PLANETARY GEARBOX HAVING IMPROVED LUBRICANT TRANSFER, DRIVE TRAIN, WIND TURBINE AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION

Abstract

A planetary gearbox includes a first planetary stage with a component, a sun gear, and a planet gear meshing with the sun gear via a toothing system, a second planetary stage, and a lubricant transfer device arranged between the first planetary stage and the second planetary stage. The lubricant transfer device includes a discharge component arranged in a co-rotating manner on a component of the second planetary stage, and a receiving component designed to receive lubricant and arranged in a co-rotating manner on the component of the first planetary stage. A lubricant conduit communicates with the lubricant transfer device and is configured to extend over an entire axial extent of a tooth engagement region of the sun gear of the first planetary stage radially within the toothing system of the sun gear with the planet gear of the first planetary stage.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A planetary gearbox, comprising: a first planetary stage comprising a component, a sun gear, and a planet gear meshing with the sun gear via a toothing system; a second planetary stage comprising a component; a lubricant transfer device arranged between the first planetary stage and the second planetary stage, said lubricant transfer device comprising a discharge component arranged in a co-rotating manner on the component of the second planetary stage, and a receiving component designed to receive lubricant and arranged in a co-rotating manner on the component of the first planetary stage; and a lubricant conduit communicating with the lubricant transfer device and configured to extend over an entire axial extent of a tooth engagement region of the sun gear of the first planetary stage radially within the toothing system of the sun gear with the planet gear of the first planetary stage.

17. The planetary gearbox of claim 16, wherein the lubricant conduit within the lubricant transfer device is deflected in a flow direction of the lubricant between an axial flow direction and a radial flow direction.

18. The planetary gearbox of claim 17, wherein the lubricant conduit leads into the discharge component of the lubricant transfer device in the axial direction and exits the receiving component of the lubricant transfer device in the radial direction.

19. The planetary gearbox of claim 16, wherein the second planetary stage comprises a planet carrier including a hub, said sun gear connected to the hub of the planet carrier of the second planetary stage for rotation in relation to the hub or in rotationally fixed manner on the hub, said lubricant conduit designed to pass within the hub through the tooth engagement region of the sun gear, said lubricant transfer device positioned downstream of the hub.

20. The planetary gearbox of claim 16, wherein the first planetary stage comprises a sun gear shaft, with the sun gear fastened in a rotationally fixed manner to the sun gear shaft of the first planetary stage, said lubricant conduit designed to pass within the sun gear shaft through the tooth engagement region of the sun gear, said lubricant transfer device positioned upstream of the sun gear shaft.

21. The planetary gearbox of claim 16, wherein the first planetary stage comprises a planet carrier and a planet gear pin which is inserted in a rotatable or rotationally fixed manner in the planet carrier of the first planetary stage, and wherein the second planetary stage comprises a planet carrier and a planet gear pin which is inserted in a rotatable or rotationally fixed manner in the planet carrier of the second planetary stage, said lubricant conduit routed to both the planet gear pin of the first planetary stage and the planet gear pin of the second planetary stage.

22. The planetary gearbox of claim 21, wherein the lubricant conduit terminates at the planet gear pin of the first planetary stage at an axial distance from a planet gear provided on the planet gear pin of the first planetary stage and/or the lubricant conduit terminates at the planet gear pin of the second planetary stage at an axial distance from a planet gear provided on the planet gear pin of the second planetary stage.

23. The planetary gearbox of claim 16, wherein the first planetary stage comprises a planet carrier including a web which faces away from the second planetary stage, said receiving component arranged on the web of the planet carrier of the first planetary stage.

24. The planetary gearbox of claim 16, wherein the lubricant transfer device is configured to compensate for a radial, an axial offset and/or angular offset between the discharge component and the receiving component.

25. The planetary gearbox of claim 16, wherein the lubricant transfer device comprises a labyrinth seal, a bushing and/or a sealing ring.

26. The planetary gearbox of claim 16, wherein the discharge component and the receiving component are arranged such as to form a gap there between.

27. The planetary gearbox of claim 16, further comprising a centrifugal seal arranged between the discharge component and the receiving component.

28. The planetary gearbox of claim 16, further comprising a third planetary stage.

29. A drive train for a wind turbine, said drive train comprising: a planetary gearbox comprising a first planetary stage comprising a component, a sun gear, and a planet gear meshing with the sun gear via a toothing system, a second planetary stage comprising a component, a lubricant transfer device arranged between the first planetary stage and the second planetary stage, said lubricant transfer device comprising a discharge component arranged in a co-rotating manner on the component of the second planetary stage, and a receiving component designed to receive lubricant and arranged in a co-rotating manner on the component of the first planetary stage, and a lubricant conduit communicating with the lubricant transfer device and configured to extend over an entire axial extent of a tooth engagement region of the sun gear of the first planetary stage radially within the toothing system of the sun gear with the planet gear of the first planetary stage; a rotor shaft connected in a torque-transmitting manner to the planetary gearbox; and a generator connected in a torque-transmitting manner to the planetary gearbox.

30. A wind turbine, comprising: a nacelle; a drive train designed in a form as set forth in claim 29; and a multi-blade rotor connected in a torque-transmitting manner to the drive train and rotatably arranged on the nacelle.

31. An industrial application, comprising: a drive unit; an output unit; and a gearbox configured to connect the drive unit and the output unit in a torque-transmitting manner to one another, said gearbox designed in a form of a planetary gearbox as set forth in claim 16.

32. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising commands which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to simulate an operating behavior of a planetary gearbox which is arranged in a drive train of a wind turbine and configured as set forth in claim 16.

Description

[0027] The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to individual embodiments in figures. The figures are to be read in a mutually complementary manner insofar as the same reference designations in different figures have the same technical meaning. The features of the individual embodiments can also be combined with one another. Furthermore, the embodiments shown in the figures can be combined with the features outlined above. Specifically:

[0028] FIG. 1 schematically shows an embodiment of the claimed planetary gearbox in longitudinal section;

[0029] FIG. 2 shows a sectional oblique view of an embodiment of the claimed wind turbine;

[0030] FIG. 3 schematically shows the construction of an embodiment of the claimed industrial application.

[0031] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a claimed embodiment of the claimed planetary gearbox 10 in longitudinal section. The planetary gearbox 10 comprises a first planetary stage 20, which is followed by a second planetary stage 30 and a third planetary stage 40. The planetary stages 20, 30, 40 are connected to one another by housing components 11 which are releasably connected to the ring gears 22, 32, 42 of the respective planetary stages 20, 30, 40. The first, second and third planetary stage 20, 30, 40 each have a planet carrier 24, 34, 44, to which a plurality of planet gear pins 28, 38, 48 are in each case fastened. A respective planet gear 26, 36, 46 is rotatably arranged on the planet gear pins 28, 38, 48. In each of the planetary stages 20, 30, 40, the planet gears 26, 36 mesh with a sun gear 21, 31. In the third planetary stage 40, the planet gears 46 mesh with a sun shaft 41, which is provided with a toothing system and is thus functionally also a sun gear. The sun gears 21, 31, or the sun shaft 41, the planet gears 26, 36, 46 and the planet carriers 24, 34, 44 belong to the rotating components 13 of the planetary gearbox 10. The planet carriers 24, 34, 44 and the sun gears 21, 31, 41 rotate about a main axis of rotation 15 of the planetary gearbox 10 during operation, as a result of which drive power 25 is transported from a drive side 17 to an output side 19 with conversion of torque and rotational speed. The drive power 25 is supplied via a hub 23 which is formed in one piece with the planet carrier 24 of the first planetary stage 20.

[0032] The planet carrier 34 of the second planetary stage 30 has a hub 33 which extends in the direction of the first planetary stage 20. The hub 33 is connected in a torque-transmitting manner to the sun gear 21 of the first planetary stage 20 via a shaft-hub connection 57. A discharge component 52 of a lubricant transfer device 50 is arranged at an end 39 of the hub 33, said end facing away from the second planetary stage 30 and being illustrated on the left in FIG. 1. The lubricant transfer device 50 also comprises a receiving component 54 which is connected to the first planetary stage 20. The receiving component 54 is attached to the planet carrier 24 of the first planetary stage 20. The receiving component 54 is fastened in the region of a web 27 of the planet carrier 24, such that lubricant 55 can be transferred from the discharge component 52 to the receiving component 54. In this case, the lubricant 55 is conveyed along a flow direction 53. Due to the fact that the discharge component 52 is fastened to the planet carrier 34 of the second planetary stage 30, it co-rotates with the planet carrier 34 during operation. Similarly, the receiving component 54 co-rotates with the planet carrier 24 of the first planetary stage 20. Owing to the different rotational speeds of the planet carrier 24 and the sun gear 21 of the first planetary stage 20, there is also a relative rotation 59 between the receiving component 54 and the discharge component 52. The lubricant transfer device 50 has seals 51, which are in the form of sealing rings, and is therefore suitable for transferring the lubricant 55 with minimal leakage loss even in the presence of the relative rotation 59. The lubricant 55 is conveyed in the axial direction 45 through a lubricant conduit 58 which is essentially in the form of a bore through the hub 33 of the planet carrier 34 of the second planetary stage 30. The lubricant 55 is deflected by the discharge component 52 and the receiving component 54 and transported via a lubricant conduit 58 in the planet carrier 24 of the first planetary stage 20 to a planet gear pin 28 received therein. As a result, the lubricant 55 can be supplied to a plain bearing between the planet gear pin 28 and the planet gear 26 in the first planetary stage 20. The lubricant conduit 58, which is hydraulically connected to the receiving component 54, is essentially in the form of a bore in the radial direction 49, which extends through the web 27 of the planet carrier 24 on the drive side 17.

[0033] The lubricant conduit 58, which is formed in the hub 33 of the planet carrier 34 of the second planetary stage 30, extends, viewed along the axial direction 45, through a tooth engagement region 56 in which toothing systems 29 of the planet gears 26 and the sun gear 21 of the first planetary stage 20 mesh. Within the tooth engagement region 56 there is also a region in which the shaft-hub connection 57 between the sun gear 21 of the first planetary stage 20 is connected to the planet carrier 34 of the second planetary stage 20. Due to the use of the lubricant transfer device 50, the planet carrier 24 of the first planetary stage 20 has an increased inner diameter 16 in which a pitch tube 18 is arranged. As a result, the first planetary stage 20 is easily accessible, which simplifies assembly and maintenance work. In addition, the lubricant transfer device 50 is suitable for compensating for an axial offset, a radial offset, and/or an angular offset between the planet carriers 24, 34 of the first and second planetary stage 20, 30. As a result, the planetary gearbox 10 shown in FIG. 1 is robust against temporarily excessive stresses and has only minimal leakage losses of lubricant 55 at the lubricant transfer device 50. Overall, the transport of lubricant 55 from the second planetary stage 30 to the first planetary stage 20 is also simplified in that the length of the lubricant conduits 58 in the first and second planet carriers 24, 34 is reduced. As a result, hydraulic losses in the lubricant conduits 58, that is to say essentially pressure losses, can be reduced, which in turn allows the use of a simple lubricant pump, which is not shown in more detail in FIG. 1.

[0034] The planetary gearbox 10 in FIG. 1 also has a third planetary stage 40 which is provided with a discharge component 52 of a lubricant transfer device 50. The corresponding receiving component 54 is attached in a co-rotating manner to the planet carrier 34 of the second planetary stage 30. The lubricant transfer device 50 between the second and third planetary stage 30, 40 is constructed and arranged in a corresponding manner to the lubricant transfer device 50 between the first and second planetary stage 20, 30. The technical aspects outlined above therefore also apply to the lubricant device 50 between the second and third planetary stage 30, 40. The planetary gearbox 10 is also reproduced in a simulated manner in a computer program product 90, with the result that the operating behavior of the planetary gearbox 10 can be computationally adjusted.

[0035] An embodiment of the claimed wind turbine 70 with a claimed drive train 60 is illustrated in FIG. 2 in a sectional oblique view. The drive train 60 is arranged in a nacelle 71 of the wind turbine 70 and has a rotor shaft 62 which is connected in a torque-transmitting manner to the multi-blade rotor 72. A rotation of the multi-blade rotor 72 is transmitted as drive power 25 via the rotor shaft 62 to a gearbox 64, which is in turn connected in a torque-transmitting manner to a generator 66 which also forms part of the drive train 60. According to the invention, the gearbox 64 is in the form of a planetary gearbox 10 according to one of the embodiments described above. Furthermore, the operating behavior of the gearbox 64, that is to say of the planetary gearbox 10, can be simulated by a computer program product 90. For this purpose, the computer program product 90 comprises an image of the planetary gearbox 10 and is suitable, among other things, for processing a rotation of the multi-blade rotor 72 to replicate operating conditions of the wind turbine 70.

[0036] FIG. 3 schematically shows the construction of an embodiment of the claimed industrial application 80, which comprises a drive unit 82 and an output unit 84. The drive unit 82 provides a drive power 25 which is transported to the output unit 84 via a gearbox 85. The drive unit 82 may be in the form of an electric motor, a combustion engine or a hydraulic motor. The output unit 84 may be in the form of a mechanical application, such that the industrial application 80 is, for example, a mill, a vertical mill, a sugar mill, a cement mill, a rock crusher, a conveyor belt, a pump, a roller press, a slat conveyor, a tube mill, a rotary kiln, a slewing gear, a stirring unit, a lifting device, a waste compactor or a scrap compactor. According to the invention, the gearbox 85 is in the form of a planetary gearbox 10 according to one of the embodiments described above.