Mechanical torque converter
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Drive assemblies which utilize precessional torque of a gyroscopic mass are found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,495,479 of Feb. 17, 1970 to Rass and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,394,619 of July 30, 1968 to Preston. Both of these assemblies are rather complex and are difficult and expensive to implement. In Rass, the precessional torque is coupled out through a spring washer 66 which resists rotation of the flywheel element 61. The output torque is dependent upon the rotational speed of the input shaft. In Preston, a highly complex arrangement is employed in which cyclic coupling out of the torque is achieved. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is directed to a gyroscopic traction drive assembly in which a spherical gyroscopic mass is caused to rotate about first and second orthogonal axes by input means which comprises a frame and a traction input member carried thereby. This combined motion causes the mass to develop gyroscopic output torque about a third orthogonal axis and this torque is imposed upon a traction output member also carried by the frame. In a preferred embodiment, the input axis of the frame and of a shaft connected with the traction input member and the axis of an output shaft connected to the traction output member are coaxial. 
     An important feature of the invention resides in an assembly as described above wherein the output torque is a function of the difference in angular velocities of the mass about the first and second axes and is independent of the angular velocity of the output. 
     Stated otherwise, the drive assembly produces an output torque independent of the output speed, although it is to be understood that the magnitude of the output torque can be controlled by controlling the aforesaid difference in input angular velocities. 
     To provide maximum control over the output torque, separate variable speed drive inputs may be provided for the aforesaid combined motions. 
     In a particularly simple and economical construction, the axes of the two drive inputs and of the output are coaxial, with the mass being orbited by a frame which also mounts the input and output traction. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of a drive assembly constructed according to this invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the assembly of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 3 is a transverse section of the assembly shown in FIG. 1. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, the drive assembly comprises a suitable frame 10 which carries and locates a spherical gyroscopic mass 11. The frame may of course be constructed in any desired fashion but for the purpose of illustration, comprises a pair of opposite side plates 12 and 13 rigidly joined by opposite end members 14 and 15. The end members are provided with respective sleeves 16 and 17 which house the illustrated bearings 18 and 19 which receive the shafts 20 and 21 lying along the common axis A--A. As is illustrated in FIG. 2, the frame is rotatably supported about the input axis A--A by means of suitable bearing blocks 22 and 23, the former of which supports the input shaft 20 and the latter of which supports the frame 10 directly through the sleeve 17. 
     Drive input may be imparted to the input shaft 20 by suitable means such as the pulley 24 whereas drive input rotation is imparted to the frame 10 by suitable means such as the pulley 25 on the sleeve 16. 
     The frame mounts a freely rotatable roller 26 by means of the cross shaft 27 which, in conjunction with the two locating members 28 and 29 and the traction members hereinafter described, positively locate the ball or mass 11 in offset relation to the axis A--A so that, as the frame rotates, the mass orbits along a path centered on the axis A--A and contained within a plane perpendicular thereto. 
     As shown in FIG. 3 for the member 28, the two members bridge between and are affixed to the side plates 12 and 13. Also fixed to the side plates are the annular bearing race members 30 and 31 which locate the respective traction output and input members 32 and 33. These two members are of annular form and have respective bevel gears 34 and 35 formed thereon and each is provided with an internal, bevelled end edge to define the torispherical traction surfaces 36 and 37. These traction surfaces engage and bear upon the mass 11 essentially with point contact and the mass 11 correspondingly is forced into essentially point contact with the roller 26. The two locating members 28 and 29 may be positioned to allow slight angular movement of the mass 11 about the axis of the roller 26. 
     The input shaft 20 is provided with a bevel gear 38 in mesh with bevel gear 35 whereas the output shaft 21 is provided with a bevel gear 39 in mesh with bevel gear 34 as shown in FIG. 1. Thus, whereas rotation of the frame 10 carries the mass 11 along the orbital path centered on the axis A--A and, in particular, at the point of intersection of the axis A--A and the transverse axis of the roller 26, the input shaft 20 imparts rotation to the input traction element 33. The rotation of the member 33, as can best be seen in FIG. 3, causes by virtue of its contact point with the mass 11 a rotation of that mass about the illustrated x axis, i.e., that axis passing through the center of the spherical mass 11 prependicular to the y axis passing through the center and the contact point between the base and the traction surface 37. It will be appreciated that whereas rotational drive input must be imparted to the frame 10, the shaft 20 can be stationary or it can be rotated. 
     In any event, the combined input motions imparted to the mass, namely, the axis A--A motion which is at the angular velocity ω 2  of the frame 10 and the rotation of the mass 11 about the x axis cause precessional motion of the mass about the orthogonal y axis (FIG. 3). This precessional movement therefore develops gyroscopic output torque about the y axis and, correspondingly, of the output shaft 21, which may rotate at the angular rate ω o . Using the notation N 1  and N 2  for the number of teeth of the respective gears 38 and 35 and ω 1  for the angular velocity of the input shaft 20, the angular velocity of the mass 11 about the x axis is: ##EQU1## where r is the radius of the mass 11 and R is the radius of the traction surface (FIG. 3). 
     Similarly, the angular velocity of the sphere 11 about the y axis is: ##EQU2## where N 4  and N 3  are the notations for the numbers of gear teeth of the gears 39 and 34 respectively. 
     The angular velocity of the mass 11 about the z axis (FIG. 2) is, as stated before: 
     
         ω.sub.z =ω.sub.2 
    
     Since the complete motion of the ball is known, as above, the angular momentum and time rate of change of angular momentum of the spherical mass or ball 11 can be computed. Setting the time rate of change of the angular momentum equal to the moments that must be applied to the mass shows the output torque at the shaft 21 to be: ##EQU3## where I is the mass moment of inertia of the ball 11. 
     Since ##EQU4## by substitution, the output torque expressed in terms of motion of the ball can be expressed: ##EQU5## which illustrates that the ball must possess motions about its x and z axes in order to produce an output torque. Since the motion ω x  is a function of (ω 2  -ω 1 ) and since ω z  =ω 2 ,it is evident that in order to produce an output torque, rotary motion ω 2  must be imparted to the frame while the other input motion ω 1  may take any value, including zero, except that value where (ω 2  -ω 1 ) is equal to zero. 
     This output torque is of course limited by the maximum allowable normal force F and Hertz stress on the ball at the traction points and by the coefficient of traction μ as follows: ##EQU6## 
     As will be seen for the above equation for T o , the output torque is wholly independent of the rotational speed of the output shaft 21 and can be controlled quite simply by variation in either one or both of the input speeds ω 1  and ω 2 . 
     It will be appreciated from the above that it is not essential that the gyroscopic mass be located, relative to axis A--A, such that the mass follows an orbital path, but that the center of the mass may, if desired, lie on such axis A--A. However, the most simple and straightforward arrangement is perhaps best realized by locating the mass center in offset relation to the axis A--A as shown in FIGS. 1-3.