An axle drive for a vehicle comprising at least one drivable vehicle axle oriented transversely to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle comprises: a drive shaft that extends in parallel with the longitudinal direction and that is configured to receive drive power from an electric motor at an input section and to output said drive power at an output section; a driven shaft that extends in parallel with the drive shaft and that is configured to receive drive power from the output section of the drive shaft at an input section and to output said drive power to the vehicle axle via a bevel gear arranged at a first end of the driven shaft; and a brake, in particular a parking brake, having a brake disk that is arranged at a second end of the driven shaft and that is arranged between the input section of the drive shaft and the input section of the driven shaft with respect to the longitudinal direction.

In an internal combustion engine, first and second rotating members, one for the intake valve and one for the exhaust valve rotate next to the outside of an engine cylinder on opposite sides thereof when driven by a drive gear attached to the end of the engine's crankshaft. Each rotating member may include a ring gear having a valve port or aperture near its perimeter that cyclically aligns with a corresponding valve port formed through the cylinder wall near the top of the cylinder. A method of controlling valve timing comprises the steps of causing the rotating member containing the second valve port to periodically align in synchronism with the first port to control the passage of an air/fuel mixture and exhaust gases through the combustion cycles of the engine.

A transmission device, comprising an offset gearbox assembly coupling rotatable input and output shafts extending in respective input and output axial directions. An output gear is mounted in the offset gearbox assembly and is rotatable in a drive direction about an output gear axis to rotate the output shaft coupled therewith. An idler gear coupled to the output gear is rotatable about an idler gear axis in association with the output gear. An input gear assembly is coupled to the idler gear, is rotatable about an input gear axis in association with the idler gear, and is coupled to the input shaft such that rotation of the input shaft causes rotation of the output gear in the drive direction. The input gear assembly has the input shaft coupled therewith such that the input axial direction is nonparallel to the output axial direction. An associated method is also provided.

A simulation apparatus includes: a memory to store information on the shape of a workpiece, information on a cross section of a portion of the workpiece, and information on definition points indicating the shape of an edge surface of tool edges of a machining tool; a first calculator to perform a calculation to obtain passage points in a three-dimensional coordinate system; a second calculator to cause the cross section in the three-dimensional coordinate system to be disposed parallel to a plane defined by predetermined two of the axes of the three-dimensional coordinate system, thus converting the passage points in the three-dimensional coordinate system into passage points in a two-dimensional coordinate system; and a third calculator to decide, in accordance with the passage points in the two-dimensional coordinate system, the shape of a tooth profile to be formed on the workpiece in the two-dimensional coordinate system.

A gear reduction mechanism (1) includes a drive gear (10) having a rotation axis (L.sub.1), and a driven gear (20) driven in mesh with the drive gear (10) and having a rotation axis (L.sub.2) that is noncoplanar with the rotation axis (L.sub.1). The drive gear (10) is provided with spiral teeth, each having a tooth trace of a spiral curve having a spiral center on the rotation axis (L.sub.1) and a constant radial pitch, when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis (L.sub.1). Furthermore, the tooth profile of the driven gear (20) is set, considering a tangent angle that changes momentarily as the drive gear (10) rotates.

A gear reduction mechanism (1) includes a drive gear (10) having a rotation axis (L.sub.1), and a driven gear (20) driven in mesh with the drive gear (10) and having a rotation axis (L.sub.2) that is noncoplanar with the rotation axis (L.sub.1). The drive gear (10) is provided with spiral teeth, each having a tooth trace of a spiral curve having a spiral center on the rotation axis (L.sub.1) and a constant radial pitch, when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis (L.sub.1). Furthermore, the tooth profile of the driven gear (20) is set, considering a tangent angle that changes momentarily as the drive gear (10) rotates.

A gear drive, such as for an actuator, is a right-angle drive where toothed outer ridge of a face gear is coupled to teeth of a motor output shaft, and a set of planetary gears are engaged with a central sun gear of the face gear. The sun gear and planetary gears are aligned with the motor output shaft. For instance the motor output shaft may be substantially in the same plane with the sun gear and the planetary gears. From another standpoint the axis of the motor output shaft may intersect the sun gear, as well as intersecting a volume that the planetary gears sweep through as the planetary gears engage the sun gear.

A gear drive, such as for an actuator, is a right-angle drive where toothed outer ridge of a face gear is coupled to teeth of a motor output shaft, and a set of planetary gears are engaged with a central sun gear of the face gear. The sun gear and planetary gears are aligned with the motor output shaft. For instance the motor output shaft may be substantially in the same plane with the sun gear and the planetary gears. From another standpoint the axis of the motor output shaft may intersect the sun gear, as well as intersecting a volume that the planetary gears sweep through as the planetary gears engage the sun gear.

A coaxial contra-rotating circumferential thruster includes: an input end, a one-way commutator, a two-way deflector, a steering support and two output ends. The input end is connected to a power device. The one-way commutator converts one rotation into two rotations having the same rotation speed and opposite rotation directions. The two-way deflector respectively indirectly connects two shafts of a contra-rotating sleeve shaft to two output shafts thereof by means of two bevel gear pair. Two unidirectional deflecting torques respectively generated by the two bevel gear pairs have the same magnitude and opposite directions. By transferring by means of a bracket or an output sleeve shaft, the two unidirectional deflecting torques cancel each other. The two output ends are respectively connected to two propellers (or rotors). A turnaround control device controls the steering support to be turned around, the control torque required for co-rotating and contra-rotating is the same.

A geared motor includes a pinion connected to a shaft in a positive manner. A pinion tooth system of the pinion meshes with a tooth system of a gear wheel. In relation to the axis of rotation of the gear wheel, the contact region between the pinion and the shaft radially overlaps, e.g., truly overlaps, with the meshing region, e.g., the tooth system with the pinion tooth system.