WO2009037519A1

WO2009037519A1 - Torque multiplying device

Info

Publication number: WO2009037519A1
Application number: PCT/IB2007/002737
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bruno Adami
Original assignee: Adami, Sara; Adami, Francesca; Adami, Federico; Adami, Davide
Priority date: 2007-09-21
Filing date: 2007-09-21
Publication date: 2009-03-26

Abstract

The invention relates to a torque multiplying device having a first disk (11) rotated by a driven shaft which is driven into rotation by an electric motor; slots (12) are provided on the first disk, for one pin (13) to slide therein, which pin is carried by a swinging arm (15) hinged to a second disk (17) mounted to an output shaft (22). The axis of the slots is angularly displaced with respect to the position of the center of rotation of the swinging arm so that the centrifugal forces produced by the rotated swinging arms create torques depending on the distance of the center of rotation of the arms from the center of gravity of the arms. A phase shifting member is provided for adjusting the relative angular position of the two shafts.

Description

TITLE: TORQUE MULTIPLYING DEVICE

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a torque multiplying device which operates by utilizing centrifugal forces .

The object of the present invention is to utilize the centrifugal force of rotating masses to create and increase an output torque of a shaft of the device .

This and other objects are fulfilled by the torque multiplying device utilizing centrifugal forces according to this invention, which is characterized by the annexed claims .

Features and advantages of the invention will be more apparent upon reading the following description of the device, which is shown by way of example and without limitation in the accompanying drawings , in which :

- Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of the torque multiplying device; - Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device as taken along line I-I of Figure 1;

- Figures 3 and 4 schematically show the operation of the device in two operating conditions .

Referring to the figures , numerals 1 and 2 designate two plates which form, with an annular band 3 , the case 4 of the device .

A hub 5 is attached to the plate 1 and supports , through two bearings 6 and 7 , a driven shaft 8 which is connected by means of a free wheel 9 to an electric motor 10 flanged to said hub 5.

A first disk 11 is mounted to the driven shaft 8, and has five slots 12 arranged radially and equally angularly spaced relative to the axis of the driven shaft 8 .

Each of said slots has a roller 13, mounted on a pin 14, freely sliding therein, which is supported by a swinging mass 15 pivoting about a pin 16 supported by two flanges 16a and 16b which are integral with an output shaft 22 fastened to a second disk 17 by the screws 18.

In the illustrated embodiment, five swinging masses are provided. The second disk 17 is fastened by screws 18 to the flange 16a.

As shown in the figures , there is no continuity between the driven and the output shafts .

The plate 2 has a hub 19 attached thereto, which is offset with respect to the hub 5 and is adapted to support, through bearings 20 and 21, an output shaft 22 which is in turn offset by A with respect to the driven shaft 8.

The second disk 17 is mounted to the drive shaft 22.

Numerals 23 and 24 designate the two axes of rotation of the output and driven shafts respectively, which are at a distance A from each other.

Five swinging masses 15 are provided, which are hinged at 16 to a second disk 17 whose axis of rotation is offset with respect to the axis of rotation of the first disk 8.

The disk 17 acts as a phase shifting member between the driving and driven shafts , as it has five holes 25, a roller 26 carried by a pin 27 attached to the disk 11 being free to slide along the wall of each hole.

The holes 25 shall be at least three in number, arranged at 120° from each other, but the greater their number the smoother is phase shifting with no rattling.

The phase shifting member for the two shafts may- consist, in a possible variant embodiment, of a chain 40 which meshes with pinions 41 and 42 mounted to the driven shaft and the output shaft respectively.

The holes 25 have the shape of an ellipsoid or of two joined circles with respective non coincident centers . The eccentricity of the two offset circles , plus the radius of the roller 26 has to be equal to the radius of the hole .

Such disk with holes and relative pins form a homokinetic joint for transmitting motion between two parallel and offset shafts .

Pipes are provided for lubricating all moving parts .

Numeral 30 designates the other masses, useful but not required for operation, which operation is determined by the angular offset of the swinging masses 15.

The masses 30 are hinged at 31 to the disk 11 by means of a pivot 32.

Each mass 30 has a slot 33 within which a roller 34 supported by the pin 14 can slide.

As better shown in Figures 3 ' and 4 , the centrifugal forces of the five swinging masses are radially oriented and pass through their respective centers of gravity thereby creating a torque which depends on the distance of the swinging masses from the center of rotation of the swinging masses, said distance or length being designated as B .

The total torque will be the summation of the five centrifugal forces for the respective lengths .

As a result, the torque available on the output shaft is higher than the torque impressed to the driven shaft by the electric motor 10 as the centrifugal forces , which are known not to depend on the power applied but on the mass, the square of the circumferential velocity and the range , are considerably higher than the torque applied by the motor . Figure 3 shows the arrangement of the masses without the phase shifting member, with a zero torque resulting from the eccentric masses .

In fact, one torque is zero and the others cancel out in pairs, wherefore the system is in equilibrium. In Figure 4, where the two shafts are offset (in this example by 30°) , five positive torques are shown which are summed together .

While reference has been specifically made herein to the offset arrangement of the two shafts , a coaxial arrangement thereof may be also provided.

While reference has been specifically made herein to a device with five swinging masses and possibly with five supplementary masses , the number of swinging masses and supplementary masses may be other than the one mentioned above without departure from the scope of the annexed claims .

Claims

1. A torque multiplying device, characterized in that it comprises :

- a first disk (11) mounted to a driven shaft (8) , with radial angularly equidistant slots (12) being formed on said disk;

- a plurality of swinging masses (15), i.e. as many masses as there are slots, hinged to a second disk

(17) which is mounted to an output shaft (22) , - each swinging mass bearing a pin or roller

(13) sliding in a corresponding slot (12) of the first disk;

- a phase-shifting member for synchronizing the angular positions of the output shaft and the driven shaft; the axis of rotation of the first disk is offset with respect to the axis of rotation of the second disk.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the phase-shifting member comprises the second disk (17) with holes (25) formed therein, with a roller (26) supported by the first disk (11) sliding along their inner walls .

3. A device as claimed in claims 1 and 4 , characterized in that the holes (25) have a shape obtained from two joined circles with respective centers .

4. A device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the phase-shifting member consists of a chain (40) which meshes with two pinions (41) and (42) mounted to the driven shaft and the output shaft respectively .

5. A device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that five swinging masses are provided.

6. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it has additional masses (30) hinged to the first disk (11) and having a slot (33) with a roller (24) mounted on a swinging mass-supported pin (14) sliding therein.

7. A device as claimed in claims 1 and 3 , characterized in that the distance between the two centers plus the radius of the roller (26) has to be equal to the radius of the two circles .

8. A device as claimed in claims 1 and 3 , characterized in that the holes (25) are at least three in number .