Patent Publication Number: US-2012036949-A1

Title: Planetary chain drive motion converter and method for converting motion using chain drives

Description:
The invention, i.e. both the mechanism-converter and the transformation method, concerns to the area of mechanical engineering, in particular, 
     to mechanisms and methods for conversion, transformation of reciprocal-linear motion of a driving member of a kinematic chain of a mechanism into unilateral rotation of its (of the mechanism&#39;s) drived member, and
 
to mechanisms and methods for summation of motions of several driving members onto a sole drived member.
 
     Both the mentioned problems are simultaneously solved by the invention. 
     The essence of the invention is a planetary chain-drive in which
     (1) its chain is its driving member,   (2) the chain is moved reciprocal-linearly by a pusher directly and/or by carriers through the satellite sprockets, which are placed on the carriers and create mobile/dynamic closing of the chain contour, and   (3) separate parts of the chain move with different speeds—all these are essentially new for the theory of machines and mechanisms.   

     For transformation of reciprocal-circular, i.e. oscillatory, swing motion into interrupted monotonous rotation can be used a freewheel which within the limits of the technology state is used to prevent spontaneous drive of rotation from drived elements back to driving ones. 
     In the technology state the invention has analogues by several factors—by functional ones and by constructive one. 
     The most close analogue by the functional factor of motion transformation is the rack-gear gearing in combination with a free-wheel, that has smaller functional abilities comparing with the invention as it will be shown from the further description. 
     The most widely applied functional analogue, in particular, in piston engines, is the crank-drive mechanism. The main its lacks, deficiencies are
         the loss of a part of the effort transferred, on the average during its working course, from a leading sliding-block, from an engine piston, that results in decrease in efficiency too, and   the presence of dead points that results in the full loss of this effort nearby these points and in mechanism jamming.       

     A constructive imperfection of this mechanism is principle limitation of its sliding-block course: it cannot be longer than the doubled length of its crank; this also results in decrease in the efficiency. 
     The similar task to convert, to transform the oscillating (reciprocal circular, rotational) motion into the unilateral rotation is solved by means (of using) of, four-bar-linkage with driving/leading rocker and a driven/conducted crank, in particular, in a manual drive of an invalid wheelchair. The same imperfections are inherent in this device as in crank-drive one. 
     The closest functional analogue by motions summation is the planetary tooth gearings. But only rotations can be summed by it, not straight linear motions. 
     The closest constructive analogue is a chain-drive. But the chain-drive can only transmit rotation, and can neither convert, transform linear motions nor sum them. 
     The technical problem, solved by the invention, can be formulated as creation of a mechanism and a method for convertion/transformation of reciprocal-linear motion of a driving member of a mechanism kinematic chain into unilateral rotation of this mechanism&#39;s driven member, and for summation of reciprocal?linear motions of several driving members onto one driven member. 
     The essence of the invention is transformation/convertion of linear motion into circular one by means of chain-sprocket toothing/gearing, i.e. transformation of a chain of a chain-drive into the driving member instead of an intermediate/auxiliary linking member of the chain-drive. 
     The technical result, which can be received by means of the invention, is (1) summation of several simultaneous reciprocal-linear motions, without some principle restrictions on their directions and forms of their trajectories; motions made either manually or mechanically, for example, by a piston of a piston engine, and also (2) transformation of the summarized reciprocal-linear motion into unilateral rotation with or without idling. 
     This result is realized due to transformation of reciprocal-linear motions into unilateral rotation by means of free-wheel; at that reciprocal-linear motion of at least one driving element of a chain of at least one working chain-drive is transformed into reciprocal rotation of at least one working chain-wheel of this chain-drive; and further, by means of at least one free-wheel, the reciprocal rotation is transformed into unilateral rotation of at least one executive element. 
     The invention allows to intensify energy output at muscular drive due to liquidation of necessity/inevitability of unproductive/auxiliary/idle motions, and due to possibility to increase usage of working motions, and also allows to raise efficiency of a machine drive, in particular—comparing with a crank-drive transformer, which is most widely applied now, and, under certain conditions,—comparing also with a turbine drive, so that it can be used for drive of many devices, in particular, for muscular
         transport devices/vehicles with 2-3-4- and more, up to 6-8, wheels,   propeller screw swimming devices,   health and sport traing devices, electrogenerators, pumps, etc.—for energetic devices, motion sources, piston engines   chemical—burning, oxidation—both of external and of internal combustion,   physical—nuclear splitting, etc.       

     In one of the mechanisms representing the invention, the driving chain  2  is moved by a constructive element  6  which is rigidly fixed with the driving chain  2 , and which is further named “a pusher”. 
     In another mechanism, representing the invention, the driving chain  2  is moved by a constructive element  4 , named further “a carrier”, connected with the driving chain  2  through a pair of sprockets  5 , named further “satellites”, which axes are fixed on the carrier  4 ; sprockets  5  are toothed with the driving chain  2  on the “external” side of its contour, i.e. on the side opposite to the working sprocket  10 ; so a mobile/dynamic closing of the driving chain  2  contour is made; so the speed of various branches of the driving chain  2  are various; and such a chain-drive, i.e. a complex a chain and all sprockets toothing it, with such a closing are named further “planetary chain-drive”. 
     In another mechanism, representing the invention, the driving chain  2  is moved by at least two carriers  4 . 
     In another mechanism, representing the invention, at least two driving chains  2  are set in motion by one carrier  4 . In another mechanism, representing the invention, the motion is transmitted from the driving chain  2  onto an executive element  7  by means of an auxiliary chain  13 ; at that the motion is transmitted onto the chain  13  by means of two pairs of coaxial sprockets  14 ,  16  and  15 ,  17 , and each of these pairs connect among themselves through a freewheel  9 , at that sprockets  14 ,  15  are toothed with the driving chain  2  on the different sizes of its contour, and the freewheel  9  are directed equally. 
     In another mechanism, representing the invention, the motion is transmitted from the driving chain  2  onto an executive element  7  by means of an auxiliary chain  13 ; at that the motion is transmitted onto the chain  13  by means of two pairs of coaxial sprockets  14 ,  16  and  15 ,  17 , and each of these pairs connect among themselves through a freewheel  9 , at that sprockets  16 ,  17  are toothed with the auxiliary chain  13  on the different sizes of its contour, and the freewheel  9  are directed contrary. 
    
    
     
       The claimed solutions are explained by following figures of drawings, where 
       on the  FIG. 1  the kinematic scheme of a usual chain-drive, known in the technics state, is shown for comparison; 
       on the  FIG. 2  the kinematic scheme of the simplest, base variant of the invention is shown; 
       on the  FIG. 3  the kinematic scheme of a rack-gear-drive, known in the technics state, is shown for comparison; 
       on the  FIG. 4  the scheme of an invalid wheel-chair with a handle-chain-drive is shown as an example of practical using of the base variant of the invention; 
       on the  FIG. 5  the kinematic scheme of a planetary chain-drive is shown; 
       on the  FIG. 6  the kinematic scheme of an invalid-chair with a handle-chain-drive is shown as an example of practical using of the planetary chain-drive; 
       on the  FIG. 7  the kinematic scheme with two chain-drives moved by a sole pusher in order to eliminate from idlings is shown; 
       on the  FIG. 8  the scheme similar to the  FIG. 7  is shown, but it is with rack-gear toothing, that shows the ability to realize the invention not only by means of chain-drives; 
       on the  FIG. 9  the scheme similar to the  FIG. 7  is shown, but it is with two piston engines that shows advantages of the invention, in particular—the absence of constructive restrictions both on a quantity of pistons, and on a length of their course; 
       on the  FIG. 9  the scheme similar to the  FIG. 7  is shown, but there is an engine here with two pistons instead of four, that shows advantages of the invention, in particular—the absence of constructive restrictions both on a quantity of pistons, and on a length of their course; 
       on the  FIG. 10  the scheme is shown which can be used in order to eliminate from idlings and which has an auxiliary chain and free-wheels directed equally; 
       on the  FIG. 11  the scheme of a manual-drived invalid-chair is shown with an auxiliary chain and two free-wheels directed contrary; 
       on the  FIG. 12  the kinematic scheme of a planetary chain-drive with two carriers is shown; 
       on the  FIG. 13  the kinematic scheme similar to the  FIG. 12  is shown in order to show that using of rack-gear-drives involves constructive restrictions; 
       on the  FIG. 14  the modification to the  FIG. 12  with carriers moving along not parallel trajectories is shown; 
       on the  FIG. 15  the modification to the  FIG. 12  with a carrier moving not translationally is shown; 
       on the  FIG. 16  the kinematic scheme with the driving chain which is moved by both a pusher and a carrier is shown; 
       on the  FIG. 17  the kinematic scheme with a doubled carrier which is moved by pistons of 4-stroke 2-cylinder internal-combustion engine is shown, i.e. a functional substitution for a crank mechanism; 
       on the  FIG. 18  the kinematic scheme is shown with a tripled carrier which is moved by a cylinder of a piston engine with a piston fixed on a mechanism frame, i.e. a functional substitution for crank mechanism too; 
       on the  FIG. 19  the kinematic scheme is shown with three carriers, two of which can alternately be fixed rigidly either on a frame, i.e. be fully braked, or be fixed with a rod of a piston engine, that allows to regulate in steps the speed of an executive element and that is a functional equivalent of a transmission box; 
       on the  FIG. 20  a scheme of the simplest constructive variant of such transmission box by means of two latches is shown; 
       on the  FIG. 21  a kinematic scheme for a floating device with muscular drive using the invention. is shown. 
     
    
    
     The essence of the invention, of the claimed solution consist in
         the toothing chain-sprocket is used instead of the rack-gearing, that allows to expand functional abilities of the converter-summarizer, diminish its sizes and increase its constructive flexibility;   for the first time a chain of chain-drive becomes its driving member but not its intermediate member;   for the first time a physically unfastened chain is used with a dynamical, mobile, planetary closing;   an auxiliary chain is included into the converter-summarizer; rotation is passed to the auxiliary chain through two freewheels, that allows to be released from idlings.       

     The variants of the mechanism, illustrating here abilities of the invention realizing and advantages of its using, are not limiting for the invention. 
     In the  FIG. 1  the kinematic scheme of an usual chain-drive, known in the technology state, is shown for comparison with the invention; here
     (1) rotation is transmitted by a chain  2  from a driving sprocket Z to all other sprockets;   (2) the driving sprocket Z is rotated by a shaft on which it is fastened; and   (3) axes of all sprockets are motionless concerning a frame  1  of the kinematic scheme or, that is the same, of the mechanism frame.   

     In the  FIG. 2  the kinematic scheme of a mechanism variant is shown, which is the base, simplest in the invention; here
     (1) the chain  2  is driving, and all sprockets are driven;   (2) the driving chain  2  is moved reciprocally (i.e. has back-and-forth motion) by a pusher  6 ; on the  FIG. 2  the pusher  6  is shown as a slider, moving rectilinearly and translationally, but in principle the pusher  6  can move both not rectilinearly and not as translation, as it will just be shown further;   (3) reciprocal-rotary motion, swing rotation of the working sprocket  10  is transformed into the interrupted unidirectional rotation of a driving member of the executive device at its transfer through a free-wheel  9 .   

     In the  FIG. 3  a similar transformer with the rack-gear toothing is shown in order to compare with the chain-sprocket, i.e. known in technology state. Each of these two constructive variants, shown in the  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , has its advantages and deficiencies. Which one of them is preferable depends on what specific technical problem is solved. 
     In the  FIG. 4  an example of practical application of the basic variant of the invention according to the  FIG. 2  is shown, namely—for muscular drive of a wheelchair. Here the working wheel  7  of the wheelchair  1 , the executive part of the mechanism, rotates counter-clockwise when the pusher  6  moves to the left, along the arrow, and continues to move by inertia when the pusher  6  moves backwards, to the right,—at idling. A working sprocket  10  and a free-wheel  9  are placed coaxial to the wheel  7 . [Such a using of the invention will allow to an invalid-wheelchair-driver to move fast as a runner, for the construction eliminates non-ergonomic motions.] 
     In the  FIG. 5  a variant of the invention with a planetary-chain-drive is shown; in contrast to the basic variant according to  FIG. 2 , here the driving chain  2  is opened/torn and its ends are fixed rigidly to the frame  1 , at that a pusher  6  is replaced by a carrier  4 ; at that speed of the driving chain  2  in its section  2 - 1  is zero, while it is equal to the twice speed of the carrier  4  in its working section  2 - 2 . 
     In the  FIG. 6  a variant of the planetary-chain-drive as application for a wheelchair is shown; that will allow to a user to move in 2 times faster comparing with the variant according to  FIG. 4 , if all the rest factors are saved as in the  FIG. 4   
     In the  FIG. 7  a variant of the invention is shown, where in contrast to the basic variant according to  FIG. 2  and applying to cases when a device, driven by the claimed converter, has a twofold executive part, like as a railway-locomotive has more than one axis of moving wheels, the release of idling can be gotten by doubling of the basic converter mechanism according to  FIG. 2 . At that the pushers  6 , transmitting the motion from a rod  8  to both driving chains  2 , are fixed to the opposite branches of the identical driving chains  2 ; so in the variant of  FIG. 7  the pusher  6 - 2  is fixed to the upper branch of a driving chain  2 - 2 , and the pusher  6 - 1  is fixed to the lower branch of a driving chain  2 - 1 . The available length of the piston  11  stroke in the cylinder  12  is not here depends on the diameter of the wheels  7 ; that allows to lengthen the stroke and so improve the efficiency of the machine. R here is the Rail-road. To reverse the locomotive in this version, each of the (two) freewheels  9  can be doubled with coaxial one, oriented oppositely and divided from the first one by a branch/joint sleeve. 
     In the  FIG. 8  a variant of the mechanism according to  FIG. 7  is shown, where both chain-sprocket gearing replaced with rack-gear ones similar to the variant according to  FIG. 3 . This variant is nevertheless beyond the limits of the technology level, unlike the variant of  FIG. 3 . 
     In the  FIG. 9  a variant of the mechanism according to  FIG. 7  is shown, where a rod  8  of a piston engine is driven by two pistons  11 . Number of pistons  11  and of cylinders  12  is in principle not limited. This variant of the invention is applied to the 4-stroke internal combustion engine; the numbers 1÷4 denotes the order of the combustion chambers at the performance of the same phases of the working cycle. 
     In the  FIGS. 10 ,  11  variants of the invention are shown allowing to release from idling for a device having a single executive part, like a wheelchair, in contrast to the devices in  FIG. 7 . Here, motion is transmitted from the driving chain  2  to the executive element, to the wheel  7  coaxial with the working sprocket  10  through an auxiliary chain  13 . Two driven working sprockets  14 ,  15  are toothed with the driving chain  2  instead of one working sprocket  10 . 
     Then rotation is transmitted to the sprockets  16 ,  17  which are coaxial with the sprockets  14 ,  15  and are driving for the auxiliary chain  13 . At that sprockets of one of the two pairs of sprockets—either a pair of  14 ,  15 , or a pair of  16 ,  17 —are toothed an opposite sides of the contour of one of the chains: either of the driving chain  2  or of the auxiliary chain  13  and, respectively, the sprockets of this pair rotate in the opposite directions. If the pair of  14 ,  15  is on the opposite sides of the driving chain  2  contour, as it is shown in  FIG. 10 , so the freewheels  9  are set in the same direction. If the pair of  16 ,  17  is on the opposite sides of the auxiliary chain  13  contour, as it is shown in  FIG. 11 , so the freewheels  9  are set in the opposite directions. The auxiliary chain  13  can be used simultaneously as a speed variator which is not beyond the technology state. 
     In the  FIG. 12  a variant of the invention is shown for a case when the working sprocket  10  is driven through the driving chain  2  by several carriers  4 ; the quantity of carriers  4  is in principle not limited; in the  FIG. 12  there are two of them. Speed of the driving chain  2  at its working branch, toothing the working sprocket  10 , is as the double sum of all carriers  4  speeds. 
     In the  FIG. 13 , for comparison with  FIG. 12 , a functionally similar variant of the summarizer-converter with rack-gear is shown, i.e. the variant is in the limits of the technology level; the rack-gear can be placed on the slider, which is the final one in a series of sliders. Here, however, driving sliders can move only parallel to each other, that makes constructive restrictions. 
     The  FIGS. 14 ,  15  are modified variants of the invention variant given in the  FIG. 12 ; they show advantages of the invention, comparing with a variant of  FIG. 13 ;  FIG. 14  shows the constructive freedom, due to non-requirement for carriers  4  to move parallel to each other;  FIG. 15  shows that carriers  4  can move neither rectilinearly nor as translation too; total length of sprockets intercenter distances becomes variable, that is why a tension sprocket  19  can be needed. 
     In the  FIG. 16  a variant of the invention is shown, where the motions of both a pusher  6  and a carrier  4  are summarized. At the full braking of the pusher  6  with section  2 - 2  of the driving chain  2 , the speed of its working section  2 - 3  is equal to twice speed of the carrier  4 ; at the full braking of the carrier  4 , the satellite sprockets  5  become usual fulcrum sprockets  3 , and the speed of the driving chains  2  at its working section  2 - 3  becomes equal to the speed of the pusher  6 ; at the work of both these driving elements, i.e. the pusher  6  and the carrier  4 , the speed of the working section  2 - 3  is equal to the sum of the speed of the pusher  6  and double speed of the carrier  4 . Transport devices with this type of muscular drive will have advantages over both wheel devices with drive of treadle type and natatorial devices of rowing type. 
     In the  FIG. 17  a variant of the invention is shown as applied to the 4-stroke internal combustion engine with two cylinders. Here the speed of the driving chain  2  at its working branch, in the zone of its toothing with sprockets  14 ,  15 , is 4 times greater than the speed of doubled carrier  4  or of the piston  11 , that allows to soften its working regime. The other advantages of this variant of the engine are
         equability of the force transduction to the working sprocket  10  from the piston  11  during length of its working stroke,   lack of constructive limits on the stroke length,   the possibility to reduce the number of cylinders  12  by placing two combustion chambers in each cylinder.       

     In the  FIG. 18  a variant of the invention is shown as applied to a steam machine capable to replace the steam turbine in force and power units. It is shown here also, that
         satellite sprockets  5  can be of different sizes;   a carrier  4  can be moved by a cylinder  12  while a piston  11  is moveless;   the relation between speeds of the cylinder  12  and a working section of the driving chain  2  can be adjusted constructively due to number of satellite pairs on a carrier  4  which is limitless, that is shown conditionally by breaks of the driving chain  2  and the carrier  4 .       

     In the  FIG. 19  the variant of the invention is shown as applied to a piston engine with three carriers  4 , two of which,  4 - 2 ,  4 - 3  can be braked, and so only the carrier  4 - 1  works and the working section of the driving chain  2  moves with the double speed of the engine piston; if only the carrier  4 - 3  is braked, and the carrier  4 - 2  is connected with the engine piston through the carrier  4 - 1 , the working section of the driving chain  2  moves with the speed of 4 times more than speed of the engine piston; if all the three carriers moves the working section of the driving chain  2  moves with speed of 6 times more than speed of the engine piston, i.e. this variant realizes a gear-box function. In the  FIG. 20  the simplest variant of such gear-box with two latches  18  is shown. 
     In the  FIG. 21  the variant of the invention is shown as applied to the natatorial device with a muscular drive for a rowing screw  19  which has such advantages over an oar drive, as:
     (1) ability to pass narrow channels where oars rest on coast,   (2) ability to place an oarsman with his face to a course of the boat,   (3) ability of continuous drive of the screw  19 —without idling.   

     There are two conic gearings  20 ,  21  here and a chain-drive with sprockets  23 ,  24  and a chain  25  transmit motion to the screw  19  across a board of the device, and cylindrical toothing  26  allows to turn the rowing screw  19  for maneuvering.