Abstract: A transmission ratio selector mechanism for a transmission having two ratio selector couplers both of which must be engaged to provide drive through the transmission. The selector mechanism includes a selector shaft which is rotatable about its longitudinal axis and also axially moveable parallel to its longitudinal axis. Rotation of the selector shaft is arranged to operate one of the couplers via a mechanical linkage including a twin-armed member and a pivoted lever while axial movement of the shaft operates the other coupler via a fluid pressure-operated actuator and an associated control valve mechanism. An interlock is provided to ensure that the fluid pressure-operated coupler is always engaged before the mechanically operated coupler. The interlock comprises a formation which is movable with the shaft and cooperates with a formation movable with the coupler which is to be engaged first.

Abstract: An improvement to a linear actuator (9) having a lead screw (15) received in a drive tube assembly (17) is provided in the form of a bushing (41) mounted on the end of the screw. The outer dimension of the bushing generally corresponds to the inner dimension of the tube. The bushing has a recess (53) formed in one face to accommodate a washer (55). A retaining ring (59) holds the bushing in place. The bushing serves both to prevent contact between the lead screw and tube to reduce noise during actuator operation, and as a positive stop to prevent disengagement of the lead screw from the drive tube assembly.

Abstract: A tiltable marine steering helm assembly which includes a steering-wheel shaft mounted in a universal joint permitting the steering wheel shaft to be tilted at various angles and providing the full rotational movement of the wheel regardless of the tilt angle. The universal joint includes two pairs of yokes mounted perpendicularly to each other, and a coupling operatively engaged by these yokes. The wheel shaft is able to tilt vertically and to rotate freely due to the design of the universal joint. The components of tilt helm assembly may be reconfigured to permit mounting on either a vertical or a 20 degree tilt dashboard. Also provided in a flexible helm cover which can be installed to the helm assembly without hardware.

Abstract: A pair of semi-spherical bevel gears comprising a plurality of gear teeth and grooves radially arranged within an angle of 360.degree. which are formed by driving shaft and a driven shaft through the mutual contact of the pair of semi-spherical bevel gears, and a hollow boss disposed in a gear head of the gears for receiving the shafts therein for forming a hollow portion so as to contain a coil spring, respectively.

Abstract: A bevel gear unit comprising a bevel gear (11), a ball bearing (B.sub.1) coaxially mounted on the shaft of the bevel gear (11) and in contact with the back surface (17) thereof, a double spacer including an inner race spacer (12) and an outer race spacer (13) and mounted on the shaft of the bevel gear (11) behind the ball bearing (B.sub.1), ball bearings (B.sub.2, B.sub.3) mounted on the shaft of the bevel gear (11) behind the double spacer, and a bearing nut (15) screwed onto a threaded portion of the shaft of the bevel gear (11) behind the ball bearings (B.sub.2, B.sub.3). The axial length (l.sub.1) of the inner race spacer (12) is made smaller than the axial length (l.sub.2) of the outer race spacer (13) by a preloading allowance (.delta.), and the outer race spacer (13) is provided with threaded holes (t.sub.1) in the rear surface (f.sub.1) thereof.

Abstract: A jack assembly of the ball screw or machine screw type includes a screw, a nut in driving engagement with the screw whereby rotation of the nut causes the nut or screw to move axially. A nut drive housing in which the nut rotates includes a worm gear transmission which may be driven directly or indirectly by an electric motor. The screw projecting through the nut is enclosed by a screw stem cover mounted on the housing which environmentally protects the screw. The cover and screw move axially relative to each other. In a preferred embodiment, the screw stem cover is made of plastic and is provided with slots extending axially in which are adjustably positioned magnetic reed switches. The switches may be clamped in place by a sleeve type clamp or the exterior of the cover may be flattened in the area of the slot for direct mounting of the switch. The stem cover may also have a flattened area for mounting of the required terminal.

Abstract: A motivational generator which provides vibratory motions for screens, shakers, and vehicles which utilize such motions is described. In one embodiment rotatory motion is imparted to a spinning frame which transmits the motion to two unbalanced chevron-shaped vibratory devices via gears, belts, and pulleys. In another embodiment, the motion of the spinning frame is conveyed to unbalanced chevron-shaped vibratory devices directly through gears. In a third embodiment, the unbalanced chevron-shaped vibratory devices are rotated without rotation of the spinning frame. In the first two embodiments, the spinning frame imparts a gyroscopic effect which stabilizes the motivational generator against vibration in all directions other than the desired back-and-forth direction along the spin axis.

Abstract: A coaxial fine and coarse adjusting device for moving a movable member movably supported on a device body includes a coarse adjustment handle, a fine adjustment handle provided coaxially with respect to the coarse adjustment handle, a bearing member fixed to the device body, a rotation transmission shaft rotatingly supported in the bearing member, the rotation transmission shaft having a pinion for the movement of the movable member, a hollow cylindrical coarse adjustment shaft which passes through the rotation transmission shaft and is rotatably supported by the rotation transmission shaft and the bearing member, a rotatable fine adjustment shaft which passes through the coarse adjustment shaft, a reduction gear train provided between the rotation transmission shaft and the fine adjustment shaft, a first retaining member provided on one end of the coarse adjustment shaft for retaining the reduction gear train in such a manner that it can turn around about its own axis and rotate about the coarse adjustment s

Abstract: A transmission member includes a driving shaft (60) actuated by a control shaft (9), and a driven shaft (3) driven in rotation by a plate (61) provided with a driving thread and a driven thread. The driving shaft is provided with a thread that engages in the driving thread of the plate and the driven shaft is provided with a thread that engages in the driven thread of the plate.

Abstract: An industrial robot with a horizontal telescopic arm unit having an arm casing horizontally slidably mounted on a vertical upright column, a telescopic arm encased in the arm casing to be telescopically moved with respect to the arm casing and in synchronism with the horizontal sliding movement of the arm casing, and a common drive motor causing the horizontal linear sliding movement of the arm casing and the telescopic movement of the telescopic arm via a rotation to linear movement converting mechanism.

Abstract: A toroidal race rolling traction transmission unit has a plurality of rocker arms (10) which are connected by means of a sliding pivot (5) one to each first end of a respective roller carriage (3) and by means of a spherical ball joint (6) including a ball on the rocker and a race at a second end of a respective carriage. The carriage is rotatable about an axis defined by the pivot and the ball joint, whereby movement of the rocker arm causes a change in the transmission ratio.

Abstract: A coupling device for effectuating the coupling of a gearshift rod or bar member which is connected with the transmission of a motor vehicle to a further gearshift rod or bar member which is connected with the shift lever for the motor vehicle. The two gearshift rods interengage at their adjoining end sections, and each possesses a cross-section which deviates from a circular configuration in order to ensure their interconnection being secured against rotation relative to each other. Between the interengaging end sections of the two gearshift rods, an intermediate element serves for the damping or absorption of sounds which are conducted through solids.

Abstract: A linear actuator wherein a load-bearing body or structure made of relatively heavy metal provides for flexibly supporting an electric motor, the output shaft of which is connected, via a belt drive, to a tubular shaft parallel to the output shaft of the motor, and connected in rotary manner, at a first point, to the load-bearing structure and, at a second point, to a plastic element integral with the load-bearing structure; the output member of the actuator consisting of a screw coaxial with the tubular shaft and connected to the same via a recirculating-ball screw-nut-screw coupling.

Abstract: A releasable mechanical abutment consisting of a profile made of a resilient, thin, and elongated material (1, 30, 42, 70, 90, 107) at least partly bent over itself along a longitudinal axis, a force or effort being applied and exerted on ends of the profile, and at least one triggering element (22, 46, 64, 76, 93, 113) adapted for acting generally perpendicularly on one or several determined sections (10, 38, 50) of the profile by creating a deformation of the profile which materializes a preferential flexural zone, in a manner that abrupt buckling of the profile according to the zone and section is such that it does not exceed the resilient limit of the material, and causes the immediate relaxation of the applied force or effort.

Abstract: A closed loop multi-link robotic apparatus is actuated to produce two-dimensional motion with respect to a base member. The base member is coupled to an actuator which, in a practical embodiment of the invention, moves the base member along a part which is rectilinearly orthogonal with the respect to the two-dimensional motion. A correlator, which may be an electronic system, controls the actuator to produce a predetermined composite three-dimensional motion which can be adapted to performed industrial automation tasks. Adjustability of the system is achieved by providing a mechanism for adjusting the length of one or more of the links. Additionally, other elements may be varied, such as an angular relationship between various ones of the rigid links or the angular relationship between an end-effector coupler and the multi-link system. In some embodiments, the changes in link length may be correlated to the position of the actuator.

Abstract: A magnetic clutch has a driving-side rotating member for holding one of a magnetic substance member and a hysteresis member and rotating in asynchronization with a rotary shaft; a driven-side rotating member for holding the other of the magnetic substance member and the hysteresis member and rotating in synchronization with the shaft, the driven-side and driving-side rotating members being spaced apart on the shaft; and a device for regulating the rotation of the shaft with sliding friction caused by viscosity. Alternatively, the driving-side rotating member can rotate in synchronization with a rotary shaft, and the driven-side rotating member can rotate in asynchronization with the shaft.

Abstract: A thin spiral spring drive unit, in particular for a toy car, employs a crown gear in a gear train between an output shaft and a drive shaft on which a spiral spring is wound as a source of the driving force. The unit can be assembled with a small number of component parts, in a simple structure and at lower cost. Simply by changing the direction of the output shaft when it is assembled into a gear box, the direction of rotation of the output shaft may be changed. The crown gear in the drive unit is arranged at a position substantially centeral to the width of a gear box. A pinion is arranged at two positions where the crown gear intersects with the output shaft to be meshed with the crown gear by means of a positioning mechanism. The crown gear is provided on its periphery with a windup gear and with a driving pinion on the shaft thereof so that the windup gear is engaged with a gear at the time of winding while it is directly engaged with a driving gear at the time of driving.

Abstract: A half-nut block containing a threaded bore and a larger, overlapping, unthreaded bore is engaged with a lead screw. The larger bore overlaps the threaded bore so that effectively a half-nut results. The half-nut comprises a face having an acute angle in relation to the lead screw and this angled face contacts the inside of a bearing block within which the half-nut is mounted. The bearing block is slidably mounted on a C-tube which is mounted around and extends along a predetermined length of the lead screw. Also mounted on the C-tube is an arm for transmitting the linear motion of the bearing block to a remote point such as the plunger of a syringe. The arm is coupled to the bearing block at points selected so that transmission to the arm of any wobbling of the bearing block is reduced. The arm includes a lever which engages a cam formed on the half-nut to force the half nut to disengage from the lead screw when the arm is to be moved to a new location on the lead screw.

Abstract: A force-storing actuator for connection to a rotor of a step transformer has a pair of similar levers rotatable about a common axis and having diametrally opposite outer ends, an input element and an output element rotatable about the axis and operatively engageable with the levers, and a latch device for releasably retaining the output element in any of a plurality of angularly offset positions. Respective springs each have one end connected to a respective end of one of the levers and an opposite end connected to a respective end of the other lever and having a middle between the ends. Respective guides movable freely angularly about the axis between the lever ends at generally the same radial spacing from the axis as the lever ends are connected to the middles of the respective springs. Thus the springs each have a pair of sections flanking the respective guide and extending generally tangentially of a circle centered on the axis from the respective spring ends to the respective spring middles.

Abstract: The present invention provides a speed control system for use in maintaining the rotational speed of an output shaft of a power takeoff unit within a predetermined range. A central control unit receives signals indicative of the speed of the input gear and, in response to the received signals engages and disengages the output shaft of the power takeoff unit. The central control unit also disengages the output shaft if the system's voltage levels drop below a preset minimum.