Abstract: A two-speed planetary gear transmission including direct drive connectable by a clutch wherein the input and output shafts rotate together and a second gear drive namely overdrive or underdrive wherein one of the sun or ring gears are held stationary by a brake relative to the casing. A spring which causes engagement of the direct drive clutch exerts its greatest force when the clutch is engaged, it exerts a relatively high biasing force upon initial disengagement of the clutch under the action of an actuating device such as a servo-motor, to thereby assure initially a significantly reduced level of torque transfer at the brake, to thereby provide a smooth gear transition. The spring force then becomes significantly less when the brake is engaged. The forces exerted by the spring in direct drive and by the actuating device in second gear drive bypass rotary bearings which are in motion at such times.

Abstract: A variable speed transmission device of the type in which a first rotatable element is in rolling friction engagement with a second nutatable element having an axis movable in a biconical path about the axis of the first elements. The first element supports a pair of axially movable cone-like members fixed for rotation with the first element and each having exterior surfaces of revolution defined by a curved generatrix to be convex in axial section and converging away from the point of first and second element axes intersection. The rolling friction surfaces of the second element are defined by an interior cyclindrical surfaces and means are provided for adjusting the angle of the second element axis with respect to the first to vary the radii at the point of frictional contact on the cone-like members.

Abstract: An indexing mechanism in which a workpiece to be machined by a tool is attachable to the end of a rotatable spindle that is driven by the reversible motor of a servomechanism to assume a desired angular position. Mounted on the spindle and rotatable therewith is one gear of a multiple-tooth face gear coupling pair, the second gear of which is axially advanced by a motor along the spindle into and out of meshing engagement with the first gear. The second gear is non-rotatable and acts, when in mesh with the first gear, to prevent rotation of the spindle and thereby lock the angular position of the workpiece.

Abstract: In a multi-speed planetary gear including a planet gear carrier connected to one of the primary or secondary shafts, planet gears mounted thereon, each including at least two gear sections at different diameters and at least three annular gears, i.e. sun or ring gears engaging said gear section, each of the annular gears including a friction coupling for fixing the same relative to the casing, and a servo-motor non-rotatatively mounted in the casing for controlling each of the friction couplings. A multi-position control valve controls the flow of pressurized fluid separately to each of the servo-motors. A low capacity high pressure pump delivers pressurized fluid to the control valve and a non-return valve connected in parallel with the low capacity high pressure pump opens when the servo-motor is filled.