is also connected to the accessory shaft  22  to the circular gear  21 ″ connected to the second shaft  4 . The longitudinal axes  5 ;  6 ,  17 ;  23  of the drive shaft  16 , of the first and second shafts  5 ;  6  and of the accessory shaft  22  are parallel, a spacing Z corresponding to the sum of the semi axes a: b of the two oval gears  20 ′;  20 ″ being subtended between the drive shaft  16  and the first shaft  3 . The drive shaft  16  and the accessory shaft  22  also are apart by a distance Z. The circular gears  21 ′;  21 ″ assure the required direction of rotation of the two shafts  3 ;  4  and their diameters match the required gap B between the two shafts  3 ;  4 . 
     FIG. 7  shows an embodiment of the gear unit  2  differing from that of  FIG. 2  only in that the torque transmission from the drive shaft  16  to the first shaft  3  is implemented by means of two oval gears  20 ′,  20 ″ and simultaneously there is torque transmission from the drive shaft  16  to the second shaft  4  by means of two oval gears  20 ′″;  20 ″″ and two circular gears  21 ′;  21 ″. The design of both pairs of oval gears  20 ′;  20 ″;  20 ′″;  20 ″″ is such that the ratio of the small semi-axes b to the large semi-axes a is 1/√2. The two oval gears  20 ′;  20 ″ connected to the drive shaft  16  are mutually shifted by 90° as regards their semi-axes a; b. Moreover an accessory shaft  22  is mounted between the drive shaft  16  and the second shaft  4 , and it is connected to the oval gear  20 ″″ and the circular gear  21 ′. The two circular gears  21 ′;  21 ″ assure that the two shafts  3 ;  4  rotate in opposite directions. The drive shaft  16 , the first and the second shafts  3 ;  4  and the accessory shaft  22  are configured in a way that their longitudinal axes  5 ;  6 ;  17 ;  23  are mutually parallel. 
     FIG. 8  shows an embodiment of the gear unit  2  differing from that of  FIG. 2  only in that torque transmission from the drive shaft  16  to each of the two shafts  3 ;  4  is implemented by two respective oval gears  20 ′;  20 ″;  20 ′″;  20 ″″. One oval gear  20 ′ is connected to the drive shaft  16 , two oval gears  20 ″;  20 ′″ are connected to the first shaft  3  and one oval gear  20 ″″ is connected to the second shaft  4 . The two oval gears  20 ″;  20 ′″ connected to the first shaft  3  are rotation-shifted by 90° as regards their semi-axes. Also, the two oval gears  20 ′,  20 ″ (where  20 ′ is connected to the drive shaft  16  and  20 ″ is connected to the first shaft  3 ) are configured in a manner that the ratio of the small semi-axes b to the major semi-axes a is 1/√2 whereas the two oval gears  20 ′″;  20 ″″ (where  20 ′″ is connected to the first shaft  3  and  20 ″″ is connected to the second shaft  4 ) are configured in a manner that the ratio of the small semi-axes b to the large semi-axes b is 1/2.