Torvec, Inc.

Other

The Gleason Works

Keith E Gleasman

Vernon E Gleasman

James Y Gleasman

Matthew Wrona

Paul W Suwijn

Warren R Alexander

Donald Gabel

Arthur H McElroy, Ii

David W Porter

Robert C Horton

James A Gleasman

Matthew R Wrona

The compact, all-gear full-traction differential includes meshing pairs of side-gear worms and worm-wheel balance gears having a 'hybrid' design. Preferably, the teeth of each side-gear worm have an involute profile but are cut with only plunge feed, while the teeth of the worm-wheel portions of the balance gears are helicoid worms having tip and root modifications made by a concave-shaped cutter. The side-gear worm teeth have a helix angle equal to or greater than 45&#xb0; and significantly chamfered ends, and the gears are designed to provide a gear ratio between 1.5:1 and 2.5:1. The numbers of teeth in the spur-gear portion and worm-wheel portion of each balance gear and in each side-gear worm are all divisible by 2 or by 3, preferably by both 2 and 3.

Full traction differential with hybrid gearing

The differential steering drive for a tracked vehicle includes a drive differential interconnecting the drive shafts for the tracks and a steering differential for superimposing additive and subtractive rotations to the tracks for steering and pivot turning. In the preferred embodiment for high speed tracked vehicles, the drive differential is an all-gear no-clutch type limited-slip differential, and the steering differential is an unlimited-slip differential. The differentials are arranged to provide no-slip track operation traveling in straight paths or when steering so long as at least one track has traction. In another embodiment for pivot-turning slow-moving off-road vehicles, both the drive differential and the steering differential are all-gear no-clutch type limited-slip differentials. Further, both embodiments preferably include an additional left-side and an additional right-side all-gear no-clutch type limited-slip differential for dividing the torque delivered to a respective pair of drive axles associated with each track.

Steer drive for tracked vehicles

Smaller and lighter hydraulic pump/motors provide remarkably improved volumetric efficiency with pistons having body portions substantially as long as the axial length of the respective cylinders in which they reciprocate. A plurality of respective lubricating channels form a single, continuous lubricating passageway entirely within the cylinder block and not connected by either fluid 'input' or fluid 'output' passageways, being replenished solely by a minimal flow of fluid to and from the valve end of each cylinder and passing between each respective cylindrical wall of each cylinder and the axial cylindrical body of each respective piston. Several embodiments are disclosed in combination with various spring-biased hold-down assemblies. The preferred embodiment includes a fixed cylinder block, a roller bearing mounting between the wobbler and rotor of a split-swash plate, with piston shoes contacting the wobbler directly without any intermediary apparatus.

Long piston hydraulic machines

A pair of spherical gears connects the intersecting shafts of a CV-joint. One gear has internal teeth, and the other has external teeth. The gear design is based on pitch circles that are great circles on theoretical pitch spheres that are concentric and have identical radii. The internal teeth are either conically or spherically shaped, while the external tooth faces are cylindrical with tangential flat extensions. The spherical gears are shown on half-shafts. The preferred embodiments have six teeth on each gear, and one preferred embodiment also uses balls for the internal teeth. The gears, while rotating at high speeds under load, can intersect throughout a continuous maximum range of 60&#xb0; or more in any direction.

Spherical universal coupling

The transmission includes a minimal-orbiter gear complex and a single infinitely-variable rotary control device. The minimal orbiter includes only a control gear and an output gear interconnected by the different gearing portions of at least one cluster gear supported by an orbiting web responsive to an input drive provided by a primary engine. The rotary control device may be any kind of apparatus that is capable of providing resistance torque that can match the torque of the primary engine to slow and stop the control gear of the orbital complex. In a preferred embodiment disclosed, the rotary control device is a hydraulic jack machine having a drive shaft connected to an adjustable swash plate that provides primary control of the flow of fluid through the machine.

Transmission with resistance torque control

The transmission includes an orbital gear complex in combination with a variable hydraulic pump and motor. The input to the transmission is increased in speed by the orbital gearing such that, when the pump and motor are not operating, the orbiter is stationary, and the orbital gearing produces an overdrive condition. A gear reduction is accomplished by rotating the web with the web-rotating device, providing a high gear reduction. The pump and motor are preferably long-piston hydraulic machines with infinitely variable swash plates. The hydraulic machines preferably have wobblers stabilized by full gimbals and hold-down plates with elongated holes for the long pistons to eliminate possible impacts between the hold-down plates and the head ends of the long pistons when the swash-plates are at or near their maximum angle of inclination.

Orbital transmission with geared overdrive

The modular transmission uses only a pair of small and light hydraulic machines of remarkably improved volumetric efficiency with pistons having body portions substantially as long as the axial length of the respective cylinders in which they reciprocate. The two hydraulic machines operate in a closed loop, one being used as a pump driven by the vehicle's engine, and the other used as a motor. Each machine has a fully articulatable swash plate. By computer control, the angles of the swash plates of the two machines are infinitely varied to provide an appropriate optimum ratio of engine/wheel speed for all conditions from start-up, city driving, hill climbing varied according to load and steepness, and over-drive for highway. This complete vehicle operation is attained while the vehicle's engine continues to operate at relatively constant speeds and relatively low RPM.

Dual hydraulic machine transmission

The track design for use with a tracked vehicle includes a cantilever cut made down into the outward side of each tread just outboard of the position where the inside of the track contacts the outboard edge of the tread of the outer wheel of each pair of track-supporting dual wheels. This cut significantly reduces lateral 'roll-out' of the guide lugs from between the dual wheels when traversing uneven surfaces. When the outer edge of the track passes over sharply uneven terrain, this cut in the tread allows the outer edge of the track belt to lift away from the flat main surface under the wheels. Thus the interior surface of the track maintains contact with both tires of each pair of dual wheels by reducing twisting of the track belt that may cause the guide lugs to tip out of the mating surfaces formed between the dual-wheel pairs.

Endless track for high speed multi-terrain vehicles

Smaller and lighter hydraulic pump/motors provide remarkably improved volumetric efficiency with pistons having body portions substantially as long as the axial length of the respective cylinders in which they reciprocate. A plurality of respective lubricating channels form a single, continuous lubricating passageway entirely within the cylinder block and not connected by either fluid 'input' or fluid 'output' passageways, being replenished solely by a minimal flow of fluid to and from the valve end of each cylinder and passing between each respective cylindrical wall of each cylinder and the axial cylindrical body of each respective piston. Several embodiments are disclosed in combination with various spring-biased hold-down assemblies. The preferred embodiment included a fixed cylinder block, a roller bearing mounting between the wobbler and rotor of a split-swash plate, with piston shoes contacting the wobbler directly without any intermediary apparatus.

Long-piston hydraulic machines

The size, weight, and cost of a full-traction differential are significantly reduced by the synergism of several interrelated design features of a cartridge-like gear complex: (1) Each combination gear has only a shallow journal hole in each end of an otherwise solid gear body, being supported on mating hubs fixed to mounting plates slipped into a one-piece differential housing. (2) The solid worm-wheel portion of the combination gears has a deeper hour-glass shape. (3) Mating worm/worm-wheel teeth have a broad &ldquo;supra-enveloping&rdquo; contact pattern on only the drive side of the mesh. (4) The side-gear worms have closed-end teeth. (5) Both diameter and axial length of the side-gear worms are reduced by a special cutting process. The efficiency of the differential is increased by a thrust plate supported in the mounting plates and positioned between inner ends of the side-gear worms.

Compact full-traction differential

A transmission has only a single, minimal orbiter in which an input gear and an output gear, each being connected to separate input and output shafts, are interconnected through an orbiting cluster gear that meshes with only the input and output gears. The cluster gear is carried by a web that is itself rotated by a hydraulic control motor through a first clutch. When rotation of the web is prevented, rotation of the input gear produces rotation of the output gear at a predetermined reduction of the input drive, this gear reduction being continuously diminished proportional to the speed of rotation of the web in a first direction. When the vehicle reaches highway speeds, the control motor is disconnected and a second clutch is activated to connect a predetermined overdrive that is located between the engine drive and the transmission rather than being conventionally positioned between the transmission and the final output shaft.

Transmission with minimal orbiter

A steer-drive for vehicles primarily operated in fluids (e.g., boats and planes) interposes respective left and right orbital gear drives into the vehicle drivetrain between the engine/transmission or/speed-reducer and the vehicle's respective port and starboard propulsion elements. The orbital drive units comprise only an input gear and an output gear interconnected by at least one orbiting cluster gear that is supported in a rotating housing and also meshes only with the input and output gears. The orbital units are designed so that (a) when rotation of the housing is prevented, driving torque is transferred at speed ratios selected to be as close to 1:1 as is practical, and (b) when steering torque causes rotation of the housing, the steering torque is added or subtracted from the driving torque. Steering torque is applied simultaneously in equal and opposite directions to the orbital units, causing the vehicle's respective propulsion element on one side of the vehicle to speed up and the vehicle's respective propulsion element on the other side of the vehicle to slow down at the same rate.

Steer-drive for boats and planes

A steer-drive interposes respective left and right orbital gear drives into the vehicle drivetrain between the engine/transmission and the respective propulsion axles associated with each side of the vehicle. The orbital drive units comprise only an input gear and an output gear interconnected by at least one orbiting cluster gear that is supported in a rotating housing and also meshes only with the input and output gears. The orbital units are designed so that (a) when rotation of the housing is prevented, driving torque is transferred at speed ratios selected to be as close to 1:1 as is practical, and (b) when steering torque causes rotation of the housing, the steering torque is added or subtracted from the driving torque. Steering torque is applied simultaneously in equal and opposite directions to the orbital units, causing the drive on one side of the vehicle to speed up and the drive on the other side of the vehicle to slow down at the same rate.

Steer-drive for vehicles

In a conventional rubber track of the type supported and driven by wheels mounted on a vehicle, the terrain-contacting lugs are modified specially for use on high speed multi-terrain vehicles to increase energy efficiency of track operation. The thickness of each terrain-contacting lug is only tapered outboard of the central portion of the basic carcass/belt that is in direct contact with the rubber-tired supporting wheels so that, when traversing flat and hard terrain (e.g., when on pavement), these tapered portions are substantially out of contact with the terrain, thereby reducing the frictional drag of the lugs. However, as the terrain softens, the contact between these same tapered portions and the terrain increases to provide additional traction when traversing uneven, wet, or snow-covered surfaces. In preferred embodiments, the track is further modified by at least one relatively thin cut being made throughout substantially the entire thickness dimension of each lug down to the exterior surface of the carcass belt to reduce the force required to stretch the heavy lugs of the track as the track changes direction when being moved over the circumferential surfaces of the rubber-tired drive wheels of the vehicle's track suspension system.

Growing community of inventors

Fairport, NY, United States of America

Keith E Gleasman