Bidirectional gear, method, and applications
A bidirectional gear set includes a male bidirectional gear component having an array of addendum teeth and a female bidirectional gear component having an array of dedendum sockets, wherein each dedendum socket has a full boundary edge around an open end thereof. One or both of the male and female gear components may have a circular cross sectional geometry, or one may have a non-circular cross sectional geometry. The non-circular cross sectional geometry may be a flat sheet or a sheet with surface contour. In an intermeshed state, neither the male nor the female component can ‘slide’ relative to the other regardless of whether the male and female components are arranged in a parallel or perpendicular orientation. A method of making a bidirectional gear set is disclosed.
1. A bidirectional gear set, comprising:
a male bidirectional gear component having an array of addendum teeth; and
a female bidirectional gear component having an array of dedendum sockets, wherein each dedendum socket has a full boundary edge around an open end thereof further wherein bidirectional means gear-driven motion in both a translational state and a rotational state, as well as back and forth in both of these states.
2. The gear set of claim 1 , wherein each of the male and female arrays of teeth and sockets are rectangular, non-helical arrays.
3. The gear set of claim 1 , wherein one of the male and female gear components has a circular cross sectional geometry and the other has a non-circular cross sectional geometry.
4. The gear set of claim 3 , wherein the non-circular cross sectional geometry is flat-planar.
5. The gear set of claim 3 , wherein the non-circular cross sectional geometry is non-flat-planar.
6. The gear set of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the male and female gear components is cylindrical, having a length along a longitudinal axis that is greater than a diameter along a radial axis that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
7. The gear set of claim 1 , wherein with respect to a single male component and a single female component in an intermeshed state, neither the male nor the female component can slide relative to the other regardless of whether the male and female components are arranged in a parallel or perpendicular orientation.
8. The gear set of claim 1 , wherein the male and female gear components have an operational, intermeshed state in both a parallel orientation and a perpendicular orientation.
9. The gear set of claim 8 , wherein the male and female gear components are limited to motion along a single common axis of movement.
10. The gear set of claim 1 , wherein both the addendum teeth and the dedendum sockets are each cut in two directions.
11. A method of making a bidirectional gear set including a male bidirectional gear component having an array of addendum teeth and a female bidirectional gear component having an array of dedendum sockets, wherein bidirectional means gear-driven motion in both a translational state and a rotational state, as well as back and forth in both of these states, further wherein in an intermeshed state, neither the male nor the female component can slide relative to the other regardless of whether the male and female components are arranged in a parallel or perpendicular orientation, comprising at least one of:
creating the female bidirectional gear component having an array of dedendum sockets, wherein each dedendum socket has a full boundary edge around an open end thereof; and
creating the male bidirectional gear component having an array of addendum teeth.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein creating the female bidirectional gear component further comprises the Boolean merging of swept spur gear profiles along two orthogonal axes of a surface.
13. The method of claim 12 , further involving making the female bidirectional gear component in a cylindrical geometry, further comprising:
revolving a contour of a circular spur gear rack around a rod axis; and
merging the revolved spur gear rack with a spur gear thread in the orthogonal direction.
14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising making the female bidirectional gear component in the form of a sheet.
15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising making the female bidirectional gear component in the form of a flat sheet.
16. The method of claim 11 , wherein creating the male bidirectional gear component further comprises the Boolean subtraction of a swept spur gear profile from a second swept spur gear profile along two orthogonal axes of a surface.
17. The method of claim 16 , further involving making the male bidirectional gear component in a cylindrical geometry, further comprising:
revolving an outside contour of a spur gear rack around, and subtracting from, a spur gear.
18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising making the male bidirectional gear component in the form of a sheet.
19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising making the male bidirectional gear component in the form of a flat sheet.
20. The method of claim 11 , comprising making the male bidirectional gear component by one of cutting a suitable design in a spur gear rod; rapid prototyping; casting; cold or warm forming using a female bidirectional gear; molding; CNC machining; and 3-D printing.
21. The method of claim 11 , comprising making the female bidirectional gear component by one of rapid prototyping; casting; cold or warm forming using a male bidirectional gear; CNC machining; molding; and 3-D printing.