Gear device for fitting to a drive shaft

Abstract

Gear device for fitting to a drive shaft, having a base member which at least partially surrounds the drive shaft, a pinion which is arranged in the assembled state on the drive shaft, and a toothed rod which in the assembled state is assembled on the base member cooperates with the pinion and extends through the base member, wherein the base member is open at one side in such a manner that it can be fitted to a drive shaft in a radial direction. The gear device is characterized in that the base member comprises a retention member, wherein the retention member is configured to secure the pinion in the assembled state arranged on the base member in a position relative to the base member without additional components.

Claims

1. A gear device for fitting to a drive shaft, having a base member which at least partially surrounds the drive shaft, a pinion, and a toothed rod which in an assembled state cooperates with the pinion and extends through the base member, wherein the base member comprises first and second legs, the first and second legs each having a proximal end and a distal end, and being open at one side in such a manner that the legs can be fitted in a radial direction to the drive shaft, wherein the legs are connected to each other at mutually opposed sides by means of webs, thereby producing in each case a flap which is oriented transversely relative to the drive shaft, and in which the toothed rod can be placed, wherein the base member comprises a first retention member defined on an inner surface of the first leg intermediate the proximal end and the distal end thereof and having a first inner face, and a second retention member defined on an inner surface of the second leg intermediate the proximal end and the distal end thereof and having a second inner face opposing and facing the first inner face of the first retention member, wherein the opposing first and second inner faces of the first and second retention members are configured both to secure only the pinion on the base member between the first and second legs of the base member without the drive shaft, and to secure the pinion on the base member between the first and second legs of the base member, with the pinion assembled on the drive shaft, and wherein the first and second legs have a distance therebetween sufficient for the pinion to slide past the first and second inner faces of the retention members.

2. The gear device according to claim 1, wherein the retention members are configured such that the pinion can be snap-fitted thereto.

3. The gear device according to claim 1, wherein the retention members are configured in a hollow-substantially cylindrical manner, and wherein the retention members have an opening along an axis defined therein, so that the retention members are open at one side in such a manner that the drive shaft can be inserted in a radial direction.

4. The gear device according to claim 1, wherein an inner radius of each of the retention members is greater than or equal to a radius of the drive shaft.

5. The gear device according to claim 1, wherein each of the retention members further includes a bearing surface supporting the drive shaft.

6. The gear device according to claim 1, wherein the pinion has annular receiving members configured to receive the retention members of the base member.

7. The gear device according to claim 6, wherein an inner radius of the receiving members is greater than or equal to an outer radius of the retention members.

8. The gear device according to claim 6, wherein each of the retention members comprises a bearing supporting the pinion.

9. The gear device according to claim 8, wherein the bearing supports the receiving members.

10. The gear device according to claim 1, wherein the pinion comprises receiving members that are provided in a mirror-symmetrical manner on the pinion.

11. The gear device according to claim 1, wherein the base member further comprises a bearing portion supporting the drive shaft.

12. The gear device according to claim 1, wherein the open side of the base member has, proximate a region in which a rotation axis of the drive shaft is in the assembled state defined, a width which is different from a diameter of a cylindrical plain bearing surface of the base member.

13. The gear device according to claim 1, wherein the retention members are arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) An exemplary embodiment is explained in greater detail with reference to the schematic drawings below, with further details and advantages being set out.

(2) FIG. 1 is a side view from the front of a base member of a gear device according to the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a sectioned view of the base member from FIG. 1;

(4) FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views of a pinion in one-piece and in two-piece form;

(5) FIG. 5 is a perspective view from the top front side of the base member according to FIG. 1, with the pinion arranged; and

(6) FIG. 6 is a perspective view from the top front side of the gear device having a base member according to FIG. 1 and a pinion according to FIG. 3 with the toothed rod and drive shaft arranged.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) In FIG. 1, a base member 1 of a gear device 2 (see also FIGS. 5, 6) is illustrated. The base member 1 comprises two legs 3, 4 which have opposing leg portions 3a and 3b or leg portions 4a and 4b, respectively.

(8) Two leg portions 3a, 4a or leg portions 3b, 4b are in each case connected to each other by means of a connection web 5a, 5b. In this manner, the leg portions 3a, 4a form with the connection web 5a and the leg portions 3b, 4b form with the connection web 5b a U-shaped loop of the base member 1. The connection webs 5a, 5b comprise, in particular, plain bearing surfaces 10a, 10b for supporting a toothed rod 11 of the gear device 2. The plain bearing surfaces 10a, 10b for supporting the toothed rod 11 are advantageously provided integrally with the base member 1 of the gear device 2.

(9) The legs 3, 4 are provided in a curved manner and comprise an opening 6 in which a drive shaft 7 can be introduced by the base member 1 being radially fitted, for example, over the drive shaft 7 until the drive shaft 7 is, in particular, in full abutment with bearing recesses 8, 9 of the base member 1 and a plain bearing surface which is constructed, for example, at that location (FIG. 5).

(10) At an inner side 12, 13 of the legs 3, 4 in the region of the bearing recesses 8, 9, for example, annular retention members 14, 15 are provided on the base member 1 on inner faces 16, 17 of the legs 3, 4, for example, in a protruding manner.

(11) Advantageously, an inner annular face of the retention member 14 is constructed as a plain bearing surface 18, on which the drive shaft 7 in the arranged state is, in particular, in full abutment (FIG. 2). The same arrangement may also be provided on the retention member 15 (not shown). Preferably, there is provided on an outer annular face another plain bearing surface 23 by means of which a pinion 19, 22 which is assembled on the base member 1 is, for example, movably supported on the base member 1. The opening 6 of the legs 3, 4 preferably at the same time also forms an opening of the retention members 13, 14.

(12) FIGS. 3 and 4 show a one-piece pinion 22 and a multi-piece pinion 19. The multi-piece pinion 19 comprises, for example, two pinion halves 19a, 19b. The pinion halves 19a, 19b are, for example, fitted to each other or, for example, screwed to each other. In an advantageous variant of a pinion 19, the pinion halves 19a, 19b comprise at the ends thereof a toothed structure by means of which they can be fitted to each other and consequently, for example, can be clamped to each other. The pinions 19, 22 are, for example, secured against torsion by means of fixing screws 20a, 20b on the drive shaft 1 (FIG. 6).

(13) The pinion 19, 22 comprises radially at the outer side a pinion ring which, for example, when viewed in a radial direction, is provided in a state divided in two and comprises two receiving members in the form of pinion ring halves 21a, 21b. Consequently, the first pinion ring half 21a can be formed on a first axial outer face of the pinion 19, 22 and a second pinion ring half 21b can be provided on a second axial outer face of the pinion 19, 22 opposite the first axial outer face. The two pinion ring halves 21a, 21b are provided, for example, in a mirror-symmetrical manner on the pinion 19, 22. It is also conceivable for the pinion ring half 21a, 21b to be provided so as to protrude from a radial outer face of the pinion 19, 22.

(14) Another receiving member in the form of a pinion tooth 24 of the pinion ring, in particular, of the pinion ring halves 21a, 21b, is advantageously provided in a hook-like manner, for example, L-shaped manner. Advantageously, the pinion tooth 24 protrudes in an axial direction from the pinion 19, 22. A plurality of pinion teeth 24 are, for example, arranged so as to be distributed in a uniform manner on a radius of the pinion 19, 22. The hook-like pinion teeth 24 which protrude in an axial direction thereby form an, in particular, annular or disc-like receiving region 25 for receiving the retention member 14, 15 in the state arranged on the gear device 2. A pinion tooth 24 thereby engages around or surrounds the retention member 14, 15 in the state assembled on the gear device 2. The retention member 14, 15 is, for example, in the assembled state of the gear device 2 provided in the receiving region 25 of the pinion 19, 22. Advantageously, the pinion ring, in particular, the pinion tooth 24, is provided in a rigid and non-resilient manner.

(15) FIG. 6 shows the completely assembled state of the tooth rod gear 2 with the toothed rod 11 which meshes with the pinion 19. As a result of the inserted, assembled toothed rod 11, the base member 1 can, in particular, no longer be lifted from the drive shaft 7 in a radial direction.

(16) A pinion 19, 22 can be clamped to the base member 1 in a radial direction. To this end, the pinion 19, 22 is advantageously first assembled on the drive shaft 7 and the base member 1 is subsequently fitted or pushed with the opening 6 in a radial direction on the pinion 19, 22 and the drive shaft 7. To this end, the legs 3, 4 of the base member 1 are advantageously bent away from each other to a comparatively small degree so that the pinion ring halves 21a, 21b and consequently the pinion tooth 24 can be fitted past an inner face 26, 27 of the retention members 13, 14 over the retention members 13, 14.

(17) For simplified assembly of the base member 1 and the pinion 19, 22, the retention members 13, 14 comprise to this end, for example, a chamfered face 28a, 28b, 29a, 29b which starting from the inner face 26, 27 of the retention member 13, 14 extends in the direction of the inner faces 16, 17 of the leas 3, 4 (FIG. 1).

(18) Furthermore, a pinion tooth 24, for example, radially at the outer side, comprises a chamfered portion 30 which extends in a radial direction from a pinion outer side in the direction of the rotation axis of the pinion 19, 22 in an axial direction away from the pinion. When the pinion 19, 22 is fitted to the base member 1, a bending of the legs 3, 4 is thereby supported and the assembly is simplified. Advantageously, the legs 3, 4 are bent apart in a comparatively easy manner simply by the fitting of the base member 1 to the pinion 19, 22.

(19) It is also conceivable for the pinion 19, 22 to be clip-fitted or clamped to the base member 1 in such a manner by the pinion 19, 22 first being assembled on the drive shaft 7 and subsequently the base member 1 with the opening 6 being fitted in a radial direction to the pinion 19, 22 and being fitted to the drive shaft 7, wherein during the fitting operation the retention members 14, 15, in particular, resiliently give way in the region of the chamfered faces 28a, 28b or 29a, 29b perpendicularly to the fitting direction and perpendicularly to the rotation axis of the drive shaft so that the pinion 19, 22 is retained on the base member 1.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(20) 1 Base member 2 Gear device 3-4 Legs 3a, 3b Leg portion 4a, 4b Leg portion 5a, 5b Connection web 6 Opening 7 Drive shaft 8, 9 Bearing recess 10a, 10b Plain bearing surface 11 Toothed rod 12, 13 Inner side 14, 15 Retention member 16, 17 inner face 18 Plain bearing surface 19, 22 Pinion 19a, 19b Pinion half 20a, 20b Fixing screw 21a, 21b Pinion ring half 23 Plain bearing surface 27 Pinion tooth 28 Receiving region 26, 27 Inner face 28a, 28b Face 29a, 29b Face 30 Chamfered portion