US1553957A - Driving mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Sept 15, I 925.

l,553,957 T. A. PATTERSON DRIVING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 1 1924 2 Sheets-Shet 1 Isl m Sept. 15, 1925. ,553,957 4 T. .A. PATTERSON DRIVINV MECHANISM mod Nv. o 1924 2 Sheets-Shaet 2 Patented Sept. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES rHoMAs A. PATTEESON, 0:1? CLINTONVILLE, Wiscons n DRIVING MECHANISM.

Application filed November 10, 1924. Serial No. 748334.

To all whom .it may conccrn:

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. PATTER: soN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Clintonville, in the County of aupaca and State of WVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful lmproveinents in Driving Mechanism; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention relates to improvenients in driving niech anism and while it is applicable to a large number of different types of driving mechanism it is primarly intended for a driving nechanism actuated from the transmission of an automobile ;and cooperating therewith to transmit power te .other portions of the ,automobila such for eX- ample the speedometer.

'Objects of this invention are to provide a driving mechanism which may be applied to existing types of automobiles to adapt the machine for a speedometer drive directly from the transmission, 'in which a portion of the driving mechanism is held in place by means already on the transmission, and in which a very simple means has been provided for taking up wear or backlash and i guarding against slackness or looseness in the mechanism.

Further objects are to provide driving mechanism which requires a very sin-all al teration in the ti'ansmission to permit its use, which is very easily assembled, and which may be applied to the transnission by an unskilled operator without requiring the services of a machinist and without requiring special tools.

Further objects are to provide a drivng mechanism` which is both' inexpensive to make and inexpensive to keep in repair even after great length of service, and which is strong, simple and durable;

An e'nbodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying dia-wings, in which :e-

Fignre lis a fragmentary view of a transmission case showing the driving mechanism in place.

Figure '2 isa sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 -3 of Figur 2, such view omitting the transnission case for the sake of clearnes's.

Fi gure 4 is a sectional View through the driving ring geara i i i Figure 5 is a View 'of the driving gear as it appears detached from ;the mechanismi For the purpose of illustration, the device has been shown applied to the transmission of a certain make of car, but it is obvio us that it may be applied to other types of transmssion and to other types of, mechansm. However, to simplify the disclosure, the description will be confined to the exact showing although, as stated, it is to be understood that this disclosure is one of many embodiments of the invention. i

Referrng to the drawings, it will be seen that a transmission casing 1 such as emp loyed in cars co mmerc-ally known as Fords is disclosecl. This e transmission casing houses the driving shaft 2, the clutch 3, the clntch control cell-ar i and the clutch spring 5, together with other *Intechanism omitted for the sake of clear'ness. This transmission casng is provided with a cover plate. However in practising this invention the :cover plate is replaced by the specially tormed cover plate 6 (see Figures 1, 2 and 3.) This cover plate is held in place by the usual s rews 7, suitable apertures being provided for such screws. It is to be noted, however, that the up per right hand aperture 8 is merely a circilar hole and the entire cover plate is adapted to pivot slightly aboutthe corresponding screw\ 7. All of the other apertures, as indicated at '9, are slotted so as toaccommodate this pivotal motion for a purpose hereinafter to be described.

This cover pla te is provided with a channel like depression 10 which is equipped with a slanting bottom wall and with a transverse end wall ll. This end wall is apertured and receives the hearing 12 for the flexible shaft, such hearing being of the conventional type and provided with a collar 13 adapted to be clamped against the wall 11 by means .of the clamping nut 14:, .as shown in Figure 2. It is to be notedthat the plate 6 may be stamped from sheet metal in a very simple and cheap manner, and that due .to the angularly ofl'set wall 11,\ it is possible to readily clamp the sleeve or hearing directly to such offset wall by means of the nut 14:, thus producing a very cheap, simple, and easily assembled construction. The fiexible shaft is, of course, carried within a 'housing 15 in the usual manner and such fiexible shaft is provided at its lowermost end with a spiral pinion 16. This spiral pinion is preferably formed of fiber, rawhide, ,phenol condensation products ?or of' other :similar material, although in vcertain cases itmay be made of metal. It has been found, however, in extensive tests that a spiral pinion made of the material such as described, is substantially noiseless and also has a very long life. The pinion 16, as is clearly shown in Figur-e 3, is held inplace by means of a nut 17, such nut being locked against inadvertent rotation in. any suit# able manner, as by means of a split pin and notches for instance, although such conventional lockingmeans has been omitted from the drawing as they are well known. 1`he purp se of providing the nut 17 is to permit .the ready renewal of the pinion 16, although from actual tests the pinion will last for anindefinite period.

The remaining portion of the drive mechanism comprises a ring 'gear 18 which is providedwith spiral teeth or threads meshing with the teeth of the pinion 16; The pitch of the respective teeth is preferably so arranged that the pinion runs at a relatively low rate of speed under normally operating conditions. e

The ring gear 18, as will be seen from Figures 4 and 5, is provided with 'a rearwardly 'extending cylindrical portion' 19 which is provided with a plurality of cutout portions 20. This cylindrical part 19 of the ring gear is provided with an'inwardly extending flange 21. It is to be particularly noted'that the ringgear 18' is 'ormed in two parts, and the adjacent ends of the parts are in each case joined by means of a tongue 22 which extends between a pair of tongues 23. These pins are all apertured and a split pin QA is passed through the apertures to thus lock the component parts of the ring gear rigidly together. i

In applying the device to existing types of automobiles, it is merely necessary to pry the rear end of the spring 5 away from the flange of the clutch spring support 25 (see Figure 2.) This may be readily done by means of an. ordinary screw driver, for instance. Thereafter, one-half of the split ring gear is slipped into place with one of the apertu res 24; accommodating the screw driver, and this portion of the gear is pressed downwardly until the flange 21 thereof is located between the rear end of the spring 5 and the flange 25 of the fixed collar or spring support, as shown in Figure 2. l hereafter, the drive shaft 2 is r turned-'half 'way over and the'other half of the ring gear 18 is slipped into position I in a similar manner.- The split pins 24 are then passed through the apertured lugs 22 and 23, as shown in Figure 4', thus looking the Component parts of the ring gear rigidly together, v A J I 1 It is to be 'particularly noted that the clutch spring fits beneath the major portion of the ring gear and that its rear end holds the flange 21 of the ring gear tightly bound against the flange 25 of the fixed collar or clutch spring support, as shown in Figure 2.

It will be seen, therefore, that the ring gear may be applied by anyone without requiring either the use of special tools or the services of a machinist, and that after such ring gear has been placed, as described, that it will be most rigidly held in place by the usual clutch spring 5.

i Thereafter, the cover plate 6 is positioned and Secured by means of the screws 7 with the pinion 16 meshing with the ring gear 18. It will be seen that the most exact adjustment 'may be readily secured by rocking the plate about thepivot screw which passes through the aperture 8 in` the upperright hand corner oi' the plate 6 (see Figure 1). The gears may therefore be correctly aoljusted for perfect intermeshing.

Further, it is to bei noted that any wear that may takeplace between the gears' may be most readily cared for by a justment of the plate 6. i e

Itwill thus be seen that a drive mechanism has been provided which is of 'extreme Simplicity, of rugged construction,

similar adand which may be most accurately and easily applied to existing types of machines with a minimum of change.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, it' is to be understood that the invention may 'be variously embodied and is, therefo're, to be limited only as claimed. i

Iclaim:

1. In an automobile the combinaton of a drive shaft having a clutch spring thereon, a support against which said'sprng normally bears, a split ring gear surrounding said shaft and clamped between said support and said spring, a housing for said drive shaft, said housing 'having an aperture therethrough, a plate'adapted to close said aperture and having a hearing thereon, a driven shaft c'arried within said bearing, and a pinion carried by' said shaft and I adapted to mesh with said gear when said plate is' in position,'said plate having apertures therein adapted to receive securng means for'attaching it'tosaid casing, certain of saidaperturesbeing elongated to permit adjustment'of said plate. i

2. In an automobile'the'combination of a transmission casing having an aperture tures, securng meansextending through said apertures and into saidcasing, certain of said apertures beingelongatedfor adjustment of said plate, a hearing clamped to said plate, a driven shaft carried by said bearing and projecting through said plate, a helical pinion oarried by the lower end of said driven shaft and adapted to mesh with said ring gear.

3. In an automobile the combination of a casing having an aperture therein, a driving shaft mounted within said casing, a split ring helical gear carried by said shaft, a closure plate for said aperture, said plate having a plurality of marginal apertures, one of said apertures being circular and the remaining -apertures being elongated, securing means passing through said apertures, a bearing carried by said plate, a driven shaft journaled in said bearng, and a helical pinion carried by the lower end of said driven shaft and adapted to mesh with said ring gear, said plate being adapted to pivot about said circular aperture, whe'eby said pinion may be accurately adjusted relatively to said ring gear.

4. In an automobile, the combnatio-n of a oasng having an openng theren, a drive shaft wthn said casng and havng a olutch spring thereon, a sleeve surrounding said shaft and having a fiange against which said spring normally bears, a ring gear having a flange elamped between said spring and* said first mentioned flange, a plate olosing the opening in said casing and having an angularly oflset Wall, a threaded sleeve passing through said Wall, a nut screwed upon said sleeve and clamping said sleeve to said wall, a driven shaft passing through said sleeve, and a pnon carried by said driven shaft and meshing With said ring gear. i

In testinony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Clinton- Ville, in the county of YVaupaea and State of Wisconsin.

rHoMAs A, PATTERSON.

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