PLANETARY GEARING HAVING AN EMERGENCY LUBRICATING DEVICE

Abstract

A transmission for a wind turbine has a planetary gearset with a fixed sealing surface and at least one cavity. The gearset includes a rotating planetary carrier or a rotating ring gear. The cavity is fixed relative to the carrier or ring gear and has at least one opening. The transmission has an oil reservoir. The carrier or ring gear can rotate to at least three positions. By rotating, the carrier or ring gear can move from the first to the second position and from the second to the third position. In the first position of the carrier or ring gear, oil can flow from the oil reservoir through the opening into the cavity and in the third position the oil can flow through the opening out of the cavity. In the second position of the carrier or ring gear the opening is closed by the sealing surface.

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. A transmission with at least one planetary gearset with at least one positionally fixed sealing surface (404) and with at least one cavity (106); the planetary gearset comprising a rotating planetary carrier or a rotating ring gear; the cavity (106) being arranged in a rotationally fixed manner relative to the rotating planetary carrier or the rotating ring gear, and comprising at least one opening (108, 302); the transmission being designed to accommodate an oil reservoir; the rotating planetary carrier or the rotating ring gear being adoptable to at least a first position, at least a second position and at least a third position; the rotating planetary carrier or the rotating ring gear being movable, by rotation, from the first position to the second position and from the second position to the third position; oil from the oil reservoir being flowable through the opening (108, 302) into the cavity (106), when the rotating planetary carrier or the rotating ring gear is in the first position; the oil flowing through the opening (108, 302) out of the cavity (106), when the rotating planetary carrier or the rotating ring gear is in the third position; and the opening (108, 302) being closed off by the sealing surface (404), when the rotating planetary carrier or the rotating ring gear is in the second position.

13. The transmission according to claim 12, further comprising: at least one oil line and at least one lubrication site; the oil line delivers the oil flowing through the opening (108, 302) out of the cavity (106) to the lubrication site, when the rotating planetary carrier or the rotating ring gear is in the third position.

14. The transmission according to claim 13, wherein the oil line comprises a switchable valve which, in a closed condition, prevents the oil line from letting any oil through.

15. The transmission according to claim 12, further comprising at least one first additional element (102) which comprises the cavity (106), and the at least one first additional element (102) is fixed onto the rotating planetary carrier or the rotating ring gear.

16. The transmission according to claim 12, wherein the rotating planetary carrier or the rotating ring gear comprises the cavity (106).

17. The transmission according to claim 15, further comprising at least one second additional element and a transmission housing (402), the second additional element comprises the sealing surface (404) and is fixed onto the transmission housing (402).

18. The transmission according to claim 12, further comprising a transmission housing (402) which comprises the sealing surface (404).

19. A first additional element (102) of a transmission according to claim 15.

20. A planetary carrier or ring gear of a transmission according to claim 16.

21. A second additional element of a transmission according to claim 17.

22. A transmission housing (402) of a transmission according to claim 18.

23. A transmission with one planetary gearset with at least one positionally fixed sealing surface and with at least one cavity; the planetary gearset comprising a rotating planetary carrier or a rotating ring gear; the cavity being arranged in a rotationally fixed manner relative to the rotating planetary carrier or the rotating ring gear, and comprising at least one opening; the transmission accommodating an oil reservoir accommodating oil; the rotating planetary carrier or the rotating ring gear having at least a first position, a second position and a third position; the rotating planetary carrier or the rotating ring gear being movable, by rotation, from the first position to the second position and from the second position to the third position; the oil from the oil reservoir being flowable through the opening into the cavity, when the rotating planetary carrier or the rotating ring gear is in the first position; the oil flowing through the opening out of the cavity, when the rotating planetary carrier or the rotating ring gear is in the third position; and the opening being closed by the sealing surface, when the rotating planetary carrier or the rotating ring gear is in the second position.

24. A transmission having a planetary gearset with a planetary carrier and ring gear which are rotatable with respect to an annular, fixed sealing surface, the sealing surface having an oil collection point and an oil delivery area, the transmission comprising: an oil conveying ring being securable to one of the planetary carrier and the ring gear such that oil conveying ring is rotatable in unison with the one of the planetary carrier and the ring gear from a first rotational position to a second rotational position and from the second rotational position to a third rotational position; the oil conveying ring comprising a plurality of cavities arranged about the oil conveying ring; each of the cavities having an opening that is open in an axial direction; the oil conveying ring being rotatable with respect to the fixed sealing surface such that: in the first rotational position of the oil conveying ring, at least one of the cavities being axially aligned with the oil collection point of the sealing surface in an open condition such that oil flows into the at least one of the cavities from the oil collection point, in the second rotational position of the oil conveying ring, the at least one of the cavities being axially aligned with the sealing surface, in a closed condition, such that oil is prevented from flowing either into or out of the at least one of the cavities, and in the third rotational position of the oil conveying ring, the at least one of the cavities being axially aligned with the oil delivery area of the sealing surface such that oil flows out from the at least one of the cavities into the oil delivery area.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Example embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the figures, in which matching indexes denote the same or functionally equivalent features. In detail, the figures show:

[0037] FIG. 1: A first variant of an additional element for attachment to a planetary carrier;

[0038] FIG. 2: A cavity of the additional element;

[0039] FIG. 3: A second variant of an additional element for attachment to a planetary carrier;

[0040] FIG. 4: A transmission housing with a sealing surface; and

[0041] FIG. 5: A recess for collecting oil.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0042] FIG. 1 shows a first additional element designed as an oil conveying ring 102. The oil conveying ring 102 can be screwed to a planetary carrier. For that purpose the oil conveying ring 102 has holes 104.

[0043] The oil conveying ring 102 forms a series of cavities 106. By varying the number of cavities, the quantity of oil conveyed during each rotation of the planetary carrier can be adapted.

[0044] Such a cavity 106 is shown in detail in FIG. 2. The cavity 106 is open in the axial direction relative to the picture plane of FIGS. 1 and 2 and toward the outside in the radial direction.

[0045] The oil conveying ring 102 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is designed for a planetary carrier rotating to the left as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, i.e. counter-clockwise. An opening 108 of the cavity 106 is designed such that as a result of the rotation of the oil conveying ring 102, oil flows into the cavity 106 when the cavity 106 moves through an oil reservoir.

[0046] The variant of the oil conveying ring 102 shown in FIG. 3 is screwed to the planetary carrier in such manner that the planetary carrier closes off the axially directed opening 108 of the cavity 106. As viewed from the perspective of FIG. 3, the planetary carriernot shown in FIG. 3would therefore be in front of the oil conveying ring 102.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 3, the cavities 106 have additional openings 302. These are directed inward in the radial direction.

[0048] The individual cavities 106 are designed differently, so as to ensure reliable conveying of oil during changing operation, in particular alternating operation of the oil conveying ring 102 as its rotational speeds change direction.

[0049] FIG. 4 shows a transmission housing 402 with sealing surfaces 404. The sealing surfaces 404 serve to close off the cavities 106 in an oil-tight manner. Depending on the design of the cavities 106, one or more sealing surfaces 404 can be provided. The sealing surfaces 404 run along a circular path whose mid-point lies on the rotation axis of the planetary carrier, and extend from an oil collection point 406 to an oil delivery point 408.

[0050] The oil collection point 406 is arranged so that it is at least partially below the oil level in an oil reservoir. No sealing surface is provided in the oil collection area, so at that point oil can flow into the cavities 106. When a cavity 106 filled with oil reaches the area of the sealing surfaces 404, the cavity 106 is closed off by the sealing surface 404 so that the oil remains enclosed in the cavity 106.

[0051] In the oil delivery area 408 no sealing surface is provided. Consequently, there the openings 108, 302 of the cavities 106 are left open so that the oil can flow out of the cavities 106.

[0052] The oil flowing out is collected by a recess 502 shown in FIG. 5. At the bottom of the recess 502 there is a hole 504 through which the oil can flow away. The hole 504 is the inlet of a line through which the oil passes on to a lubrication site.

INDEX

[0053] 102 Oil conveying ring [0054] 104 Hole [0055] 106 Cavity [0056] 108 Opening [0057] 302 Opening [0058] 402 Transmission housing [0059] 404 Sealing surface [0060] 406 Oil collection area [0061] 408 Oil delivery area [0062] 502 Recess [0063] 504 Hole