Other

Fairchild Industrial Products Company

Avant Mobility, LLC

David E Parker

Radu Kramer

William X Desmond

A compact drive assembly for a wheeled transporter, illustrated as a wheelchair, and method convert reciprocating input forces applied by oppositely-directed essentially linear strokes to a drive shaft journaled for rotation in opposite directions of rotation about a central axis of rotation within the drive assembly, into rotation of a drive wheel of the transporter in a given single direction of rotation. Oppositely oriented clutches couple the drive shaft with respective sun gears. Sets of planet gears are engaged with corresponding ones of the sun gears and are overlapped for engagement with one-another. One of the sun gears is coupled to the drive wheel such that upon rotation of the drive shaft alternately in the first direction and the second direction in response to the oppositely-directed strokes, the drive wheel is rotated in the same given single direction of rotation during each direction of rotation of the drive shaft.

Compact drive mechanism for wheeled personal transporter and method

A drive mechanism effects a rotary power output in a selected one of opposite first and second power output directions in response to a reciprocating power input resulting from substantially linear forces applied to the drive mechanism. The drive mechanism includes input bevel gears meshed with corresponding output bevel gears coupled to a common power output shaft through clutches that effect a rotary power output at the power output shaft in response to the reciprocating power input from the substantially linear forces. Opposite crank arms are coupled with the input bevel gears such that each crank arm is advanced by an applied substantially linear force, and is retracted upon advancement of the opposite crank arm. A selector enables selection of either one of the opposite directions of rotation of the power output shaft, without requiring a change in the manner in which the linear force input is applied.

Compact drive mechanism with selective reverse power output

A variable speed transmission in which the output speed is infinitely adjustable within a given speed range and is accurately controlled. The variable speed transmission includes two pulley assemblies that are rotatably connected by an endless chain, control levers and a control screw for varying the effective pitch radius of at least one of the pulley assemblies and the associated chain. The output from one of the pulley assemblies serves as the elliptical ball bearing assembly input that serves to deform a nonrigid external gear of a flexible gear assembly. The output from the other pulley assembly through gears controls a round rigid internal gear that intermittently meshes with the nonrigid external gear. This arrangement provides extremely accurate speed control of the output from the flexible gear assembly that comes form the nonrigid external gear. The pulley assemblies, the endless chain, control levers, and the flexible gear assembly are located within the same compact hollow unitary housing.

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Clemmons, NC, United States of America

David E Parker