US740545A - Variable-speed gear. - Google Patents

Description

No. 740,545. PATBNTED 001's, 1903. J. s. FAIRFAX. VARIABLE SPEED GEAR,

APPLIUATIOH PILED JULY 14.. 1902.

H0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 740,545. PATENTED 001?. a 1903.

' I. s. FAIRFAX.

VARIABLE SPEED GEAR.

APPLIC ATION TILED JULY 141-1902- I no Ion'EL. a sEEETs-sEEET 2 PATENTED OCT. 6, 1903.

A J. s. FAIRFAX.

VARIABLE SPEED GEAR.

- APPLIOATION FILED JULY 14, 1902. K0 MODEL. '3 SHEETS-SHEET 3'.

Win/66366. I ZZZ/622L 07."

UNITED STATES Fatented October 6, 1903".

JOSEPH SINCLAIR FAIRFAX, OF. LONDON, ENGLAND.

VARIABLE-SPEED o EAR.

SPECIFICATION formingzpart of Letters Patent N0. 740,545, dated October 6, 1903. Application filed July 14, M302.- Serinl No. 115,457. (No model.)

To (ZZZ whom it may concern;

' Be it known that I, J osEPH S NoL-AIR FAIR- Fax, 2. subject of the King of the British Do-.

minions,whose'post-ofilce address is 37 and 39 Essex street, Strand, London, England, have' invented certain new and useful Improvements in Variable-Speed Gear, (for which I applied for British Letters Patent May 31, 1902, No. 12,321,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates toimprovements in variable-speed gear by which when worked in one direction the revolutions 'per minute from the means of producing it; but to pro-- ventconfusion my invention will be describedas if it were always driven by a central shaft, which is caused to operate certain wheels or pulleys the periphery of which will be considered as the driven part, and the points of novelty relied on will be set out in the claims.

The invention is applicable to the main shaft of quick-running motors, oil, gas, or other engines, but may be combined with'a counter-shaft. It is adapted for driving velocipedes, motor-car or similar road or rail vehicles, machine-tools, or for other useful perposes either by belting or by toothed gearing.

In the further description of this invention reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through a four-speed gear.' Fig. '2 is an end elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section through Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section through a two-speed gear, which is virtually one-half of the fourspeed gear shown in Fig. 1, but with slight changes in the details of construction due to its smaller dimensions. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of Fig. 4 on the frame or support side. Fig. '6 is also an end elevation of Fig. 4 on the opposite side to Fig. 5, but showing a cross-head and slide. movement, explained hereinafter with reference to Fig. 7, which is a similar section to Fig. 4, but with one set of the pinion-teeth removed. Fig. Sis a longitudinal View of a four-speed gear,'(a modification of Fig. 1,) the upper half being in section and the lower half in elevation.

'In all of the drawings pulleys adapted for belt-driving are shown of equal diameter, so thata flat belt may be readily shifted from one pulley to the adjoining one in each two or fourspeed arrangement; but it will be readily understood that the wide flanges may be dispensed with and spur gear-wheels used instead, as shownjn. Fig. 8 andvindicated by pulleys equally apply to spur gear-wheels.

In the drawings, a denotes any suitable form of frame or support to a compound bear ing b, which may either be cast integral with the frame a, as shown on the right-hand side of Fig. 1, or formed separately and fitted therein, as indicated on the left-hand side of the same figure. This compound bearing b is an important part of my invention, and it is bored ,to receive a central driving-shaft c, which is journaled and rotatable therein. The shaft 0 may form the main shaft of an engine or motor or a counter-shaft driven by any other means. The shaft 0 carries a compound pinion cl, secured thereto in Fig. 1, having four sets of teeth (1, d 01 and d, varying in diameter and engaging with the internal teeth of a series of wheels 6, f, g, and h of corresponding internal diameters, each of which forms apart of or is secured to a separate pulley, (indicated by the same reference-letter, as e, f, g, and it.) These pulleys are all'of the same externaldiameter and, as shown, are adapted for belt-driving, the belt being moved by well-known means from the slowest-moving pulleye, for example, to f, the next fastest, andso on to g and h, the ,quickest, or back again, as required. It will be readily understood that the wide flanges of the pulleys may be dispensed with and gear-teeth formed on the periphery instead, as indicated by Fig. 8, if it is desired to drive by toothed gearing, in which case a sliding spur-wheel (not shown) on a shaft arranged parallel with 0 may be brought in successive dotted lines in Fig. 1, and that references to contact with the teeth on e, f, g, and h to be driven at various rates of speed or thrown out of gear by placing it in the wide spaces between the teeth.

To allow the several sets of pinion-teeth to engage with and clear themselves of the internal teeth surrounding them, the wheels e and f (engagingwith d and (1*, respectively) are mounted upon and revolve on an axialline eccentric to but parallel with the axial line on which the pinion-teeth d and (Z revolve. This is done by forming the outside of the compound bearing 1) eccentric to the interior bore for the shaft 0 and fitting thehub of the internal toothed wheel 6 directly on the outside of the bearing 1), so as to turn freely thereon, and similarly fitting the enlarged hub of/the internal toothed wheel f on the hub of e, as shown in Fig. 1.

To allow the parts to be fitted together, the hub of e is prolonged as a sleeve the full length of the bearing l) and the external por tion of the pulley e is secured to the sleeve 6 by a set-screwj or other-suitable means after the portionfof the adjoining pulley has been placed on the sleeve e. The overhanging portion j", which carries the internal teeth meshing with (1 is screwed to and completes the pulley f, and thus the latter has an independent motion and speed from the pulley e, driven by 61', due to the ratio between the numbers of their teeth.

The internal toothed wheel g (being the overhanging portion of the pulley g) meshes with the set of pinion-teeth 01 and the internal toothed wheel h meshes with the set of pinion-teeth d in a similar manner to c with d and f with (P. also similarly connected to their respective internal toothed portions g and h, as before described. Likewisehhasaprolongedsleeve fitted to revolve freely'upon the eccentric compound bearing 1), which is also bored for the prolonged shaft 0 and supported by the frame a. It will be seen, therefore, that the essential elements of my invention consist of a frame or support carrying a compound bearing, in which is a rotatable shaft adapted by its rotation to drive a pinion, which meshes with an internal toothed wheel rotatable on the outside of the compound bearing, the revolution of the pinion being upon an axis eccentric to the axis on which the wheel is rotatable. By combining two such wheels so as to rotate upon the same axis and driving them by two sets of pinion-teeth having diverse diameters and revolving in eccentric relation to the axis of the wheels two speeds are obtainable, both working in the same di rection. An example is given in Fig. 4 which is adapted to drive a motor-bicycle. By extending the shaft 0 and duplicating the other parts (with slight modifications in form and dimensions) the four-speed gear already described with reference to Fig. 1 is produced.

The frame or supports a for a four-speed gear may be made in two distinct halves and The pulleys g and h are bolted together by bolts and nutsa/ and a as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, or formed integral as a base, with the compound bearings 11 bolted on through lugs. Two single bases at, of the type shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7,

may be combined and screwed to a base with an extended shaft 0 through both compound bearings b to form a fou r-speed gear, or when used singly the support a may form a part of the crank case or frame of the engine-motor.

In the two-speed gear shown in Fig. at the overhung portion 6 of the pulley e, which is formed with internal teeth, is made integral with the pulley instead of being in two portions, as in Figs. 1 and 8. The pulleyfand internal toothed portion f. are similarly formed integral, an extended flange fromf being fitted to rotate upon the outer surface of the part e. In this example it is preferred to make the pinion d in two distinct pieces d and 61 which, as shown in Fig. 4, would drive the two pulleys eandfat two different speeds, both reduced from that of the driving-shaft 0; but by removing d as shown in Fig. 7, and fitting the cross-head o to slide upon the flattened sides of the shaft 0 and movable at right angles in the lugs f formed on the face of the pulleyf, Fig. 6, a speed equivalent to that of the shaft 0 is imparted to the pulley f, and a washer c is adapted to keep the parts in place or is formed as c in Fig. 4 for the same purpose.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A variable-speed gear having in combination a stationary tubular bearing, revoluble wheels mounted on the exterior thereof, a revoluble shaft journaled in said bearing, and intervening rotatable means engaging with .said shaft and said wheels, substantially as set forth.

2. A variable-speed gear having in combination a stationary bearing, revoluble wheels mounted thereon having the sameexternal diameter, a revoluble shaft journaled in said bearing and having means to actuate said wheels at diverse speeds, substantially as set forth.

3. A variable-speed gear having in combination a stationary bearing, revoluble wheels mounted on said bearing, a revoluble shaft journaled in said bearing, and between said wheels and said shaft intervening rotatable means having an axis of rotation eccentric to the axis of said wheels to operate them at diverse speeds, substantially as set forth.

4. A variable-speed gear having in combination a stationary bearing, a revoluble shaft journaled in said bearing, a revoluble wheel mounted on said bearing, a second wheel mounted to rotate concentricallywith the first, and intervening means rotatable on an eccentric axis engaging with said wheels and said shaft, substantially as set forth.

IIO

5. A variable-speed gear having in combination a compound bearing, a revoluble shaft ing internal teeth mounted and revoluble on said compound bearing, and a compound pinion mounted on said shaft meshing with said internal teeth, substantially as set forth.

6. A variable-speed gear having in combination a compound stationarylbearingm revoluble shaft journaled therein, a plurality of wheels of the same exterior diameter but each having internal teeth of diverse diameter mounted on said bearing, a pinion secured to said shaft having teeth engaging with said internal teeth, and means to rotate said pinion on an axis eccentric to the axis of rotation of said wheels, substantially as set forth.

7. A variable-speed gear having in combination a compound bearing, means to support the same, revoluble wheels mounted thereon, a revoluble shaft journaled therein, and a pinion adapted to operate said wheels by said shaft in eccentric relation to their axis at diverse speeds, substantiall as set forth.

8. In a variablespe'ed gear, the combination of a tubular bearing, a revoluble member on the outside of said bearing, a revoluble member inside said bearing having an axis of rotation eccentric to that of said out side member, and a frame supporting said bearing in stationary relation to said revoluble members, substantially as set forth.

9. In a variable-speed gear, a compound bearing, a rotatable shaft journaled therein adapted to operate a driving member rotatable on an axis eccentric to the axis of the exterior of the said bearing, substantially as set forth.

10. In a variable-speed gear, the combination of a driving member, and a driven member,with a compound bearing adapted to keep them in rotatable eccentric relation substantially as set forth.

11. In a variable-speed gear; the combination of a driving member, a driven member,

a stationary bearing, and means to keep said driving and driven members in rotatable and eccentric relation to each other, substantially as set forth. I

12. In a variable-speed gear, the combination of a stationary tubular bearing, revoluble wheels mounted on the exterior of said bearing, and means for actuating said wheels at diverse speeds, substantially as set forth.

13. In a variable-speed gear, the combination of a stationary bearing, revoluble members mounted thereon, a rotatable shaft journaled therein, and means for communicating rotary motion from said shaft to said members or reversely, substantially as set forth.

14. In a variable-speed gear, the combination of a stationary bearing, revoluble members mounted thereon, a shaft journaled therein, and a pinion adapted to communicate rotary motion between said shaft and said members, substantially as set forth.

15. In a variable-speed gear, the combination of a stationary bearing, revoluble members mounted thereon, a shaft journaled therein, and a compound pinion, adapted to communicate rotary motion between said shaft and said members, having its axisof rotation eccentric to the axis of said members, substantially as set forth.

16. In a variable-speed gear the combination of two compound hearings in line, one or more revoluble members mounted on each bearing, and a revoluble member jonrnaled in said bearings, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH SINCLAIR FAIRFAX.

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