Gear Blank Making Patents (Class 29/893.36)
  • Patent number: 8997354
    Abstract: A manufacturing method for a toothed member includes a thickened tooth shaping process in which a toothed shape is formed on a side wall portion while making a thickness of the side wall portion larger than a thickness of a bottom surface portion by relatively moving the compression die with respect to the restraint die and the pressure receiving member in the axial direction from the side of the opening end of the cup-shaped raw material toward the bottom surface portion. The manufacturing method being such that the thickened tooth shaping process includes applying a load against the restraint die such that the restraint die restrains the first surface and the second surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Aisin AW Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daisuke Iwata, Tomoyuki Hori, Naoki Yokoyama, Hiroshi Shibata, Masayuki Maki
  • Patent number: 8925202
    Abstract: A novel method of manufacturing a toothed disc is taught wherein the teeth can be cold formed to a relatively high set of tolerances in a relatively time-efficient manner. A cold-formed disc blank with an annular thickened ring about its periphery is forced through a set of tooth forming rollers which engage the annular thickened ring. As the blank is forced through the set of rollers, the rollers cold forming tooth structures in the annular ring. In some circumstances, the tooth structure can be a final desired tooth profile and in other circumstances, the disc blank may be forced through two or more different sets of tooth forming rollers, each set of tooth forming rollers contributing to the forming of the final, desired tooth profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Magna Powertrain Inc.
    Inventor: John Sabo
  • Patent number: 8910381
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a helical gear, includes a gear cutting process for forming a roughly-processed gear by applying a gear cutting to an outer circumferential surface of a blank, and a tooth surface forming process for forming a tooth surface by pressing a rolling die against a roughly-processed tooth surface of the roughly-processed gear, wherein a length of a portion of the roughly-processed tooth surface, to which a plastic deformation is applied by the rolling die, in a face width direction is formed to be shorter than a length of a face width of the roughly-processed tooth surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignees: Aisin AI Co., Ltd., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinji Kitaoka, Keisuke Atsumi, Koji Takaira, Seiji Hiroshima, Takaaki Shimizu
  • Patent number: 8660684
    Abstract: A method of determining a desired power level (P) as a function of relative tool to workpiece position, thereby enabling adaptive control advantages that were previously inaccessible for machining, such as bevel gear grinding, from solid applications. Preferably, set point power is expressed as a function of specific power (P?, P?) and roll position (Q) for a generated gear or as a function of specific power and plunge position for a non-generated (i.e. Formate) gear. Specific power is defined and preferably remains as defined during machining even as process conditions vary during machining.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: The Gleason Works
    Inventors: Eric G. Mundt, Richard F. Culbert, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8613143
    Abstract: A method of assembling a planetary gearset includes die-forming a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart teeth on a sun gear, a planet gear and a ring gear. Each tooth includes a pair of tooth flanks in a final net form for engagement with mating gear teeth. The sun gear teeth have a conical shape to allow a first die to linearly move relative to a second die after the gear teeth are die-formed. The planet gears are mounted on a carrier. The sun gear and the planet gear are oriented such that the conical shapes of the respective gear teeth taper in opposite directions from one another and the planet gear teeth meshingly engage with both the ring gear teeth and the sun gear teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Magna Powertrain of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Fitzgerald, Burke Smith, David W. Wenthen
  • Patent number: 8601693
    Abstract: A novel method of manufacturing a toothed disc is taught wherein the teeth can be cold formed to a relatively high set of tolerances in a relatively time-efficient manner. A cold-formed disc blank with an annular thickened ring about its periphery is forced through a set of tooth forming rollers which engage the annular thickened ring. As the blank is forced through the set of rollers, the rollers cold forming tooth structures in the annular ring. In some circumstances, the tooth structure can be a final desired tooth profile and in other circumstances, the disc blank may be forced through two or more different sets of tooth forming rollers, each set of tooth forming rollers contributing to the forming of the final, desired tooth profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Magna Powertrain Inc.
    Inventor: John Sabo
  • Publication number: 20130192401
    Abstract: The invention relates to a bevel gear wheel of a bevel gear mechanism, the teeth of which bevel gear wheel have in each case a load flank and a rear flank, wherein the rear flanks have an engagement region for rear flanks of the meshing gear wheel, wherein the outer region, which surrounds the original maximum possible usable engagement region which normally comes into engagement, of the rear flank and an outer edge region of the original engagement region are reduced in terms of the face height thereof such that said reduced regions always remain free from contact and only the remaining, inner, raised region which is reduced in size comes into contact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2011
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Inventor: Michael Potts
  • Patent number: 8424204
    Abstract: A forged composite gear and a method of making a forged composite powder metal gear. The forged composite gear includes a plurality of teeth extending from a core, a first section having a first powder metal material, a second section having a second powder metal material and a variable boundary profile. The variable boundary profile is formed between the first section and the second section, whereby said variable boundary profile exhibits greater tooth wear resistance on the teeth and greater impact resistance in the core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: GKN Sinter Metals, LLC
    Inventor: Timothy E. Geiman
  • Patent number: 8402659
    Abstract: A method for producing an at least partially surface-densified metallic toothed element comprising a densified sintering material, in order to improve a strength profile, a preform of the toothed element being produced with a locally selective oversize profile relative to a final size of the toothed element and being rolled to the final size by means of at least one rolling die, the toothed element being densified in locally varied manner at least in the region of at least one flank and/or one root of a tooth of the toothed element to produce a densified outer layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: GKN Sinter Metals Holding GmbH
    Inventor: Gerhard Kotthoff
  • Publication number: 20130025394
    Abstract: A method of determining an optimized face cone element for spiral bevel and hypoid gears. The form of the root fillet of one member of a gear pair is determined and that from is transferred to the tip of the other member of the gear pair. With the inventive method, tooth root-tip clearance is optimized and the contact ratio is maximized while avoiding root-tip interference between mating gear members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: THE GLEASON WORKS
    Inventor: Qi Fan
  • Patent number: 8307551
    Abstract: A method for producing an at least partially surface-densified metallic toothed element comprising a densified sintering material, in order to improve a strength profile, a preform of the toothed element being produced with a locally selective oversize relative to a final size of the toothed element and being rolled to the final size by means of at least one rolling die, the toothed element being densified in locally varied manner at least in the region of at least one flank and/or one root of a tooth of the toothed element to produce a densified outer layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: GKN Sinter Metals Holding GmbH
    Inventor: Gerhard Kotthoff
  • Patent number: 8302507
    Abstract: A bending state known as “coning,” in which the amount of bending of the flexspline gradually decreases in accordance with the distance from the open end of the spline, occurs in cup-type or “silk hat”-type wave gear devices. A tooth profile in which the tooth depth is kept constant and in which the bottom lands and top lands are parallel to each other along the tooth trace direction is used as the basic tooth profile for the circular spline and the flexspline of the wave gear device. A taper surface is formed on a part of the top land near the open end of the flexspline in the basic tooth profile, whereby a modified tooth profile is obtained. The modified tooth profile is employed as the tooth profile for both of the splines. Both of the splines can be caused to mesh together without generating coning-induced interference. Both of the splines can also be subjected to gear cutting by a simple process using a typical machining mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Harmonic Drive Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Satoru Kanai
  • Patent number: 8215880
    Abstract: An apparatus for extruding helical teeth in a gear blank includes a press including a die plate and a die base, the die plate being movable along an axis relative to the die base, the die base supporting the gear blank. A mandrel, aligned with the axis and moveable with the die plate along the axis, includes a surface that includes helical die teeth. A servo motor drives the mandrel in rotation about the axis to the required helix angle as the mandrel moves axially relative to the gear blank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph A. Szuba, Emilo A. Tonello, Michael A. Cook, Rodney G. Whitbeck
  • Patent number: 7905018
    Abstract: A sintered gear comprises: plural tooth portion having a tooth flank and a tooth bottom land; a high density area formed over entire surface of the tooth portion, the high density area having a density of 7.6 Mg/m3 or more and formed with a depth of 1 mm or more from the surface; a low density area formed in deeper area than the high density area, the low density area having a density of 7.3 Mg/m3 or less; and an intermediate area formed between the high density area and the low density area, the intermediate area having a density gradient in which the density is gradually decreased from the high density area to the low density area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi Powdered Metals Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Junichi Ichikawa, Tomoyuki Kohida, Kensuke Nakata, Tomoaki Arakawa
  • Publication number: 20100319484
    Abstract: A bending state known as “coning,” in which the amount of bending of the flexspline gradually decreases in accordance with the distance from the open end of the spline, occurs in cup-type or “silk hat”-type wave gear devices. A tooth profile in which the tooth depth is kept constant and in which the bottom lands and top lands are parallel to each other along the tooth trace direction is used as the basic tooth profile for the circular spline and the flexspline of the wave gear device. A taper surface is formed on a part of the top land near the open end of the flexspline in the basic tooth profile, whereby a modified tooth profile is obtained. The modified tooth profile is employed as the tooth profile for both of the splines. Both of the splines can be caused to mesh together without generating coning-induced interference. Both of the splines can also be subjected to gear cutting by a simple process using a typical machining mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2010
    Publication date: December 23, 2010
    Applicant: HARMONIC DRIVE SYSTEMS INC.
    Inventor: Satoru Kanai
  • Patent number: 7761995
    Abstract: A gear wheel includes multiple helical toothings, each having a different helical angle. A pressing method for molding a gear wheel involves introducing a compactable material into a chamber of a pressing tool, compacting the material, exposing the helical toothings of the gear wheel, and removing the molded body from the pressing tool. A pressing tool for pressing, as one part, a gear wheel, includes a matrix, cylindrical first and second molding tool parts which can be translated along and then rotated about a longitudinal axis, and a driver coupled to the molding tool parts or driving them. The molding tool parts can be moved towards and away from each other and the inner surface of the matrix delimits the chamber and is shaped to allow a linear axial sliding movement of the compactable material relative to the matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: Schwaebische Huettenwerke Automotive GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Manfred Arlt, Gerhard Subek, Thomas Franz, Christian Reimann, Otto Stock, Anton Eiberger
  • Patent number: 7621047
    Abstract: A transmission shift mechanism for use with a vehicle transmission. The transmission shift mechanism includes a user-operated selector and a sub-assembly operably disposed between said user-operated selector and the vehicle transmission. The sub-assembly includes a torque-transfer member having a first portion and a second portion wherein the first portion is pivotally secured to the transmission shift mechanism about a pivot axis and the second portion defines a section of a substantially spherical surface which is engageably disposed within a non-linear camming slot defined by the transmission shift section. The torque-transfer member takes the form of a molded polymeric body with a sheet metal insert disposed within the molded polymeric body. The second portion of the torque-transfer member may include flats to reduce the volume of polymeric material required in the manufacture of the member. A method of manufacturing such a torque-transfer member or crank arm is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael C. Vermeersch
  • Publication number: 20090205453
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a forged article (10) including a surface (18). The method includes defining a negative tooling pattern (52) based on the surface and providing a tooling set (28) having an anvil (30) and top (36) and bottom die (34). An upper surface (40) of the bottom die conforms to the negative tooling pattern. When the tooling is assembled the anvil extends through the bottom die and defines an axis. Additionally, the bottom and top dies cooperate to define a die cavity (76). A hollow blank (38) is preheated and placed on an anvil and into the die. In a single stroke, the hollow blank is pressed between the top and bottom dies in a pressing direction that is parallel to the axis. The preheating temperature Tw is a function of the homologous temperature ratio Tw/Tm is between 0.62 and 0.80, where Tm is the absolute melting temperature of the alloy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2005
    Publication date: August 20, 2009
    Inventor: Bamidele O. Oyekanmi
  • Publication number: 20080134507
    Abstract: A method for producing an at least partially surface-densified metallic toothed element comprising a densified sintering material, in order to improve a strength profile, a preform of the toothed element being produced with a locally selective oversize relative to a final size of the toothed element and being rolled to the final size by means of at least one rolling die, the toothed element being densified in locally varied manner at least in the region of at least one flank and/or one root of a tooth of the toothed element to produce a densified outer layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2007
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Inventor: Gerhard Kotthoff
  • Patent number: 7111395
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus are described for producing a gear wheel from a powder metal blank (1) which is sintered and pressed with an overmeasure in the flank and root region of the teeth and which in the region of the overmeasure is densified under plastic deformation by the overmeasure by pressing in a counter-toothing (3) of a pressing tool (2) which engages in the toothing (4). In order to provide advantageous conditions it is proposed that during the plastic deformation of the flank or foot region of the tooth, the tip surface of the respective tooth is subjected to a pressure force counteracting an extension of the tooth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2006
    Assignee: Miba Sintermetall GmbH
    Inventor: Christian Sandner
  • Patent number: 7076875
    Abstract: A method is provided for manufacturing a compound helically toothed planet gear for a planetary gear set wherein the individual gear elements of the compound planet gear have different leads. The method identifies and utilizes the several factors affecting gear timing for compound helical planet gears having different leads to provide planet gears capable of attaining equal load share among the several gears of the planetary gear set. Specifically, the method of the present invention utilizes a mounting shoulder and bore axis to provide common locating features for use throughout the manufacturing process The method further provides for bore honing and removal of equal amounts of material from both sides of each gear tooth in the gear finishing process so as not to alter gear timing between the compound gear elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Craig Alan Puetz, Paul Warren Johnson
  • Patent number: 6981324
    Abstract: A differential assembly for a motor vehicle includes a plurality of pinion gears in meshing engagement with a plurality of side gears. At least one of the pinion gears and side gears is formed from a heated tubular preform in a forging die. A method for manufacturing a differential assembly is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen L. Prucher
  • Patent number: 6907764
    Abstract: Methods for manufacturing a flanged article (21) that comprises a central depressed body (27) and a peripheral flange (23) may include press forming a material (10) in order to form an intermediate flanged article (20) that comprises a central depressed body (26) and a peripheral flange (22). Then, the peripheral flange of the intermediate flanged article may be circumferentially squeezed in order to thicken the peripheral flange due to plastic flow caused by plastic deformation. The press forming step optionally may include forming a toothed portion (24) on an inner surface (22a) of the peripheral flange. The squeezing step optionally may include reshaping the toothed portion. Apparatus (1, 2) for performing each of these method steps are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Araco Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kouhei Ushida
  • Patent number: 6868606
    Abstract: In a method of making a rotation-symmetrical gear member, an outer edge of a circular blank is shaped to form a concentric thickened area which extends in axial direction to thereby realize a ring structure. A remaining area of the circular blank is then shaped into a cap-like structure through application of compressive forces by means of a pressure roller such that the ring structure adjoins a sidewall of the cap structure and projects outwardly in radial direction. The ring is then formed with outer teeth in opposition to the sidewall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2005
    Assignee: WF-Maschinenbau und Blechformtechnik GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Udo Friese
  • Patent number: 6826945
    Abstract: A technique for manufacturing a gear rack (5) for a rack-and-pinion steering gear for automobiles makes use of a blank (18) for the gear rack (5) having at least in the latter's toothed area a form deviating from a circular cylinder. Size and form of the cross-section of the blank (18) are selected in a manner that the contour of the finished gear rack (5) in the toothed area (7) does not project beyond the envelope given by the dimensions of neighboring parts of the rack-and-pinion steering gear. The gear rack (5) is formed from the blank (18) by means of tumble-forging. After tumble-forging, the gear rack (5) in its toothed area (7) outside the toothed section has a convex or concave longitudinal profile, which serves to support the tumbling torques during tumble-forging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen
    Inventors: Werner Breitweg, Bernd Koziara, Alfred Brenner
  • Patent number: 6711817
    Abstract: The invention is intended to reduce the installation cost and running cost, minimize the production cost and increase the tooth surface strength of hypoid teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Inventor: Seiichi Kotani
  • Patent number: 6682625
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing profiles formed so as to have different cross-sectional shapes in the height direction, in which a long-sized hoop of workpiece is indexed, a plurality of types of component members having outer contours corresponding to the respective cross-sectional shapes of the profile are formed in a plurality of stages and indexed in the state where the component members are replaced on the workpiece, and the component members are sequentially ejected from the workpiece, laminated into a profile in the final stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignees: Institute of Technology Precision Electrical Discharge Works, Japan Science and Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Shoji Futamura, Chikara Murata, Isamu Aoki
  • Patent number: 6638390
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing polymer/metal disks in a single piece batch size comprises applying a bonding agent to a metallic hub, pressing a polymeric ring over the metallic hub to form a ring/hub assembly, and heating the ring/hub assembly to cause bonding to occur between the polymeric ring and the metallic hub. The bonding agent may either be sprayed or applied directly to the metallic hub. Other methods of application may also be employed, such as dipping of the metallic hub in the bonding agent. The bonding agent is generally an organosilane, although other compounds capable of bonding a polymer to a metallic substrate can be used. The pressing of the polymeric ring over the metallic hub comprises enlarging the polymeric ring and mounting it over the metallic hub. The enlargement of the polymeric ring is typically effectuated either with heat or by stretching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2003
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Bradley J Sizelove, Steven J Schultz, David E. Witucki, Todd Fredrick Jammer, William W Heminghous