| 摘要 |
A toroidal drive system includes a housing composed of first and second mating housing sections having interior walls which cooperate to define a plurality of parallel, helix-like races inscribed in a torus having a circular axis. The two mating housing sections are secured together and a plurality of rotary elements are fixedly spaced apart along that axis, the elements each having an axle fixed at the axis and a plurality of removable, radially extending teeth rotatably encircling the corresponding axle, each tooth of each rotary element engaging in a different one of the plurality of races. A worm is mounted for rotation in the housing about an axis substantially perpendicular to the circular axis, that worm engaging at least one tooth of each of the plurality of rotary elements. Power take off means are connected to all of the axles and extend without the housing. Access holes are provided in the housing section walls at the bottoms of the races, the holes being larger than the teeth engaged in the races so that the housing sections can be mated around the rotary elements while the elements are missing some teeth and secured together after which the missing teeth may be installed on the rotary elements through the access holes by rotating the worm to align the missing tooth positions of the elements with the holes. Methods of making and assembling the drive system are also disclosed. |
