MODULAR HIGH PRECISION GEAR BOX ARRANGEMENT

Abstract

A modular high precision gear box arrangement includes first and second gear boxes. The first gear box has a first rotatable hollow wheel, a second fixed hollow wheel and at least one double planet having a first planet and a second planet arranged on a planet shaft. The first planet meshes with the first hollow wheel, the second planet meshes with the second hollow wheel, and the first hollow wheel is coupled with an output. The second gear box includes a fixed hollow wheel that is the second hollow wheel of the first gear box and at least one planet that is the second planet of the at least one double planet of the first gear box. The second gear box further includes an input for driving the planet shaft, wherein the input is arranged centrically or eccentrically to a central rotation axis of the gear box arrangement.

Claims

1. A modular high precision gear box arrangement comprising at least a first gear box and a second gear box, wherein: the first gear box comprises a first rotatable hollow wheel, a second fixed hollow wheel and at least one double planet having a first planet stage with at least one first planet and a second planet stage with at least one second planet, wherein one first planet of the first planet stage and one second planet of the second planet stage are arranged on a planet shaft, wherein the at least one first planet of the first planet stage meshes with the first hollow wheel and the at least one second planet of the second planet stage meshes with the second hollow wheel, and wherein the first hollow wheel is coupled with an output; and the second gear boxcomprises a fixed hollow wheel being the second hollow wheel of the first gear box and at least one planet being arranged at the second planet stage of the at least one double planet of the first gear box, wherein the at least one planet is the second planet of the at least one double planet of the first gear box, and wherein the second gear box further comprises an input for driving the planet shaft, wherein the input is arranged centrically or eccentrically to a central rotation axis of the gear box arrangement andwherein either: the input is arranged eccentrically and is coupled to an input pinion, the input pinion meshes with an input gear and the input gear is arranged for driving a carrier coupled with the planet shaft, or the second gear box comprises a sun and a third planet stage with at least one third planet being arranged on the planet shaft, the sun meshes with the at least one third planet and the input is arranged centrically and is coupled to the sun.

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

4. The modular high precision gear box arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the a ratio of the first hollow wheel to the first planet is greater than the a ratio of the second hollow wheel to the second planet.

5. The modular high precision gear box arrangement according to claim 3 wherein the gear box arrangement comprises two, three or four planet shafts, each having a first planet stage, a second planet stage and a third planet stage.

6. The modular high precision gear box arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the gear box arrangement comprises at least two third planets in the third planet stage, wherein the third planets being arranged opposite to each other are arranged in the same plane.

7. The modular high precision gear box arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the third planets arranged adjacent to each other are arranged in different planes.

8. The modular high precision gear box arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the sun extends from the an input side to the an output side and wherein a first portion of the third planets of the third planet stage is arranged at the input side and a second portion of the third planets of the third planet stage is arranged at the output side.

9. The modular high precision gear box arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the planets are preloaded for reducing backlash.

10. A modular high precision gear box arrangement comprising at least a first gear box and a second gear box sharing a common axis of rotation, wherein: the first gear box comprises a first rotatable hollow wheel, a second fixed hollow wheel and at least one double planet having a first planet stage with at least one first planet and a second planet stage with at least one second planet, wherein one first planet of the first planet stage and one second planet of the second planet stage are arranged on a planet shaft, wherein the at least one first planet of the first planet stage meshes with the first hollow wheel and the at least one second planet of the second planet stage meshes with the second hollow wheel, wherein the first hollow wheel is coupled with an output, wherein the second gear box comprises the second hollow wheel of the first gear box and the one second planet of the at least one double planet of the first gear box and an input for driving the planet shaft, wherein the planet shaft is configured to be driven by a first input arrangement at a first time and to be driven by a second input arrangement at a second time, wherein the first input arrangement comprises an input arranged eccentrically to the common axis of rotation, an input pinion driven by the input, and an input gear driven by the input pinion, the input gear configured to drive a carrier coupled with the planet shaft, and wherein the second input arrangement comprise an input arranged centrically to the common axis of rotation, a sun driven by the input, and a third planet stage with at least one third planet arranged on the planet shaft and meshed with the sun.

Description

[0025] The figures show:

[0026] FIG. 1: a schematic view of a modular high precision gear box arrangement according to a first embodiment;

[0027] FIG. 2: a schematic view of a modular high precision gear box arrangement according to a second embodiment;

[0028] FIG. 3: a top view and a sectional partial view of the modular high precision gear box arrangement according to FIG. 2 in a first alternative;

[0029] FIG. 4: a top view and a sectional partial view of the modular high precision gear box arrangement according to FIG. 2 in a second alternative; and

[0030] FIG. 5: a top view and a sectional partial view of the modular high precision gear box arrangement according to FIG. 2 in a third alternative.

[0031] In the following same or similar functioning elements are indicated with the same reference numerals.

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a modular high precision gear box arrangement 1 with a first gear box 2 and a second gear box 4. In the case of FIG. 1, the second gear box 4 is an open gear box. The first gear box 2 comprises a first rotatable hollow wheel 6 and a second fixed hollow wheel 8. The first gear box 2 further comprises a planet shaft 10 on which a first planet 12 (representing a first planet stage) and a second planet 14 (representing a second planet stage) are arranged, forming a double planet. The planet shaft 10 is supported by a planet shaft bearing 16, 22. The gearing of the first planet 12 meshes with the gearing of the first hollow wheel 6 and the gearing of the second planet 14 meshes with the gearing of the second hollow wheel 8.

[0033] Further, the first hollow wheel 6 is coupled with an output 18. The output 18 is supported via a carrier bearing 20. The output 18 is arranged in a central rotational axis X.

[0034] The second gear box 4 comprises a fixed hollow wheel 8, which at the same time is part of the first gear box 2. Further, the second gear box 4 comprises the planet 14 being arranged on the planet shaft 10, the planet 14 and the planet shaft 10 being at the same time part of the first gear box 2.

[0035] The planet shaft 10 is supported via the planet shaft bearing 22 at the side of the second gear box 4, being at the same time part of the first gear box 2. In the embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, the gear box arrangement 1 is eccentrically driven via a motor M. In this case, the motor or input M is coupled with an input pinion 24. The input pinion 24 meshes with an input gear 26 which is coupled with an input carrier 28. The input carrier 28, supported via a carrier bearing 30, is in turn coupled with the planet shaft bearing 22.

[0036] As part of the first and the second gear box 2, 4 are the same elements, this provides a simple way of providing a gear box arrangement 1, which can be used either with the eccentrically arranged input as shown in FIG. 1, as well as an eccentrically arranged input as shown in FIG. 2, which will be described below.

[0037] In contrast to the embodiment of FIG. 1 with an input pinion 24 and an input gear 26, the second gear box 4 in the embodiment of FIG. 2 comprises a third planet 32 (representing a third planet stage), which is also arranged on the planet shaft 10. The third planet 32 meshes with a sun 34, which is coupled or driven via the input M.

[0038] The sun 34 is centrically arranged on the central rotational axis X together with the input M. In this embodiment, the first gear box 2 as well as the second gear box 4 each comprise a double planet, wherein the second planet 14 (i.e. the second planet stage) of the first gear box 2 is, at the same time, the first planet 14 of the second gear box 4. As can be seen, the same principle arrangement, in particular the same first gear box 2, can be used with a centrically or eccentrically arranged input M.

[0039] Although only one planet shaft 10 with one third planet 32 is shown in FIG. 2, the second gear box 4 may comprise more than one planet shaft 10 and thus more than one third planet 32 in the third planet stage. Thus, the number of planet shafts 10 can be more than one, for example, two, three or four (or even more), some examples of these are shown in the following FIGS. 3 to 5. More than one planet shaft 10 may be used for example for splitting the load between the planet shafts 10, thus increasing the service life of the overall gear box arrangement 1.

[0040] FIGS. 3a and 3b show an example with two planet shafts 10-1, 10-2. As can be seen, the two planet shafts 10-1 and 10-2 are arranged opposite to each other with respect to the sun 34. On each planet shaft 10-1 and 10-2, one third planet 32-1 and 32-2 is arranged in the third planet stage. Although not shown, the planet shafts 10-1, 10-2 also comprises a first planet stage and a second planet stage, wherein each planet shaft 10-1, 10-2 comprises one planet per planet stage. In FIG. 3b, showing a sectional view of FIG. 3a, it can be seen, that the third planets 32-1 and 32-2 can be arranged in the same plane as they do not interfere.

[0041] When four planet shafts 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, 10-4 are used, the corresponding third planets 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4 of the third planet stage may interfere. As can be seen in FIG. 4a, the third planets 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4 are overlapping. In order to avoid interfering between the third planets 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4, the third planets 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4 may thus be arranged in different planes. As shown in FIG. 4b, two opposite third planets 32-1 and 32-3 are arranged in the same plane, whereas the other two oppositely arranged planets 32-2 and 32-4 are arranged in different planes with respect to the third planets 32-1 and 32-3. This provides the advantage that the third planets do not interfere as oppositely arranged third planets 32-1, 32-3 are arranged in different planes than the other third planets 32-2, 32-4.

[0042] Another possibility may be to arrange two third planets 32-1 and 32-3 at the input stage of the gear box arrangement 1 and the other third planets 32-2 and 32-4 at the output stage of the gear box arrangement 1, as is shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b. In this case, the sun 34 may extend from the input side, i.e. from the input M, to the output side and the third planet stage is divided in two parts. Also, other arrangements, which are not shown, may be possible.

[0043] Due to this gear box arrangement, it is in summary possible to use a second gear box which can be driven centrically or eccentrically in combination with a first gear box which remains the same for both drives. As the first gear box does not need any changes when switching between a centrically or eccentrically arranged drive, the overall changes required on the gear box arrangement are small compared to existing solutions. This provides a variably usable gear box arrangement.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0044] 1 modular high precision gear box arrangement [0045] 2 first gear box [0046] 4 second gear box [0047] 6 first hollow wheel [0048] 8 second hollow wheel [0049] 10 planet shaft [0050] 12 first planet [0051] 14 second planet [0052] 16 planet shaft bearing [0053] 18 output [0054] 20 carrier bearing [0055] 22 planet shaft bearing [0056] 24 input pinion [0057] 26 input gear [0058] 28 carrier [0059] 30 carrier bearing [0060] 32 third planet [0061] 34 sun [0062] M motor/input [0063] X central rotational axis