Gear Tooth Shape Generating Patents (Class 409/10)
  • Patent number: 9512898
    Abstract: A worm gear mechanism (44) comprises a worm (70) and a worm wheel (80) meshed with the worm. In the teeth of a hob (90) used for the gear cutting of the worm wheel, at least the addendum surfaces (91c) are formed into arcuate shapes. The radial centers (93) of the arcs of the addendum surfaces are positioned nearer to a center line (WL?) of the hob than a pitch line (94) of the hob. The worm wheel is cut into a gear by the hob. The worm is formed into the same shape as the hob. The recess meshing length (L) of the worm gear mechanism is designed to be greater than the recess meshing length (Llim) of a conventional worm gear mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yosuke Tanaka, Yasuo Shimizu
  • Patent number: 9440299
    Abstract: The invention relates to method of manufacturing a multiple of identical gears by means of cutting machining, in particular hob cutting or hob grinding, on a gear-cutting machine, wherein workpieces are machined by means of a rotating tool which is brought into engagement with the workpiece via the control of NC axes of the gear cutting machine. In accordance with the invention, deviations from workpiece to workpiece are compensated by a respective different control of at least one of the NC axes of the gear cutting machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Oliver Winkel, Erwin Bodenmüller
  • Publication number: 20150043984
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an apparatus as well as to a method for the manufacture or processing of large tooth systems for internal or external teeth or large cogs in small production runs, wherein at least two machining methods are used with the aim of a complete machining of precision-relevant surfaces at these workpieces and while realizing production times which are as short as possible.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Inventor: Thomas Zeller
  • Publication number: 20140090503
    Abstract: A gear includes teeth 3 to be engaged with teeth of a corresponding gear to transmit a rotational motion, in which a form (b) of a tooth root side of each tooth 3 includes: a first curved surface c which smoothly connects with a tooth surface a having an involute curve and has a profile represented by a curve which is convex in a direction opposite to the involute curve of the tooth surface a; and a second curved surface d which smoothly connects with the first curved surface c and has a profile defined by a quadratic function having a curve being convex in the same direction as that of the first curved surface c. Therefore, a stress generated on the tooth root side at the time of engagement with the teeth of the corresponding gear can be reduced, and the strength of the teeth can be increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2013
    Publication date: April 3, 2014
    Applicant: ENPLAS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenji OHMI
  • 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.
  • Publication number: 20130336739
    Abstract: The invention concerns a method of generating gear teeth, wherein a workpiece which is to receive a toothed profile and a cutting tool are advanced toward each other in a rolling feed motion until each tooth flank of the gear profile has been generated after several passes of the tool, wherein in each pass a cut surface containing at least one flank cut is generated on the workpiece, wherein an auxiliary motion is superimposed on the rolling motion, which has the effect that the flank cuts generated in at least two immediately consecutive passes will be connected to each other. In addition, the invention also concerns a gear-cutting machine with the requisite control features to perform the method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: GLEASON-PFAUTER MASCHINENFABRIK GMBH
    Inventors: Juergen Kreschel, Claus Kobialka
  • Patent number: 8567039
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a machine tool and a corresponding process for machining a workpiece by means of one or more tools controlled by means of control data, the machine tool comprising at least 5 simultaneously controllable axes. A control device being suited to control the tool supported in a support means by means of the control data along a tool path to remove material from the workpiece clamped in a clamping means. The machine tool being suited to machine a first workpiece to provide the first workpiece with a first gearing, the first workpiece being a counter piece to a second workpiece having a second gearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Deckel Maho Pfronten GmbH
    Inventors: Josef Neumaier, Thomas Lochbihler, Uwe-Carsten Hansen
  • Publication number: 20130094917
    Abstract: A gear shaping machine is provided. The gear shaping machine includes a pair of horizontally reciprocating gear shaping heads mounted to a column. Each gear shaping head includes a spindle assembly including an integral rotary drive for indexing the spindle. The spindle assembly is carried by a spindle slide. The spindle slide also carries a plurality of bearing blocks to allow for sliding movement of the gear shaping head relative to rails mounted on the column. A linear drive arrangement is operably coupled between each gear shaping head and the column. The linear guide arrangement allows for controlled linear translation of each gear shaping head independently of one another. Each gear shaping head also includes a back-off mechanism for independently moving the spindle assembly toward the workpiece during a cutting stroke and away from the workpiece during a return stroke of each gear shaping head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Publication date: April 18, 2013
    Applicant: BOURN & KOCH, INC.
    Inventors: Loyd L. Koch, Hans Grass, Wayne Densmore
  • Publication number: 20130071197
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for skiving first and second work pieces using the same skiving tool to machine both work pieces. Flank cutting edges of the skiving tool subjected to a stronger load during machining of the first work piece are subjected to a lesser load during machining of the second work piece and vice versa. Accordingly, a substantially uniform load is subjected to both flank cutting edges overall, resulting in improved uniformity of wear to both flank cutting edges.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Inventors: Hartmut Marx, Olaf Vogel
  • 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
  • Publication number: 20120230791
    Abstract: Method and apparatus wherein the front machining of a gear blank (40) are carried out on a CNC bevel gear generating machine (44) utilizing the motions available in such machines with minimal modifications to the existing machine tool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: THE GLEASON WORKS
    Inventors: Hermann J. Stadtfeld, Mark J. Boch, William G. Landry, Andrew S. Price, Joseph A. Courtney, Markus J. Bolze
  • Publication number: 20120189395
    Abstract: A machine for making gears. The machine comprises a piece-holder unit and an operating unit equipped with an operating head provided with at least one tool for machining a piece. Moreover, one piece-holder unit and the operating unit are provided with relative motion with respect to each another in a direction. The machine is characterized in that the operating unit is suitable to move, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction, and in that the tool is mounted on a slide provided with a tangential motion defined by a direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2010
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Inventors: Artemio Affaticati, Vito Perrone
  • Publication number: 20120180277
    Abstract: A machine for making gears. The machine comprising at least one piece-holder table, which is mounted to rotate about a given first longitudinal axis thereof, and supports a piece being machined; and at least an operating head, which is provided with at least one tool for machining the piece. The machine is characterized in that the piece-holder table and the operating head are provided with relative motion with respect to each other in a first direction. Moreover, the operating head and the piece-holder table can be selectively stopped along their respective path according to the machining process to be carried out on the piece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2010
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Inventors: Artemio Affaticati, Marco Franceschet, Mauro Manara, Vito Perrone
  • Publication number: 20120040126
    Abstract: A blank of a machine component comprising teeth, and a method of producing a corresponding machine component. The blank has a surface provided to constitute outside-face end regions of the teeth, and has indentations, which are preferably realized by a forming operation, boundaries of the indentations constituting edge regions of the surface. In the alteration of the blank for the purpose of realizing the machine component, the teeth can be realized in such a way that remaining regions of the indentations constitute chamfers of tooth flanks of the teeth. Burr strands, which would have to be removed in a further operation, can thereby be prevented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2011
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Applicant: HIRSCHVOGEL UMFORMTECHNIK GMBH
    Inventor: Tobias Hofmann
  • Publication number: 20110268522
    Abstract: An object is to provide an internal gear grinding machine which makes it possible to achieve space savings and reduce the size of a machine, as well as to prevent the tools from being damaged even when an abnormal situation such as a blackout occurs, by simplifying dressing operation. To achieve the object, an internal gear grinding machine for use in grinding a workpiece (W) by synchronously rotating the workpiece (W) and a barrel-shaped threaded grinding wheel (17) in mesh with each other includes a dressing device (20) for dressing the threaded tool (17) by meshing the threaded grinding wheel (17) with a disk dresser (56). At the time of dressing, the threaded grinding wheel (17) and the disc dresser (56) are operated in accordance with the helix angle and barrel shape of the threaded grinding wheel (17), and the brake mechanism (58) applies a braking force to a dresser turn drive motor (53) to enable the disc dresser (56) to be maintained at a turned position thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Masashi Ochi, Yoshikoto Yanase
  • Publication number: 20110250029
    Abstract: The invention concerns a method of machining the tooth flanks of substantially cylindrical, but crowning-modified gears through a diagonal generating process employing a worm-shaped tool which is modified with a crowning in the direction of its rotary axis, wherein the crowning can be positive or negative (concave crowning), wherein by matching the crowning of the tool to the diagonal ratio, a flank twist is generated by means of the tool and superimposed on the natural flank twist, such that the result of said superposition equals the flank twist required for the work piece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2009
    Publication date: October 13, 2011
    Applicant: GLEASON-PFAUTER MASCHINENFABRIK GMBH
    Inventors: Ingo Faulstich, Heidelmann Wilfried
  • Publication number: 20110058911
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a machine tool for incorporating gear teeth into the inner side of an annular workpiece by metal cutting, with a) an annular machining table for supporting or placing on at least one workpiece, and b) a chassis for holding, supporting, mounting and/or guiding a tool head, which chassis extends, at least during the machining, through the annular machining table or through a central opening in the annular machining table from a bed or pedestal below the machining table.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2009
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Inventors: Erich Russ, Lothar Seifert, Oliver Gold
  • 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
  • Publication number: 20100221079
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a machine tool and a corresponding process for machining a workpiece by means of one or more tools controlled by means of control data, the machine tool comprising at least 5 simultaneously controllable axes. A control device being suited to control the tool supported in a support means by means of the control data along a tool path to remove material from the workpiece clamped in a clamping means. The machine tool being suited to machine a first workpiece to provide the first workpiece with a first gearing, the first workpiece being a counter piece to a second workpiece having a second gearing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2010
    Publication date: September 2, 2010
    Applicant: DECKEL MAHO PFRONTEN GMBH
    Inventors: Josef NEUMAIER, Thomas LOCHBIHLER, Uwe-Carsten HANSEN
  • Publication number: 20090241711
    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: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Applicants: AISIN AI CO., LTD, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIK KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinji Kitaoka, Keisuke Atsumi, Koji Takaira, Seiji Hiroshima, Takaaki Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20090035086
    Abstract: In a method of operating a gearwheel machining tool having a machining wheel situated on a drive axis, for reworking a gearwheel, a fixed axial distance between both wheels is set. In this manner, the engagement of the gearwheel in the teeth of the machining wheel may be performed without damage in a technically simple way, which is achieved in that the gearwheel to be machined is placed on the arbor in an arbitrary rotational angle position, tooth areas of its lateral external faces facing toward the machining wheel coming to rest on lateral tooth areas of the machining wheel, upon which the machining wheel is set into rotation and the gearwheel to be machined slides axially on the arbor into its machining position. After which the tooth gaps of the two overlapping areas of the wheels are rotated one over the other and the wheels are mutually engaged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2008
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Inventor: Wolfgang Linnenbrink
  • Publication number: 20080213055
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for use in production of bevel gears. The device comprises a turning machine (22), with a working spindle (22.1) and a counter-holder (23), arranged co-axially to a rotational axis (B1) of the working spindle (22.1) for the coaxial tensioning of a workpiece blank (K1). A multi-functional tool holder (24) is provided, which may be displaced relative to the workpiece blank (K1) held in the turning machine (22) and comprises a tool base (25) mounted to rotate about an axis (B2). The tool base (25) is provided for fixing one or more tools. A tool housing (26) with milling head (27) is provided, the tool housing (26) being displaceable relative to the workpiece blank (K1) held in the turning machine (22) and the milling head (27) is mounted to rotate about a milling head axis (B3).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2005
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Applicant: Klingelnberg GmbH
    Inventors: Klaus Ozdyk, Roger Kirsch, Elmar Hackenberger, Harald Lamsfuss, Torsten Konig
  • Patent number: 7400141
    Abstract: A magnetic type angle sensor includes a rotary body having a first sensed part provided on a circumferential surface thereof with projecting parts and recessed parts at equal intervals in a circumferential direction thereof and a second sensed part provided on a circumferential surface thereof with a projecting parts at just one location, and a magnetic sensing device for sensing a change in a magnetic field along with rotation of the rotary body. The rotary body is formed with a plurality of projecting parts and recessed parts in a gear shape by gear cutting on the circumferential surface, then is cut with a groove at the center thereof in the axial direction thereof and has all projecting parts in a half section in the axial direction thereof cut off except for one.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Assignee: Fanuc Ltd
    Inventors: Mitsuyuki Taniguchi, Keisuke Imai, Ichirou Nagatomo
  • 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: 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: 6905292
    Abstract: The invention relates to a gear shaping machine for the production, or more precisely machining, of gear wheels with a motor-driven rotatable machine table for holding the work-piece, a thrust spindle with a tool fixed thereto, preferably a cutting wheel, the thrust spindle being displaceable in a selective stroking and superimposed rotary motion, whereby the stroke position can be detected by a first measuring device arranged in the stroke drive, and to a method for the operation of the aforementioned gear shaping machine. The superimposed rotary motion of the thrust spindle is produced via a direct rotary drive and there is arranged in the area of the thrust spindle a second measuring device for the detection of errors in its movement path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: Lienherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH
    Inventor: Joachim Schuon
  • Publication number: 20040211050
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for manufacturing a gear component. The apparatus includes a plurality of tooling stocks movable relative to a base. The tooling stocks function to retain a component, as well as operably driving a combination hob/shaver tool and a combination chamfer/debur tool. The apparatus reduces the number of machines required to complete the gear component as well as reducing the cycle time for complete component manufacture. In this way, a more efficient manufacturing system is provided, whereby capital investment and operational costs are reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2004
    Publication date: October 28, 2004
    Inventors: Brian M. Fitzgerald, Jeffrey A. Rynders
  • Patent number: 6205879
    Abstract: Helical or spur gear drive comprising a driven gear and driving gear wherein the driving gear has double crowned teeth defined as (i) an envelope to a family of surfaces generated by a skew or straight rack-cutter having a parabolic tooth profile in normal section and then (ii) as an envelope to a family of tool surfaces that are generated while the tool performs a plunging motion with respect to the driving gear in the direction of the shortest distance between the axes of rotation of the tool and the driving gear and tool plunging motion is varied by a parabolic function, whose variable is displacement of the tool in a direction parallel to the rotational axis of the driving gear. The driven gear has a tooth surface defined as the envelope to a family of surfaces generated by a rack-cutter which surface is parabolic cylinder or a plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2001
    Assignees: Visteon Global Technologies, Inc., The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
    Inventors: Faydor L. Litvin, Pin Hao Feng, Sergey A Lagutin, Dennis P Townsend, Thomas M Sep
  • Patent number: 6206621
    Abstract: Apparatus for removing chips from the machining chamber of a machine tool comprising primary and secondary chip removal ports with the primary chip port being positioned in the stream of chips emanating from the workpiece being cut and the secondary chip port being located in a trough at or near the bottom of the machining chamber for collecting chips not entering the primary chip port. A source of vacuum is applied to both ports either simultaneously or, preferably, in an alternating manner and chips are conveyed through respective conduits to a chip collection container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2001
    Assignee: The Gleason Works
    Inventor: Gerald J. Sebring
  • Patent number: 6164880
    Abstract: A method for producing a fillet on a gear as a function of a plurality of design criteria points in disclosed. The present method includes the steps of fitting a polynomial curve to the design criteria points, and producing the fillet on the gear, the fillet having a curved shape corresponding to the fitted polynomial curve. As a further step for control of the fillet, the actual shape of the fillet produced can be inspected and compared to the fitted curve, using a coordinate measuring machine or other suitable device. According to a further aspect of the invention, the fillet is produced using a tool having a curved surface corresponding to the polynomial curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Franklin T. Pulley, Michael W. Kipling, Gregory A. Matson, Danny L. Thurman, Bennett W. Avery
  • Patent number: 6053676
    Abstract: Machine tool for machining of a rotating workpiece, comprising a tool drive, a workpiece drive for rotatably driving the workpiece, a tool rotationally driven by the tool drive in synchronization with the workpiece for producing a toothing on the workpiece, rotation transmitters for determining rotational condition of the tool and the workpiece, respectively, an electronic control for keeping the workpiece drive and the tool drive in synchronization by respectively associated ones of the rotation transmitters. A positioning motor is associated with one of the two drives for influencing the position of the phases of the two drives, and a sensor element provided in association with one of the two rotation transmitters is rotatably adjustable with respect to a stator of a corresponding one of the drives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2000
    Inventors: Friedrich Albert Garschagen, Hans-Udo Heym
  • Patent number: 5645467
    Abstract: A method for the precision machining of flanks of gear-wheel-shaped workpieces, in particular those with convex teeth, using an internally toothed tool with crossed axes, in which simultaneous relative movements take place not only in three mutually perpendicular axes but also around an axis perpendicular to the cross-axes angle such that not only the tooth flanks of the tool and the workpiece have tangential contact with one another but also the base body of the tool and of the workpiece touch one another at a point of contact IV of which the position changes continuously, and a straight line g orthogonally penetrating the base body of the tool and the base body of the workpiece at the point of contact not only intersects the axis C.sub.1 of the workpiece or of its base body and the axis C.sub.2 of the tool or its base body (points III, II), but also passes through the center I of an ideal sphere K.sub.1 which adapts itself to the base body of the workpiece at the point of contact IV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 8, 1997
    Assignee: The Gleason Works
    Inventor: Herbert Schriefer
  • Patent number: 4955768
    Abstract: A fixture for manufacturing hubs for flexible gear couplings wherein the teeth of said hub are cut while the hub is being moved constantly through all of the positions that the hub would assume relative to the sleeve during operation with the hub shaft misaligned with the sleeve at the maximum angle of misalignment for which the coupling is designed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1990
    Assignee: Dynetics, Inc.
    Inventor: John H. Crankshaw
  • Patent number: 4724599
    Abstract: A machine tool for supporting a workpiece during the finishing of a plurality of surfaces has a pair of center support means which are coaxially aligned for rotatably supporting a shaft and gear structure. Bearing support surfaces can be simultaenously machined concentric with the axis of the center supports. A gear finishing tool is supported on another axis which is disposed in nonintersecting relation with the axis of the center supports for simultaenously machining a gear surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1986
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1988
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: William R. Corkin
  • Patent number: 4530626
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a gear cutter that comprises a bedplate, a first block or column mounted on the bedplate, designed to carry a tool, and a second block or column also mounted on the bedplate, designed to carry in an axis of rotation a piece to be cut, and wherein provision is made for a device for detecting variations, due to the thermal expansion of the bedplate, in the distance the first block is apart from the second block, and for drive means interlocked to the said detection device and connected to at least one of the said blocks in order to compensate continuously for variations in the spacing in between the said blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 23, 1985
    Assignee: CIMA S.p.A.
    Inventor: Cesare Sabbioni
  • Patent number: 4215959
    Abstract: A gear manufacturing machine which includes an endless chain for carrying a series of stock removing tools is provided with a versatile drive train system which can be adjusted for different methods of gear manufacture. The drive train system includes coupling components which can be engaged and disengaged for connecting or disconnecting certain portions of the drive train from parts of the machine. With this arrangement, a single machine can be utilized for carrying out roll generating or hobbing operations with one or more workpieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1978
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1980
    Assignee: The Gleason Works
    Inventor: Thomas A. Deprez
  • Patent number: 4169691
    Abstract: A machine which may be used to either check or to machine the profile of an orbiting star gear for a gerotor type of fluid motor or pump is disclosed. The profile of a star gear is traced due to the interaction of a slide that carries a sensor, or a machining tool, in a back and forth direction toward and away from the star gear and in a second direction transverse to this back and forth direction with respect to a frame member. The slide is driven by an eccentric disc, at a rate which is determined in accordance with the number of teeth on the specific star gear in question. The combined motion of the star gear and the two slides causes the sensor, or the machining tool, to trace out the profile of the desired star gear for the purpose of either checking its profile, or of machining a new gear. A spring member is connected to the frame member to allow the frame member to move in a transverse direction but without rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1978
    Date of Patent: October 2, 1979
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Henry J. Flair