Importance

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Abstract

A gearbox drive that adapts the drive train ratios of vehicles to standard speedometers, including an input gear, an intermediate gear and an output gear rotatable about axes defining an equilateral triangle, arranged so that upon rotation of the input shaft in either direction, the reaction forces on the intermediate gear will be substantially balanced. The gears are supported in mating cup-shaped input and output gear cases with the input gear case member having an input gear bearing and two secondary bearings each of which selectively supports either the intermediate gear or the output gear. The output gear case member has an output gear bearing and two secondary bearings each of which selectively supports either the intermediate gear or the input gear. By rotating the output gear case member 120 degrees with respect to the input gear case member during assembly and reversing the relative positions of the input and output gears, the same force balance on the intermediate gear is achieved for rotational motion of the input gear in either direction. The gearbox also accommodates reverse rotation of the output gear by eliminating the intermediate gear and directly meshing the input and output gears. The gear case members are constructed of plastic to reduce the weight and cost of the gearbox, while certain bushings along with the gears and their supporting shafts are constructed of steel to maintain the reliability, strength and integrity of the gearbox.

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First Claim