Inherently Torque Limited Magnetically-Coupled Wheels

Abstract

An apparatus having a driving magnetic gear and a driver magnetic gear, disposed on each of which are a series of adjacent magnets of alternating polarity. The magnetic gears are tiltable relative to each other, and the angle of the imaginary driver gear plane at the pivot point between the driving gear and the driver gear must be less than 90° to prevent loss of sequential magnetic interaction beyond which angle, reversal of rotation relative to the driver gear would occur when the sequential magnetic interaction is re-established.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A magnetic gear train comprising:
 a driving gear having an inherent pitch circle, said driving gear lying in an imaginary driving gear plane, and having a driving gear longitudinal axis, a driving gear periphery and a set of magnets embedded in said driving gear periphery, said set of magnets having alternate polarities;   a driving gear axle attached to said driving gear and extending along said driving gear longitudinal axis;   a driven gear having an inherent pitch circle, said driven gear lying in an imaginary driven gear plane, and having a driven gear longitudinal axis, said driven gear longitudinal axis having a first angular relationship with said driving gear longitudinal axis, a driven gear periphery and a set of magnets embedded in said periphery, said set of magnets having alternate polarities;   a driven gear axle attached to said driven gear and extending along said driven gear longitudinal axis;   said driving gear and said driven gear being located with the pitch circles of said driving gear being tangent at an inherent pivot point of said driving gear and said driven gear for enabling the rotation of said driven gear and said driven gear axle in one direction due to the sequential magnetic interaction of said magnets embedded in said driving gear periphery and the magnets embedded in the driven gear periphery in response to a driving force being applied to said driving axle for rotating said driving gear in the opposite direction of rotation; and   said driven gear and said driven gear axle being tiltable with respect to said driving gear and said driving gear axle at said pivot point with said driven gear assuming a tilting angle with respect to said driving gear,   wherein said driving gear and said driven gear do not overlap each other when said driven gear is at said tilting angle with respect to said driving gear,   wherein said driven gear longitudinal axis has a different angular relationship with the said driving gear longitudinal axis than said first angular relationship when said driven gear is at said tilting angle with respect to said driving gear,   wherein in at least one of said angular relationships, any imaginary plane containing said longitudinal axis of said driven gear and containing said pivot point must be oblique with respect to any imaginary plane containing said longitudinal axis of said driving gear, and   wherein the angle of said imaginary driving gear plane with respect to said imaginary driven gear plane at said pivot point must be less than 90° to prevent loss of sequential magnetic interaction beyond which angle, reversal of rotation relative to the driven gear would occur when the sequential magnetic interaction is re-established.   
     
     
         2 . A magnetic gear train comprising:
 a driving gear lying in an imaginary driving gear plane, and having an inherent pitch circle, a driving gear longitudinal axis, a driving gear periphery and a set of magnets embedded in said driving gear periphery, said set of magnets having magnet poles of alternate polarities;   a driving gear axle attached to said driving gear and extending along said driving gear longitudinal axis;   a driven gear lying in an imaginary driven gear plane, and having an inherent pitch circle, a driven gear longitudinal axis, a driven gear periphery and a set of magnets embedded in said periphery, said set of magnets having magnetic poles of alternate polarities;   a driven gear axle attached to said driven gear and extending along said driven gear longitudinal axis;   said driving gear and said driven gear being located wherein said driving gear pitch circle and said driven gear pitch circle being tangent are at a pivot point, and said respective driving gear and driven gear can have a magnetic linkage with each other at said pivot point; and   said driven gear and said driven gear axle being rotatable in response to the rotation of said driving gear and said driving gear axle in one of a first range of rotation and in a second range of rotation of said driving gear and said driving gear axle;   wherein in said first range of rotation, said longitudinal axes of said driven gear and said driving gear are either transverse to each other and said driving gear and said driven gear are not coplanar wherein said imaginary driving gear plane and said imaginary driven gear plane are tangent at said pivot point, and said longitudinal axes are tilted at said pivot point towards each other or away from each other, said first range of rotation being limited to two opposing end positions;   in one end position, said longitudinal axis of said driven gear is close to but not perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said driving gear on one side of said driving gear to maintain the sequential magnetic linkage between the respective individual magnet poles on each of the said driving and driven gears, and   in the opposite end position, said longitudinal axis of said driven gear is close to but not perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said driving gear on the opposition side of said driving gear from said one end position to maintain the sequential magnetic linkage of the respective individual magnets on said driving and driven gears; and   wherein in said second range of rotation, said longitudinal axes of said driven gear and said driving gear are parallel to each other and said driving gear and said driven gear are coplanar, said first range of rotation being limited to two opposing end positions, in one end position said longitudinal axis of said driven gear is almost but not perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said driving gear on one side of said driving gear so as not to lose the sequential magnetic linkage between the respective individual magnet poles on each of the said driving and driven gears, and in the opposite end position said longitudinal axis of said driven gear is almost but not perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said driving gear on the opposite side of said driving gear from said one end position so as not to lose the sequential magnetic linkage of the respective individual magnets on said driving and driven gears, said second range of rotation being limited to two end positions wherein,   in one end position said longitudinal axis of said driven gear is parallel to said longitudinal axis of said driving gear and pointing in one direction, and in the opposite end position the longitudinal axis of said driven gear is parallel to said longitudinal axis of said driven gear and is parallel to said longitudinal axis of said driving gear and pointing in the direction opposite to said one direction; and   said driven gear and said driven gear axle being pivotable relative to said driving gear and said driving gear axle on said pivot point on an axis of pivotal movement between the longitudinal axes of said driving gear and said driving gear axle and said driven gear and said driven gear axle in a range of pivotal movement wherein said longitudinal axes of said driven gear and of said driving gear are not in a common plane; and   wherein said driven gear and said driving gear have a limit of pivotal movement beyond which limits the sequential magnetic linkage between the individual magnetic poles on each of said driving gear and said driven gear, said pivotal movement continues resulting in the reversal of the sequential magnetic linkage between said driving gear and said driven gear relative to said driven gear.   
     
     
         3 . A magnetic gear train according to claim  16  wherein said driven gear is rotatable in other ranges of rotation in addition to said first range of rotation, said range of pivotal movement and said second range of rotation, relative to said driving gear. 
     
     
         4 . A magnetic gear train according to claim  16  wherein said driven gear is simultaneously rotatable with said driving gear in the first and second ranges of rotation and in said range of pivotal movement. 
     
     
         5 . A magnetic gear train for rotating in one direction and rotating in a reverse direction, said magnetic gear train comprising:
 a driving gear lying in an imaginary driving gear plane, and having an inherent pitch circle, a driving gear longitudinal axis, a driving gear periphery and a set of magnets embedded in said driving gear periphery, said set of magnets having alternate polarities;   a driving axle attached to said driving gear and extending along said driving gear longitudinal axis;   a driven gear lying in an imaginary driven gear plane, and having an inherent pitch circle, a driven gear longitudinal axis, a driven gear periphery and a set of magnets embedded in said periphery, said set of magnets having alternate polarities, the pitch circles of said driven gear and said driving gear being tangent at a pivot point, said driven gear be tiltable relative to said driving gear about said pivot point;   a driven gear axle attached to said driven gear and extending along said driven gear longitudinal axis;   said driving gear and said driven gear being positioned with a part of said driving gear periphery and a part of said driven gear periphery being located at said pivot point for enabling the rotation of said driven gear and said driven gear axis in one direction due to the sequential magnetic interaction of said magnets embedded in said driving gear periphery and the magnets embedded in the driven ear periphery in response to a driving force being applied to said driving axle for rotating said driving gear in the opposite direction of rotation; and   said driven gear and said driven gear axle being tiltable at said pivot point both with respect to (a) said driving gear and said driving gear axle at an angle at said pivot point with respect to said driving gear, and the angle of said part of said driving gear periphery at said pivot point with respect to said driven gear periphery, using as references the imaginary driving gear plane and a perpendicular imaginary plane perpendicular to said imaginary driving gear plane and passing through said pivot point, wherein the angle between said imaginary driving gear plane and said imaginary driven gear plane is less than 90° or a lesser negative value than −90° for rotation in one direction and is greater than 90° but less than 270° for rotation in the reverse direction after the sequential magnetic interaction is re-established, relative to said imaginary perpendicular plane; and (b) any imaginary plane containing said longitudinal axis of said driven gear must be oblique with respect to any imaginary plane containing said longitudinal axis of said driving gear except when said driven gear and driving gear are coplanar.