The invention is an apparatus to convert bidirectional rotary motion to unidirectional rotary motion having better mechanical advantage than a simple crank. It can make pedaling a bicycle easier or give an engine better mechanical advantage. It can also convert unidirectional rotary motion to bidirectional rotary motion, or continuous rotary motion to rotary motion with a momentary dwell. Each of these applications have input and output shafts on a common axis.

An angular gear arrangement for mower knife driven in an oscillating manner, including a transmission housing, an input shaft, which engages in the interior of the transmission housing, a rotor, which is mounted in the transmission housing to be rotatable about a first axis of rotation by a first bearing, a crankshaft, which engages in the receiving space of the rotor through the receiving opening and is mounted in the receiving space, to be rotatable about a second axis of rotation by a second bearing, a driving element, which is non-rotationally connected to the rotor and mounted so as to be rotatable about the first axis of rotation by at least one third bearing, and support means, which are arranged in the transmission housing and on which the third bearing is axially supported, the support means being releasably fastened to the transmission housing.

The engine includes a first and a second cylinder chamber. The first chamber receives gas through a first inlet valve which gas will be compressed by a piston in the cylinder and will leave the first chamber through a first outlet valve. The second chamber receives compressed gas from the first chamber through a second inlet valve. The gas expands in the second chamber while performing a work on the piston before leaving the second chamber through a second outlet valve. The engine is controlled such that gas will flow from the first to the second chamber while the engine performs a working cycle and the engine is thus controlled such that a piston is used for compressing gas which performs a work on the same piston, which is connected by a rod to a cranking mechanism to transfer work from the rod by an essentially only rectilinear movement.

An apparatus that functions as a linear bearing for supporting a reciprocating structure that reciprocates along a linear path includes a first body including a pinion gear with a first diameter and a first number of teeth for engagement with a second number of teeth that is twice the first number and on an interior ring gear of a second body. The interior ring gear is disposed within an interior cavity. The first body also includes a support member connected to the pinion gear with a crank, the support member being aligned with a point at the periphery of the pinion gear so that it will, upon rotation of the pinion gear while engaged with the ring gear, cyclically reciprocate along a linear path. The apparatus can be used to support reciprocating structures such as, for example, a reciprocating conveyor.

A high efficiency reciprocating engine, nominally of the internal combustion type but alternatively of the external combustion type is disclosed. The new engine uses Hypocycloidal and alternatively Epicycloidal gear mechanisms to create differentiated compression and expansion ratios which then promote significant improvements in efficiency through lower compression losses and higher extraction of available energy. Through suitable augmentation, the engines can be made to provide higher power when needed over higher efficiency. Additionally, other parameter modifications enable realization of low side wall loads and true zero exhaust volume.

A drive device (10) for a forming machine (11) includes a hypocycloid gear assembly (20) having an eccentric gear (23), a stationary annulus gear (24) and a planetary gear system (28). The planetary gear system (28) includes an orbiting gear (29) orbiting and rolling in an annulus gear (24). The orbiting gear (29) is connected to at least one first planetary gear (35). On the first planetary gear (35), a first planetary gear equalization mass (m.sub.2) is disposed diametrically opposite an output bearing. At least one first eccentric gear equalization mass (m.sub.3) is arranged on the eccentric gear (23). The first eccentric gear equalization mass (m.sub.3) is arranged diametrically opposite, relative to a planetary gear axis (PA) about which the planetary gear system (28) rotates. The resultant forces and torques acting on the annulus gear (24) can at least be reduced by the equalization masses.

A gearset including an internal ring gear; a first pinion gear disposed within the internal ring gear and having teeth meshing with teeth of the internal ring gear; a disc having a central axis collinear with a central axis of the internal ring gear and a slot along a portion of a diameter of a first side thereof; a first pinion shaft having a first end, a second end, and an offset driving lug extending from the second end, the first pinion shaft extending through a hole of the first pinion gear, the offset driving lug of the first pinion shaft engaging with a first end of the slot; a second pinion gear disposed with the internal ring gear and having teeth meshing with teeth of the internal ring gear, the teeth of the second pinion gear not meshing with the teeth of the first pinion gear; a second pinion shaft having a first end, a second end, and an offset driving lug extending from the second end, the second pinion shaft extending through a hole of the second pinion gear, the offset driving lug of the second pinion shaft engaging with a second end of the slot.