Gear structure

Abstract

To provide a gear structure capable of improving speed followability according to an instruction even when a rotation direction of a gear is changed.SOLUTION: A vehicle gear structure 1 comprises: a rotating member 12 which is provided rotatably in a rotation direction of a first gear 10 where the rotating member is engaged therewith and, when engaged with a second gear 20, rotates by being pressed by a tooth surface of the second gear 20; a sliding member 13 which is connected to the rotating member 12 so as to be movable in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the first gear 10 and slides in the direction opposite to the rotation direction by being pressed by the rotating member 12; and a protrusion member 14 which is provided rotatably along the rotation direction and protrudes between the tooth surfaces of the second gear 20 by being pressed by the sliding member 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a gear structure used in small mobility vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a technique that uses a scissors gear and a scissors spring to reduce noise caused by gear rattle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-169152 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a compact mobility vehicle used at low speeds, it is desirable for the gears to be able to follow the speed as instructed by the control device when transmitting power through the gears. However, when transmitting power through gears used at low speeds, if the rotation direction of the gears changes, gear backlash can cause the gears to spin, which can make it difficult to follow the speed as instructed, leaving room for improvement.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a gear structure that can improve speed tracking as instructed, even when the rotation direction of the gear changes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the gear structure according to the present disclosure is a gear structure for a vehicle, and includes: a rotating member that is rotatably provided on one of the gears that mesh with each other in a rotational direction, and that, when meshed with the other gear, is pressed by the tooth surface of the other gear to rotate; a sliding member that is connected to the rotating member so as to be movable in the direction opposite to the rotational direction of the one gear, and is pressed by the rotating member to slide in the direction opposite to the rotational direction; and a protruding member that is rotatably provided along the rotational direction, and is pressed by the sliding member to protrude between the tooth surfaces of the other gear.

[0007] In addition, the gear structure according to the present disclosure is a gear structure for a vehicle, and includes a protrusion provided on one of the gears that mesh with each other and that can protrude between the tooth surfaces that mesh with the other gear, and a valve device that supplies oil to the protrusion via a tube and controls the opening and closing of a hydraulic valve to adjust the oil pressure of the protrusion, and the valve device causes the protrusion to protrude when the other gear and the one gear mesh with each other. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the ability to follow the speed as instructed, even when the rotation direction of the gear changes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a general configuration of a gear structure used in a compact mobility according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the gear structure. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a general configuration of a gear structure used in a compact mobility according to the second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a first gear in a gear structure used in a compact mobility according to the second embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an outline of the process executed by the control unit according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A gear structure used in a compact mobility vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially identical. Furthermore, the drawings referred to in the following description merely show a rough outline of the shape, size, and positional relationship to the extent that the contents of the present disclosure can be understood. In other words, the present disclosure is not limited to the shape, size, and positional relationship illustrated in each drawing.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) [Configuration of gear structure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of a gear structure used in a compact mobility vehicle according to a first embodiment. The gear structure 1 shown in FIG. 1 is used in an electric compact mobility vehicle. The gear structure 1 includes a first gear 10 and a second gear 20 that mesh with each other. The first gear 10 and the second gear 20 each have teeth 11 and teeth 21 at a predetermined pitch width, and rotate in the same rotational direction A1 as the teeth mesh with each other. In the first embodiment, the first gear 10 functions as one gear, and the second gear 20 functions as the other gear. Either the first gear 10 or the second gear 20 is coupled to a shaft (not shown) that is connected to a drive system such as a motor (not shown). Gear backlash is a rattle that occurs when the teeth 11 of the first gear 10 and the teeth 21 of the second gear 20 mesh with each other.

[0012] The first gear 10 includes a rotating member 12, a sliding member 13, and a protruding member 14. The rotating member 12, the sliding member 13, and the protruding member 14 are provided on each of a plurality of teeth 11 provided at a predetermined pitch.

[0013] The rotating member 12 has a substantially L-shaped cross section and is provided on the first gear 10 so as to be rotatable in the rotation direction A1 of the first gear 10. Specifically, the rotating member 12 is provided on the first gear 10 so as to be rotatable about an axis O1 as a rotation axis. Furthermore, the rotating member 12 is provided on the side of the teeth 11 opposite to the rotation direction A1 of the first gear 10. When the rotating member 12 meshes with the teeth 21 of the second gear 20, the rotating member 12 is pressed in the rotation direction A1 by the tooth surface of the second gear 20 and rotates.

[0014] The sliding member 13 has a plate-like cross section, and one end is connected to the rotating member 12 so as to be movable in the direction opposite to the rotation direction A1 of the first gear 10. One end of the sliding member 13 is pressed by the rotating member 12, causing the sliding member 13 to slide (move) in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the first gear 10.

[0015] The protruding member 14 is provided rotatably along the rotation direction. Specifically, the protruding member 14 has a plate-like cross section and is provided on the tooth 11 of the first gear 10 rotatably about the axis O2 as a rotation axis. The protruding member 14 has a lower end pressed by the other of the sliding member 13, and an upper end protruding between the tooth surfaces of the second gear 20.

[0016] [Operation of gear structure] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the above-described gear structure 1. FIG.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, when the rotating member 12 meshes with the teeth 21 of the second gear 20, the rotating member 12 is pressed in the rotational direction A1 by the tooth surface of the second gear 20, causing the rotating member 12 to rotate (FIG. 2(A) → FIG. 2(B)). In this case, one side of the sliding member 13 is pressed by the rotating member 12, causing the sliding member 13 to slide in the direction B1 opposite to the rotational direction A1 of the first gear 10 (FIG. 2(A) → FIG. 2(B)). The lower end of the protruding member 14 is pressed by the other side of the sliding member 13, causing the upper end to protrude between the tooth surfaces of the second gear 20 (FIG. 2(A) → FIG. 2(B)). As a result, in the gear structure 1, the upper end of the protruding member 14 protrudes between the tooth surfaces of the teeth 11 of the first gear 10 and the teeth 21 of the second gear 20, thereby eliminating gear backlash and improving speed tracking as instructed, even when the rotational direction of the gears changes.

[0018] According to the above-described first embodiment, when the rotating member 12 meshes with the teeth 21 of the second gear 20, it is pressed in the rotational direction A1 by the tooth surface of the second gear 20 and rotates, one side of the sliding member 13 is pressed by the rotating member 12 and slides in the direction B1 opposite to the rotational direction A1 of the first gear 10, and the lower end side of the protruding member 14 is pressed by the other side of the sliding member 13 and the upper end side protrudes between the tooth surfaces of the second gear 20, so that gear backlash can be eliminated and speed tracking as instructed can be improved even when the rotational direction of the gear changes.

[0019] Furthermore, according to embodiment 1, the lower end side of protruding member 14 is pressed by the other side of sliding member 13, causing the upper end side to protrude between the tooth surfaces of second gear 20 and eliminating the gap, thereby reducing the impact noise when teeth 11 of first gear 10 and teeth 21 of second gear 20 mesh together.

[0020] (Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, even when the rotation direction of the gear is changed mechanically, the ability to follow the commanded speed is improved. However, in the second embodiment, even when the rotation direction of the gear is changed hydraulically, the ability to follow the commanded speed is improved. Below, the outline of the gear structure according to the second embodiment will be described, and then the operation of the gear structure according to the second embodiment will be described. Note that the same components as those in the gear structure 1 according to the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0021] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a gear structure used in compact mobility according to embodiment 2. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a first gear in the gear structure used in compact mobility according to embodiment 2. The gear structure 1A shown in Figs. 3 and 4 includes a first gear 10A instead of the first gear 10 according to embodiment 1 described above.

[0022] The first gear 10A includes a first protrusion 30, a second protrusion 31, a first hydraulic valve 32, a first tube 33, a second hydraulic valve 34, a second tube 35, a pump 36, a detection unit 37, and a control unit 38.

[0023] The first protrusion 30 is provided on one side of the teeth 11 in the rotational direction, and is connected to a pump 36 via a first tube 33 and a first hydraulic valve 32. The first protrusion 30 includes a protrusion member 301 that can protrude between the tooth surfaces that mesh with the second gear 20, a housing 302 that houses the protrusion member 301, a biasing member 303 such as a spring that biases the protrusion member 301 between the tooth surfaces, and oil 304 that is filled in the housing 302.

[0024] The second protruding portion 31 is provided on the other side of the teeth 11 in the rotational direction, and is connected to a pump 36 via a second tube 35 and a second hydraulic valve 34. Similar to the first protruding portion 30, the second protruding portion 31 includes a protruding member 301 that can protrude between the tooth surfaces that mesh with the second gear 20, a housing portion 302 that houses the protruding member 301, a biasing member 303 such as a spring that biases the protruding member 301 between the tooth surfaces, and oil 304 filled in the housing portion 302.

[0025] The first hydraulic valve 32 is connected to the first protrusion 30 and the pump 36 via a first tube 33. The first hydraulic valve 32 opens and closes under the control of a control unit 38.

[0026] The second hydraulic valve 34 is connected to the second protrusion 31 and the pump 36 via a second tube 35. The second hydraulic valve 34 opens and closes under the control of a control unit 38.

[0027] Under the control of the control unit 38, the pump 36 supplies oil 304 to the first protrusion 30 via the first hydraulic valve 32 and the first tube 33, and also supplies oil 304 to the second protrusion 31 via the second hydraulic valve 34 and the second tube 35.

[0028] The detection unit 37 detects the rotation speed of at least one of the first gear 10A and the second gear 20, and outputs the detection result to the control unit 38. Specifically, the detection unit 37 is configured using a resolver or the like that detects the rotation angle of a drive unit such as a motor (not shown).

[0029] The control unit 38 controls the first hydraulic valve 32, the second hydraulic valve 34, and the pump 36 based on the detection result of the detection unit 37, and when the tooth 21 of the second gear 20 and the tooth 11 of the first gear 10A mesh with each other, the control unit 38 causes the first protrusion 30 or the second protrusion 31 to protrude and rise between the tooth surfaces that mesh with the second gear 20. Then, the control unit 38 controls the first hydraulic valve 32, the second hydraulic valve 34, and the pump 36 based on the detection result of the detection unit 37 to reduce the hydraulic pressure of the first protrusion 30 or the second protrusion 31, causing the protrusion member 301 to contract to its natural length by the force of the biasing member 303, and thereby causing the protrusion member 301 to retreat from between the tooth surfaces that mesh with the second gear 20. In the second embodiment, the first hydraulic valve 32 , the first tube 33 , the second hydraulic valve 34 , the second tube 35 , the pump 36 , the detector 37 and the controller 38 function as a valve device 100 .

[0030] [Processing by the control unit 38] Next, we will explain the processing executed by the control unit 38. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an outline of the processing executed by the control unit 38. Note that the processing executed by the control unit 38 below is executed at a faster cycle than the instruction to instruct the direction of movement of the compact mobility.

[0031] 5, the control unit 38 determines whether the actual rotation direction of the first gear 10A is positive (rotation direction A1 in FIG. 3) based on the detection result of the detection unit 37 (step S101). If the actual rotation direction of the first gear 10A is positive (step S101: Yes), the control unit 38 operates the first hydraulic valve 32 (step S102). This makes it possible to eliminate gear backlash even when the first gear 10A rotates in the actual rotation direction, thereby improving speed tracking as instructed. After step S102, the control unit 38 ends this process.

[0032] In step S101, if the actual rotation direction of the first gear 10A is not positive (step S101: No), the control unit 38 proceeds to step S103.

[0033] Next, the control unit 38 determines whether the actual rotation direction of the first gear 10A is negative (the opposite direction to the rotation direction A1 in FIG. 3) based on the detection result of the detection unit 37 (step S103). If the actual rotation direction of the first gear 10A is negative (step S103: Yes), the control unit 38 operates the second hydraulic valve 34 (step S104). This makes it possible to eliminate gear backlash even when the first gear 10A rotates in the opposite direction to the actual rotation direction, thereby improving speed tracking as instructed. After step S104, the control unit 38 ends this process.

[0034] In step S103, if the actual rotation direction of the first gear 10A is negative (step S103: No), this process is terminated.

[0035] According to the second embodiment described above, the control unit 38 determines the actual rotation direction of the first gear 10A based on the detection result of the detection unit 37, and operates the first hydraulic valve 32 or the second hydraulic valve 34 based on this determination result. Therefore, even if the rotation direction of the first gear 10A changes, gear backlash can be eliminated, and speed tracking as instructed can be improved.

[0036] (Other forms) Further advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0037] Although some of the embodiments of the present application have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, these are merely examples, and the present invention can be implemented in other forms that have undergone various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the aspects described in the disclosure of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1,1A gear structure 10,10A 1st gear 11,21 teeth 12 Rotating member 13 Sliding member 14 Protruding member 20 Second Gear 30 First protrusion 31 Second protrusion 32 First hydraulic valve 33 First Tube 34 Second hydraulic valve 35 Second Tube 36 Pump 37 Detector 38 Control Unit 100 Valve device

Claims

1. A gear structure for a vehicle, comprising: a rotating member that is rotatably provided on one of the gears that mesh with each other and that rotates when pressed by the tooth surface of the other gear when meshed with the other gear; a sliding member connected to the rotating member so as to be movable in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the one gear, and pressed by the rotating member to slide in the direction opposite to the rotation direction; a protruding member that is rotatably provided along the rotation direction and that is pressed by the sliding member to protrude between the tooth surfaces of the other gear; Equipped with Gear structure.

2. 2. The gear structure of claim 1, Each of the rotating member, the sliding member, and the protruding member is provided for each tooth of the one gear, Gear structure.

3. A gear structure for a vehicle, comprising: a protruding portion provided on one of the gears that mesh with each other and that can protrude between tooth surfaces that mesh with the other gear; a valve device that supplies oil to the protruding portion through a tube and controls the opening and closing of a hydraulic valve to adjust the hydraulic pressure of the protruding portion; Equipped with The valve device causing the protrusion to protrude when the other gear and the one gear are engaged with each other; Gear structure.

4. 4. A gear structure according to claim 3, a detection unit for detecting a rotation direction of the one gear, The protrusion is a tooth-retaining member provided on each tooth of the one gear; The valve device controlling the hydraulic valve to open or close based on the detection result of the detection unit; Gear structure.

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