Transmission for a Drive Train in an Agricultural or Heavy Load Vehicle and a Corresponding Drive Train and Corresponding Vehicle

Abstract

A transmission for an agricultural or heavy load vehicle is provided, and includes a central drive shaft, at least one planetary gearset comprising a planet carrier, at least one output drive element, and one brake device. The drive shaft is connected to the output drive element via the planetary gearset. The brake device is located between the planet carrier and the output drive element in the form of a ring gear, such that the output drive element can be coupled to the planet carrier via the brake device.

Claims

1. A transmission for a drive train in an agricultural or heavy load vehicle, the transmission comprising: a central drive shaft having at least one planetary gearset including a planet carrier, at least one output drive element and one brake device, wherein the drive shaft is connected to the output drive element via the planetary gearset, wherein the brake device is located between the planet carrier and the output drive element in the form of a ring gear, such that the output drive element is couplable to the planet carrier via the brake device.

2. The transmission according to claim 1, wherein the brake device forms a holding and/or operating brake.

3. The transmission according to claim 1, wherein the brake device contains a disk brake, the inner disks of which are non-rotatably connected to the planet carrier, and the outer disks of which are connected to the output drive element for conjoint rotation.

4. The transmission according to claim 3, wherein the inner and outer disks are at a greater radial distance to a rotational axis of the drive shaft than a rotational axis of one of the planet gears in the planetary gearset.

5. The transmission according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the disk carriers has at least one fluid channel.

6. The transmission according to claim 5, wherein there is a fluid overflow at the other end of the ring gear from the disk carrier, and a fluid intake is located near the drive shaft.

7. The transmission according to claim 1, wherein the brake device comprises a brake line that runs through the center of the drive shaft or is connected externally, for actuating an actuating element in the brake device.

8. The transmission according to claim 7, wherein an adapter is located between the brake line and the actuating element that forms a rotating passage, which has a greater diameter at the actuating element end than at the drive shaft end.

9. The transmission according to claim 1, wherein the ring gear has a cover on one side.

10. The transmission according to claim 9, wherein the cover and part of the brake device cannot rotate in relation to the ring gear, wherein the ring gear is supported on a transmission flange that enters the ring gear on the side opposite the cover.

11. The transmission according to claim 1, wherein the transmission is an at least two-speed planetary gearing that has at least one second planetary gearset, which is located in front of the first planetary gearset when seen from an input side of the transmission.

12. The transmission according to claim 11, wherein the sun gears in the second and any other additional planetary gearsets are located on a hollow shaft that encompass the drive shaft.

13. The transmission according to claim 11, wherein the planet carrier on the last gearset is non-rotatably connected to the transmission flange.

14. The transmission according to claim 1, wherein the transmission is a manual transmission.

15. A drive train comprising a motor and a transmission according to claim 1.

16. The drive train according to claim 15, wherein a transmission flange is formed on the housing for the motor.

17. An agricultural or heavy load vehicle, comprising at least one drive trains according to claim 15.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Reference is now made more particularly to the drawings, which illustrate the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention and wherein similar reference characters indicate the same parts throughout the views.

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a drive train according to the invention in a perspective view.

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a partially cutaway view of the drive train according to the invention.

[0036] FIG. 3 shows a part of a vehicle according to the invention.

[0037] FIG. 4 shows a part of another vehicle according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Individual technical features of the exemplary embodiments described below can also be combined with exemplary embodiments described above and the features in the independent claims and any other claims for the subject matter of the invention. Whenever it makes sense, elements with the same function are given the same reference symbols.

[0039] The drive train according to the invention has an electric motor 2 in a first exemplary embodiment, which is connected by its housing 4 to a transmission flange 6. This is part of a transmission 8 that has an output drive element in the form of a ring gear 10 (FIG. 1). The output drive element has a cover in the form of a lid 11 on one side, which is connected to the ring gear 10 for conjoint rotation.

[0040] The drive flange in this example can be used in a construction such as that shown in FIG. 4, for example, and thus form part of a caterpillar vehicle.

[0041] The transmission 8 according to the invention forms a two-speed manual transmission in this example, in which a gear shift 14 upstream of the drive shaft 12 is simply indicated by box drawn with a broken line. This box is at the input side of the transmission 8. The manual transmission in the present example is a two-speed planetary gearing. The sun gear 16 meshes with the planet gears 18 in the first planetary gearset. The planet gears 18 are supported on a planet carrier 20 by bearings 22 (FIG. 2).

[0042] The brake device formed by a set of disks 24 is located between the planet carrier 20 and the ring gear 10 such that the output drive element (ring gear 10) can be coupled to the planet carrier 20. In the present case, the brake forms both an operating brake and a holding brake. In the position shown in the illustration, an actuating element 26 is pushed axially toward the drive and input side of the transmission, toward the left of the drawing, by a return element 28, such that when no pressure is applied to the brake device, the planetary gearing is blocked or stopped by the coupling of the planet carrier 20 to the ring gear 10. Inner disks 30 are located on a disk carrier for this that is formed by the planet carrier 20, while outer disks 34 are located on a disk carrier 36. The latter has a fluid channel 38, through which fluid between the disks can be removed during operation.

[0043] One region 40 forms an overflow for the fluid in the area between a flange (6) on the transmission and the ring gear 10.

[0044] The transmission is supplied with fluid via fluid channels 42 contained in the drive shaft 12 and a sun gear 44 in the second planetary gearset. This sun gear 44 is connected to the planet carrier 20 in the first planetary gearset for conjoint rotation. The fluid is thus supplied near the drive shaft.

[0045] The brake device, containing the disks 30 and 34, must absorb nearly all of the kinetic energy of the vehicle in the case of an emergency braking. This energy is absorbed by the material of the disk brake because very little fluid flows over the disks during the relatively short time span during which the emergency braking takes place. Because the disk packet is close to the ring gear, comprising the inner disks 30 and outer disks 34, the disk packets can contain a relatively high amount of material. The disk packet can preferably weigh 8 to 10 kg in an exemplary embodiment of the invention that is to be used in particular in a vehicle that is intended for use in fields.

[0046] The difference in the rotational rates of the planet carrier 20 compared to the rotational rate of the ring gear 10 can range from preferably 800 to 1,300 rpms. By way of example, with a maximum diameter of 40 cm (external) for the disk packet, comprising four inner and four outer disks, enough kinetic energy can be absorbed in vehicles that are moving at speeds of up to 40 km/h and weighing up to 40 tons with at least one transmission according to the invention, preferably two or four transmission and associated drive trains according to the invention.

[0047] The brake device is actuated by the application of pressure from a pressure chamber 46. The pressure is provided via a brake line 48 contained in the drive shaft 12. The brake line 48 is continued by an adapter 50 that forms a rotating passage. The adapter 50 is sealed against the drive shaft 12 with an O-ring seal 52. The adapter thus rotates in relation to the brake cylinder 54 and is connected thereto by a piston ring seal 56 located in a recess in the adapter 50.

[0048] There is a device, not shown, on the input side of the drive shaft 12, with which pressure is supplied to the brake line, thus actuating the brake.

[0049] The planet gears in the second planetary gearset are driven by the sun gear 44, which in turn mesh with the ring gear 10. A planet carrier 52 in the second planetary gearset is non-rotatably connected to the transmission flange 6.

[0050] The ring gear 10 forming the output drive element has a flange-like connecting region 57 with which a track chain, for example, can be driven. A connecting region 57 runs through a rotational axis 58 perpendicular thereto and through a bearing for the ring gear 10 such that the forces acting in the event of an emergency braking in particular can be absorbed effectively in the connecting region 57.

[0051] The transmission according to the invention can be part of a drive train for a wheeled vehicle that has a wheel carrier 60 that is powered via the ring gear (FIG. 3). Alternatively, the transmission can be used to power a drive wheel 62 in a particularly preferred embodiment, which drives a drive element in the form of a rubber track belt (or chain). The drive train shown in FIG. 4 can have three essentially identical additional drive trains for driving a caterpillar vehicle used in particular for agricultural work.