Gearbox housing with perforated oil pan

Abstract

The present invention relates to a gearbox housing (10) with at least one side wall (12). At least one of the side walls (12) has one or more housing openings (14) for receiving bearings (16), and on the inside (18) of one of the side walls (12), a rib structure (20) is formed above the housing opening (14) and tapered in a funnel-like shape vertically toward the housing opening (14). A collecting pan (22) at the foot of the rib structure (20) collects sprayed oil or lubricating oil and supplies it to gear elements, such as bearings, housed in the gearbox housing (10). The funnel-shaped rib structure (20) collects the lubricating oil in a concentrated manner. The collecting pan (22) is drilled from the outside through the side wall (16) to the lower area of ​​the rib structure (20).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gearbox housing having at least a number of side walls, at least one of which has one or more housing openings for accommodating bearings, and in which a rib structure is formed on the inside of one of the side walls, tapering vertically above one of the housing openings in a funnel shape toward the housing opening, through which sprayed or lubricating oil is collected and supplied to a number of gear parts, such as bearings, accommodated in the gearbox housing.

[0002] The collection and fluid guidance of the sprayed or lubricating oil in the gearbox housing is usually carried out via a number of rather complexly cast oil guide ribs and / or oil receiving pockets. These oil guide ribs are primarily for the above-mentioned oil guidance and not for stiffening or reinforcing the housing structure itself. There is a constant need to improve the gearbox housing in terms of collection and fluid guidance of the sprayed or lubricating oil and in so doing to incorporate stiffening and reinforcing aspects of the housing structure. EP 1 339 636 A1 shows a gearbox housing with a U-shaped rib structure on the lower flank, in which an undercut is made by casting techniques, forming a collecting pan. In order that the oil collected there can flow to the bearing, a drilled hole is drilled vertically upwards from the bearing seat and can communicate with the collecting pan. EP 1 339 636 A1 discloses oil supply via the bearing cover and drilled holes for oil. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Chinese Patent Application Publication No. 104048022B [Patent Document 2] US Patent Publication No. 3,785,458 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide measures which allow improved collection and guidance of sprayed or lubricating oil while at the same time providing a stiffening and reinforcing housing structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] This problem is solved by a gearbox housing having the features of claim 1. Preferred embodiments are given in the dependent claims and in the following description, which each individually or in combination represent aspects of the invention. If one feature is given in combination with another feature, this serves only to simplify the presentation of the invention and does not mean that the feature cannot be a development of the invention without the other feature.

[0006] One embodiment relates to a gearbox housing having a plurality of side walls, at least one of which has one or more housing openings for accommodating bearings, and in which a funnel-shaped tapered rib structure is formed on the inside of one of the side walls above one of the housing openings in a vertical direction toward the housing opening, and in which a collection pan is provided and merges into the funnel-shaped tapered rib structure and is formed by a drilled hole through the side wall.

[0007] In the normally expected operating conditions, the side walls are oriented vertically or plumb, meaning that the perpendicular direction of the side walls to the plane of the housing opening is horizontal. The two side walls arranged horizontally opposite each other can be provided with a rib structure tapering above the respective housing opening towards the housing opening in a funnel shape. The side walls can stand on a housing base. There can be a number of housing legs, which are substantially formed by the housing base but can also be recessed into the side walls.

[0008] The spur gears and / or bevel gears can be accommodated in the gearbox housing via corresponding shafts. These shafts can be rotatably mounted via a number of bearings accommodated in a number of housing openings. These housing openings are preferably configured as round holes. Rolling bearings can be used, for example, as bearings.

[0009] The gearbox housing can be made partially or entirely thin-walled, with the resulting loss in stiffness being at least offset by rib structures on the inside of the side walls, and further rib structures or ribs can also be provided which contribute to stiffening the gearbox housing.

[0010] The rib structure is formed by protrusions rising from the main surface. In a simple embodiment, the rib structure can be formed by only two ribs that extend towards each other while tapering vertically downwards. The funnel-shaped tapering rib structure is also called V-shaped in this case. In this case, it is not essential that the V-shape points vertically downwards. The lower region of the rib structure can also be rounded. In fact, a U-shape is conceivable in certain applications. Via the rib structure, a precise collection of the sprayed oil and its transfer to the bearing position are possible.

[0011] The collecting pan is open in an almost vertical direction toward the top. The surface of the collecting pan can have a surface finish equivalent to the surface of the drilled holes on the inside of the side wall. The surface finish of the collecting pan and the drilled holes preferably has a surface roughness significantly less than that of the adjacent rib structure and the inner surface of the side wall. Via the collecting pan and the drilled holes penetrating the side wall, the collected lubricating oil can be collected on the outside of the side wall and precisely supplied from the outside to the bearings arranged there.

[0012] In particular, the drilled hole can be provided together with the part of the side wall located on the inside to form a collecting pan, which means that the collecting pan is part of the drilled hole. The collecting pan is preferably at least partially partitioned in the vertically downward direction from the rib structure that is not included in the drilled hole. As a result, no undercuts need to be provided by the casting technique, since the undercuts required for the collecting pan are generated by the drilled hole, which ensures that the rib structure and the axial extension of the drilled hole are not in contact with each other in the vertically downward area.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the drill holes are provided through the side wall in a direction perpendicular to the main plane of the side wall, which is particularly advantageous in terms of manufacturing technology, since the other holes, for example the screw holes, are also made perpendicular to this wall, in that the same tools can be used in this case.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the collecting pan has an undercut when viewed perpendicular to the side wall, so that the collected sprayed oil is prevented, at least to a maximum extent, from spilling into the interior of the gearbox housing.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the vertical depth of the collection pan is 1 / 3 to 2 / 3 of the diameter of the drill hole, so that it is preferably guaranteed that the drill hole is placed through the side wall within a certain tolerance. It is particularly preferred if this vertical depth is 2 / 5 to 3 / 5 of the diameter. From a functional point of view, it is particularly preferred if the vertical depth of the collection pan is half the diameter of the drill hole.

[0016] In a further preferred embodiment, the housing openings and drillings are covered by housing side covers, which in turn form an auxiliary receptacle to the original housing receptacle, which can be used to store oil for lubricating and cooling the bearings before it flows out again through the bearings.

[0017] The gearbox housing has a mounting cover, the inner wall of which in a preferred embodiment is curved outward from the inner receiving portion of the gearbox housing, in such a way that it is preferably ensured that the lubricating oil splashed on the inner wall of the mounting cover flows out in the direction of one of the side walls and is collected there on the side wall surface of the funnel-shaped rib structure, in particular such that the curvature of the inner wall extends in a vertical cross section perpendicular to the side wall.

[0018] Furthermore, the object of the present invention is achieved by a method for manufacturing the above-mentioned embodiment of the gearbox housing, in which a funnel-shaped tapering rib structure is cast in a casting process on the inside of one side wall without undercuts in a vertical view of the side wall, and a collecting pan is generated by drilling holes in the side wall in the vertical lower region of the rib structure. Advantageously, in this method, the rib structure is cast in the inside of the side wall without undercuts. This makes the casting process easier and simpler, since no casting core for forming the undercut is required and the casting core does not have to be subsequently removed from the undercut.

[0019] In an advantageous embodiment of the method, the drill holes are drilled from the outside to the inside of the side wall, the center of the drill hole being located at the vertical height of the foot of the rib structure. Center in this case means the central axis of the drill hole. The foot of the rib structure is formed by the transition from the vertical side wall to the bend forming the rib structure. This transition is preferably at the vertical lowest point. The central axis of the drill hole is therefore set so as to be located approximately at this foot, i.e. at the transition between the side wall and the rib structure, with approximately half of the diameter of the drill hole extending further into the rib structure and half of the diameter of the drill hole extending vertically above the rib structure, i.e. away from the rib structure. The distribution of which proportion of the diameter of the drill hole extends into the rib structure and which corresponding complementary proportion extends away from the rib structure can be varied from this half division, as already mentioned above.

[0020] Furthermore, the problem is solved by an industrial application comprising a drive means coupled to a gear for transmitting a torque, whereby the gear is coupled to a mechanical application for transmitting a torque, the gear being formed with the above-mentioned gearbox housing.

[0021] Furthermore, the problem is solved by a data integration comprising data packets, integrated in one common data file or distributed among several different data files, for representing the three-dimensional shape and / or the interaction of the gears with the gearbox housing as described above, which, when processed by a data processing device, are prepared for carrying out the manufacture of the gearbox housing, in particular by 3D printing by a 3D printer, and / or for carrying out a simulation of the operating modes of this gearbox housing.

[0022] The present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, based on preferred embodiments. The following features may be considered as aspects of the present invention either individually or in combination: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] Vertical section of the gearbox housing; [Diagram 2] Another vertical cross section of the gearbox housing according to Fig. 1; [Diagram 3] Detail view of the rib structure of the gearbox housing according to FIG. [Figure 4] A perspective view of the gearbox housing according to FIG. [Diagram 5] Principle diagram of industrial application DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] FIG. 1 shows a gearbox housing 10 in a vertical section. The inside 18 of a side wall 12 of the gearbox housing 10 is shown. On the horizontally opposite side there is another side wall, which cannot be seen due to the section. Furthermore, the gearbox housing 10 comprises a floor 36 and a cover formed as a removable mounting cover 30. The side wall 12 is provided with a number of circular housing openings 14 for accommodating a number of bearings, which are not shown in FIG. 1. In the ready-for-operation state, for example, bevel or spur gears can be accommodated in the gearbox housing 10 together with the corresponding individual parts. Furthermore, a lubricating oil reservoir is accommodated in the gearbox housing, via which lubrication of both the teeth and the bearings 16 (see FIG. 2), which engage with each other during operation, can be performed. This is achieved by immersing at least one rotating gear in lubricating oil held in an oil reservoir in the lower part of the gearbox housing 10, via which the lubricating oil is relayed to one or more meshing partners. As the gears rotate, lubricating oil is thrown from the gears by centrifugal force, resulting in accumulation of oil mist on the inner walls of the gearbox housing 10 and then flowing down by gravity into the oil sump.

[0025] As can be seen from FIG. 1, the inside 18 of the side wall 12 has a structure made as a number of rib structures 20. The rib structure 20 is formed by a single protrusion rising from the main surface. In the simplest embodiment, the inside 18 of the side wall 12 is formed with only one rib structure 20, which is formed by two ribs 281, 282 tapering vertically downwards towards each other. The funnel-shaped tapered rib structure 20 converges vertically downwards in an approximately V-shape, but the ribs 281, 282 do not necessarily have to meet at a sharp point below. It is also possible to provide a short horizontal connection between the ribs 281 and 282. In all possible embodiments, the funnel-shaped tapered rib structure 20 merges into a collecting pan 22, whose task is to collect oil. In particular, the oil that comes from above and flows down the side wall 12 inside the rib structure 20 is collected in the collecting pan 22. The rib structure 20 and collection pan 22 are located approximately centrally above the housing opening 14 in the side wall 12 .

[0026] FIG. 2 shows a vertical section through the gearbox housing 10, rotated 90° with respect to FIG. 1, in which the right-hand side wall is not shown. The left-hand side wall 12 with the bearing 16 accommodated in the housing opening 14 is visible. Here, the bearing 16 comprises a tapered roller bearing, which will not be described in detail. Other types of bearings can also be provided. The housing opening 14 is closed by a housing side cover 26, which can be held against the side wall 18, for example, by an extensive screw connection. An auxiliary receiving space 38 is formed on the inside of the housing side cover 26 opposite the side wall 12, which is open to the bearing 16 seated in the housing opening 14. The vertical section in FIG. 2 is made through the rib structure 20 above the housing opening 14 and through the center of the collecting pan 22. Furthermore, a drilled hole 24 can be seen, which penetrates the side wall 12 and forms the collecting pan 22 in the lower region of the rib structure 20. This drilled hole 24 opens out, on the outside of the side wall 12, into the interior of an auxiliary receptacle 38 surrounded by the housing side cover 26. The collecting pan 22 formed by the drilled hole 24 inside the gearbox housing 10 is connected in communication with the auxiliary receptacle 38 via another path of the drilled hole 24 inside the side wall 12. As a result, the lubricating oil collected in the collecting pan 22 can reach the auxiliary receptacle 38 via this other path of the drilled hole 24 in the side wall 12. From the auxiliary receptacle 38 the lubricating oil can enter and reach the bearing 16.

[0027] The mounting cover 30 of the gearbox housing 10 is shaped such that an inner wall 32 of the mounting cover 30 curves outwardly from the interior recess of the gearbox housing 10. The curved portion 34 of the inner wall 32 extends in a vertical cross section, here perpendicular to the side wall 12, as shown in FIG.

[0028] FIG. 3 shows a detail of the rib structure 20 and of the drilled hole 24 which penetrates the side wall 12 to form the collecting pan 22 on the inside. The drilled hole 24 penetrates the side wall 12 in a horizontal direction. This is easy to implement in terms of manufacturing technology, since the majority of the machining steps on the gearbox housing 12 are anyway performed in mutually perpendicular directions. The collecting pan 22 has an undercut when viewed perpendicularly to the side wall 12. However, this undercut is not the result of a casting process, for example, in which a corresponding casting core is used, but rather the result of the drilling process of the drilled hole 24, which is performed from the outside to the inside through the side wall 12, where the lower area of ​​the rib structure 20 is not completely drilled. The diameter of the drilled hole 24 is indicated in FIG. 3 as D B Similarly, the vertical depth of the collection pan 33 is represented by T M The vertical depth T of the collection pan 22 is M is from the base of the collection pan 22 to the height of the undercut rib structure 20. In this example, the diameter D of the drilled hole 24 is B and the depth T of the collection pan 22 M The ratio of the depth T M is the diameter D B As already mentioned above, this ratio may be different if appropriate for the application.

[0029] The gearbox housing 10 is shown in a perspective view in Figure 4. The front of the housing side cover 26 and the mounting cover 30 are hidden. Above the housing opening 14 on the right side, a drilled hole 24 is visible, which forms a collection pan 22 on the inside of the side wall 12 in the leg region of the rib structure 20.

[0030] An embodiment of an industrial application 40 is shown in Fig. 5. The industrial application 40 comprises a drive means 42, for example formed as an electric motor, an internal combustion engine or a hydraulic motor. The drive means 42 is coupled to a gear 44 to transmit a torque, which in turn is coupled to a mechanical application 46. The drive means 42 is configured to output a drive force, which is provided to the gear 44 via an output shaft 48. The input drive force is converted to a speed and a torque by the gear 44, taking into account friction losses, and is transmitted as an output to the mechanical application 46 via an output shaft 50. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 10 Gearbox housing 12 Side wall 14 Housing opening 16 Bearings 18 Inside 20 Rib structure 22 Collection Pan 24 Drill holes 26 Housing side cover 28 Ribs 30 Mounting cover 32 Inner wall 34 Curved section 36 Base 38 Auxiliary Storage Unit 40 Industrial Applications 42 Driving means 44 Gear 46 Mechanical Applications 48 Output shaft 50 Output shaft

Claims

1. A gearbox housing (10) including a plurality of side walls (12), At least one of the side walls (12) has one or more housing openings (14) for receiving a bearing (16); a rib structure (20) is formed on an inner side (18) of one of the side walls (12) above the housing opening (14) and tapering in a funnel shape in a vertical direction toward the housing opening (14); A collection pan (22) is provided where the funnel-shaped tapered rib structure (20) joins, The collection pan (22) is formed by a drilled hole (24) extending through the side wall (12); Gearbox housing.

2. The gearbox housing (10) of claim 1, characterized in that the drilled holes (24) together with a portion of the side wall (12) located on the inside (18) of the side wall (12) form the collection pan (22).

3. 3. The gearbox housing (10) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the collection pan (22) is at least partially partitioned from the rib structure (20) that is not included in the drilled hole (24).

4. 4. A gearbox housing (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the drilled holes (24) extend through the side wall (12) in a direction perpendicular to a main plane of the side wall (12).

5. the collecting pan (22) has an undercut (52) when viewed perpendicular to the side wall (12); the undercut (52) being formed by a portion of the rib structure (20) that is not included in the drilled hole (24); A gearbox housing (10) according to any one of the preceding claims.

6. The vertical depth (T M ) is the diameter (D B 6. The gearbox housing (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the outer diameter of the gearbox (10) is between 1 / 3 and 2 / 3 of the outer diameter of the gearbox (10).

7. The vertical depth (T M ) is the diameter (D B 7. The gearbox housing (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that the axial length of the gearbox (10) is between 2 / 5 and 3 / 5, preferably 1 / 2, of the axial length of the gearbox (10).

8. The gearbox housing (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the housing opening (14) and the drilled holes (24) are covered by a housing side cover (26).

9. The rib structure (20) includes at least two ribs (28) extending toward each other while tapering downward in a vertical direction. 1 , 28 2 9. The gearbox housing (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it is formed by a casing (12).

10. The gearbox housing (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that one mounting cover (30) is provided, the inner wall (32) of which is curved outwardly from the inner receiving portion of the gearbox housing (10).

11. The gearbox housing (10) of claim 10, wherein the curved portion (34) of the inner wall (32) extends in a vertical cross section perpendicular to the side wall (12).

12. 12. A gearbox housing (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that two side walls (12) arranged horizontally opposite each other are provided with a rib structure (20) above each housing opening, tapering in a funnel shape towards the housing opening.

13. A method for manufacturing a gearbox housing (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising the steps of: the funnel-shaped tapered rib structure (20) is cast on the inside (18) of the side wall (12) by a casting process without undercuts when viewed from a vertical direction of the side wall (12); A method of forming the collection pan (22) by forming the drilled holes (24) in the sidewall (12) at a vertically lower region of the rib structure (20).

14. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the drill holes (24) are drilled from the outside to the inside of the side wall (12) and the centers of the drill holes (24) are located at the vertical height of the foot points of the rib structure (20).

15. An industrial application (40) comprising a drive means (42) coupled to a gear (44) to transmit torque, the gear (44) is coupled to a mechanical end (46) to transmit torque; 13. An industrial application, characterized in that the gear (44) is formed from a gearbox housing (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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