Machine element or mechanism – Gearing – Rotary bodies
Patent
1998-07-20
2000-08-01
Herrmann, Allan D.
Machine element or mechanism
Gearing
Rotary bodies
2989337, 242247, 242249, F16H 5506, F16H 5522, A01K 8902
Patent
active
060950080
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to face gears, in particular to face gears provided on the handle shaft of spinning reels.
B. Description of Related Art
Generally spinning reels have a reel main body, a rotor supported for free rotation on the main body, and a spool that peripherally winds on fish line, provided toward the front of the rotor. The rotor rotates unitarily with a pinion gear provided peripherally on the spool axle. The spool shuttles back and forth by means of a level-wind mechanism that is driven by an intermediate gear that meshes with the pinion gear. The pinion gear meshes with a face gear (master gear) provided on a handle rotation axle (handle shaft) that is orthogonal to the pinion gear, and is rotated by rotation of the handle. The face gear is usually formed incorporated with the handle shaft. Conventionally zinc alloys have been comparatively widely used as a material for cheaply manufacturing the face gear which includes the handle shaft, and for maintaining its strength.
Generally with spinning reels, designing to make them lightweight to elevate casting performance is important. Further, it is also important to improve corrosion resistance in order to prolong their life-span. With the above-noted conventional face gear, however, since zinc alloys of high relative density that are inferior in corrosion resistance are utilized, their heavy weight makes lightweight design difficult, and moreover improving corrosion resistance is problematic.
Therein, consideration has been given to using aluminum alloys as a face gear material for designing the face gear to be lightweight, and further to using stainless steel alloys as a face gear material in order to improve the corrosion resistance. Due to the inferior strength of aluminum alloys compared to zinc alloys, along with inferior manufacturing precision wherein die-casting or the like is to be carried out, however, when utilizing aluminum alloys as a face gear material, the strength and precision of the teeth of the face gears deteriorates. Furthermore, while stainless steel alloys are of better strength compared to zinc alloys, owing to poor workability along with problems generally in injection molding, it is difficult to improve precision; when employing stainless steel alloys the precision of the face gear teeth is liable to deteriorate.
It is an object of the present invention to provide for a lightened-weight face gear while maintaining its strength and precision.
Another object of the present invention is to provide for improvement of corrosion resistance of a face gear while maintaining its strength and precision.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A spinning reel face gear in connection with invention 1 is a gear provided on the handle shaft of the spinning reel, and is furnished with a circular plate, and a tooth ring formed on the perimeter of the circular plate of a material different from the circular plate. With this face gear, because the tooth ring that is to be the meshing portion is formed of a separate material from the circular plate, it is possible to design a lightened face gear of improved anti-corrosiveness, maintaining its strength and precision, by manufacturing the circular plate with lightweight materials and materials that are anti-corrosive, and by manufacturing the tooth ring with materials by which its strength and precision are maintainable.
A spinning reel face gear in connection with invention 2 is a gear set forth by invention 1, wherein the handle shaft is formed unitarily with the circular plate. Herein, since the handle shaft and circular plate are formed unitarily, the number of parts is reduced, and the manufacturing costs and assembly costs are decreased.
A spinning reel face gear in connection with invention 3 is a gear set forth by invention 1 or 2, wherein the fabrication material of the circular plate is aluminum alloy or stainless steel alloy, and the tooth ring fabrication material is zinc alloy or synthetic resin. Herein, the circular plate ca
REFERENCES:
patent: 3520488 (1970-07-01), Vouthier
patent: 3530735 (1970-09-01), Allen
patent: 4957072 (1990-09-01), Goldowsky
patent: 5074832 (1991-12-01), Igaku
patent: 5271287 (1993-12-01), Wadleigh
patent: 5546824 (1996-08-01), Miller et al.
Herrmann Allan D.
Shimano Inc.
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