Gear mechanism having stored energy source

Abstract

The invention relates to a gear mechanism (1) for producing a rotational movement at a high rotational speed from a rotational movement at a low rotational speed, comprising: - a drive shaft (20) which rotates at a low rotational speed; - a drive wheel which sits on the drive shaft; - an output shaft (40) which rotates at a high rotational speed; - an output element which is in engagement with the drive wheel, wherein the engagement comprises a first phase, in which the drive wheel drives the output element, and a second phase, in which the drive wheel and the output element are decoupled from one another; - a stored energy source (70) which, in the first phase of the engagement, absorbs energy by moving the output element and, in a second phase of the engagement, releases the absorbed energy via the output element to rotate the output shaft.

Description

[0001] Transmission with energy storage

[0002] Description

[0003] The invention relates to a transmission for generating a high-speed rotary movement from a low-speed rotary movement.

[0004] Such a transmission is well known in the art. The transmission comprises a drive shaft and a drive gear mounted on the drive shaft. The drive shaft rotates at a comparatively low speed, as is the case, for example, with a wind turbine with a slowly rotating rotor.

[0005] It is also known that the drive wheel in the form of a drive gear is in meshing engagement with an output element in the form of an output gear, which is mounted on an output shaft. By selecting the diameters or the number of teeth of the two gears, a gear ratio i of the transmission can be set. The gear ratio i corresponds to the ratio of the diameter of the output gear to the diameter of the drive gear (i = dOutput / dInput). By selecting a large diameter for the drive gear paired with a small diameter for the output gear, very high speeds of the output shaft can be achieved, even when the drive shaft is rotating only slowly. However, only a low torque is available at the fast-rotating output shaft.The transmission losses can also be high if a particularly low gear ratio (i « 1 or speed ninput « speed noutput) is required.

[0006] The invention is therefore based on the object of providing an efficient transmission which, with a slowly rotating input shaft, enables a high speed of the output shaft and, at the same time, high torques at the output shaft.

[0007] The object underlying the invention is achieved with the combination of features according to claim 1. Embodiments of the invention can be found in the subclaims to claim 1.

[0008] According to the invention, the engagement comprises a first phase and a second phase, wherein in the first phase, the drive gear drives the output element, and in a second phase, the drive gear and the output element are decoupled from each other. The transmission comprises an energy storage device that absorbs energy during the first phase of the engagement by moving the output element and, in a second phase of the engagement, releases the absorbed energy via the output element to rotate the output shaft.

[0009] The energy absorbed by the energy storage device can be released abruptly, resulting in high torques and high speeds at the output shaft for a short time. This makes it possible, for example, to further accelerate an already rapidly rotating flywheel using the output shaft.

[0010] In the second phase, the drive gear and the output element are decoupled from one another. Decoupling here means that the output element can move freely and at any speed to drive the output shaft without the drive gear representing an obstacle for the output shaft. The first phase and the second phase form a cycle that repeats continuously during operation of the transmission. The duration of the second phase is preferably significantly shorter than the duration of the first phase. In one embodiment, the transmission is designed such that the ratio of the duration of the first phase to the duration of the second phase is at least 3, 4 or 6. In addition to the first phase and the second phase, the cycle can comprise further phases, which will be discussed later.

[0011] The energy storage device can have a coil spring that is tensioned in the first phase of engagement. In the second phase, the coil spring relaxes and releases energy in a relatively short time, which is used to drive the output shaft. Alternatively or additionally, the energy storage device can have a cylinder with a piston and a displacement volume containing a gaseous fluid. In the first phase, the piston is moved in the cylinder so that the displacement is reduced and the gaseous fluid is compressed. In the second phase, the pressure in the displacement volume is used to move the piston with relatively high speed and force to drive the output shaft.

[0012] A first freewheel can be provided between the output element and the output shaft, allowing the output element to drive the output shaft but not decelerate or block it. The first freewheel can be designed so that during the first phase, in which the energy storage device is being recharged, no torque or power is transmitted from the output element to the output shaft. During the second phase, the first freewheel ensures torque or power transmission from the output element to the output shaft.

[0013] In one embodiment, a second freewheel is provided so that the drive shaft does not brake the output element in the second phase. The second freewheel ensures that torque or power transmission between the output element and the drive gear only takes place in the first phase. The drive gear can be designed as a drive gear. The drive gear can have a first angular range with teeth and a second angular range without teeth. In one embodiment, the first angular range is less than 180°, while the second angular range covers the remaining 360° of the drive gear.

[0014] The output element can be designed as an output gear. The output gear is in meshing engagement with the drive gear, at least during the first phase of engagement. If, for example, the first angular range of the drive gear extends over 90° and the output gear is a spur gear with teeth over the entire circumference, the first phase of engagement extends over only a quarter of the drive gear's full rotation. At three-quarters of the drive gear's full rotation, no torque is transferred from the drive gear to the output gear because the drive gear lacks the teeth necessary for torque transfer in this angular range. The second phase of engagement, in which the energy storage device is discharged, preferably occurs during this time, when there is no meshing engagement between the drive gear and the output gear.The second phase can be shorter than the time of non-existent meshing engagement between the drive gear and the driven gear.

[0015] In one embodiment, the output element is designed as an output rack. In the first phase of engagement between the drive gear and the output rack, rotation of the drive gear leads to a preferably linear movement of the output rack. The linear movement of the output rack can, for example, tension a coil spring of the energy storage device.

[0016] At least one edge tooth of the first angular range of the drive gear can be replaceable. The edge tooth is a tooth of the toothing of the first angular range that directly borders the second angular range without teeth. Due to its edge position, the edge tooth must absorb particularly high forces in the first phase of engagement, since a force distribution across multiple teeth, as occurs in a middle range of the first angular range, is not possible. The edge tooth is preferably made of a hardened material. In addition, another edge tooth of the first angular range, now located at the end of the first angular range, can also be replaceable.

[0017] An edge tooth or an outer tooth of the drive rack can also be replaceable and / or made of hardened material. Here, too, the idea is to be able to replace the tooth or teeth of the gearing that are subject to particular stresses during transmission operation, or to make them particularly durable.

[0018] The intervention can also include a holding phase provided between the first and second phases, wherein the release of the energy stored in the energy storage device is blocked during the holding phase. This means that after the end of the first phase, the energy in the energy storage device is not used directly to drive the output shaft, but rather remains in the energy storage device for the duration of the holding phase and is only released after a time delay after the end of the first phase.

[0019] The transmission can include a blocking device that, in a blocking position, blocks the release of the energy absorbed by the energy storage device. The blocking device thus represents a possibility for implementing the holding phase in which the energy storage device is charged but not yet discharged.

[0020] The blocking position can be released by a release device. The release device can comprise a magnet or a controllable actuator that switches after a certain time, thus releasing the blocking position. Once the blocking position is released, the energy storage device for driving the output shaft can be discharged. The blocking device can comprise two rods connected by a joint, which in a blocking position preferably lie essentially in a straight line. In the blocking position, the two rods form a buckling rod that prevents movement of the output element only when the two rods lie in a straight line. The release device can be designed to exert a small lateral force on the joint upon release, which deflects the joint. The two rods then bend sideways and no longer offer any resistance to the movement of the output element.

[0021] At least one additional drive gear can be mounted on the drive shaft, which meshes with another output element. Preferably, three, four, five, or more than five drive gears are used to even out the drive of the output shaft. For this purpose, the first phase of engagement between the drive gear and the output element and a first phase of engagement between the additional drive gear and the additional output element are preferably phase-shifted. For example, with a total of four drive gears, the phase shift is preferably 90°.

[0022] The energy storage device can be assigned an adjustment mechanism that can be used to adjust the resistance force to be overcome when filling the energy storage device. A linear generator can also be provided, which converts a linear movement generated by the movement of the output element into electrical energy.

[0023] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings. They show:

[0024] Figure 1 shows a transmission according to the invention with an energy storage device;

[0025] Figure 2 shows a transmission according to the invention with several drive wheels;

[0026] Figure 3 shows a transmission according to the invention with a linear generator; Figure 4 shows a transmission according to the invention with a blocking device;

[0027] Figure 5 shows the gearbox of Figure 4 from above;

[0028] Figure 6 further embodiments of the invention; and

[0029] Figure 7 shows various force curves acting on the energy storage device.

[0030] Figure 1 shows a transmission, designated in its entirety by 1. The transmission 1 comprises a drive wheel in the form of a drive gear 10, which is mounted on a drive shaft 20. The drive gear 10 has a toothing 11 that extends over a first angular range of the circumference of the drive gear 10. The first angular range covers approximately one-quarter, or 90°, of the circumference. A second angular range without toothing extends over approximately three-quarters of the circumference of the drive gear 10.

[0031] The transmission 1 further comprises an output element in the form of an output gear 30 with a toothing 31 extending over the entire circumference of the output gear 30. The wear gear 30 is mounted on an output shaft 40. A freewheel 50, also referred to here as the first freewheel, is provided between the output shaft 40 and the output gear 30. Its function will be described further below.

[0032] In addition, the transmission 1 comprises a linkage 60 and an energy storage device 70. The linkage 60 has a lever 61, a joint 62, and a piston rod 63. The lever 61 and the piston rod 63 are connected to one another in an articulated manner via the joint 62. The lever 61 is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the output gear 30. If the drive gear rotates clockwise (see arrow 32), the lever 61 and thus, via the joint 62, the piston rod 63 are moved upwards in the illustration in Figure 1 (see arrow 64).

[0033] The energy storage device 70 has a cylinder 71 and a piston 72, which is mounted for displacement along the longitudinal axis of the cylinder 71. The cylinder 71 is rotatably fixed on an axis 73, so that the cylinder can perform a pivoting movement about the axis 73 so that the linkage 60 is not blocked when the output gear 30 rotates. The piston 72 is connected to the piston rod 63 and, together with the cylinder 71, defines a displacement chamber 74 in which compressed air 75 is located. Via a line 76, which is connected to the displacement chamber 74, air can be supplied to or removed from the displacement chamber 74 in a controlled manner via a valve 77. The valve 77 can therefore be used to adjust the force that must be overcome to charge the energy storage device and that acts on the piston rod 63 when discharging the energy storage device. A chamber 78 below the displacement chamber 74 is connected to the environment. There is corresponding ambient pressure there.

[0034] The drive gear 10 is in engagement with the output gear 30. The engagement has a first phase in which the drive gear 10 drives the output gear 30. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the first phase is characterized by the meshing engagement between the toothing 11 of the drive gear 10 and the toothing 31 of the output gear 30. During this meshing engagement, a counterclockwise rotation of the drive gear 10 (see arrow 12) leads to a clockwise rotation of the output gear 30 (see arrow 32). Figure 1 shows the gears 10, 30 in an angular position at the end of the first phase. Further rotation of the drive gear 10 results in the meshing engagement between the drive gear 10 and the output gear 30 no longer being present. The first phase of engagement is thus followed by a second phase of engagement in which the output gear 30 is no longer driven by the drive gear 10.Since in the second phase of engagement the drive gear 30 can no longer be supported on the drive gear 10, the pressure acting on the piston 72 in the displacement chamber 74 causes the piston 72 and thus the piston rod 63 to move downwards, i.e., opposite to the arrow 64. The lever 61 is pivoted downwards in a counterclockwise direction, thereby rotating the output gear 30 counterclockwise. The freewheel 50 is designed such that the torque acting on the drive gear 30 is transmitted in this direction of rotation to the output shaft 40. Due to the sudden release of the pressure in the displacement chamber 74, the output shaft 40 experiences strong rotational acceleration with a comparatively high torque. The second phase of engagement therefore represents the period in which the output shaft is driven by discharging the energy storage device.

[0035] For example, if the drive shaft 10 rotates at a speed of 15 rpm, a full rotation of the drive shaft 20 requires four seconds. Since the first angular range with the gearing 11 extends over a quarter of the circumference, the length of the first phase, in which the drive gear 10 drives the output gear 30, is one second. This means that one second is available for a complete stroke movement of the piston 72. The second phase of the engagement, in which the energy storage device 70 is discharged, is significantly shorter. In one embodiment, the second phase is at least a factor of 3 shorter than the first phase (for example, 250 ms).

[0036] Assuming that the drive shaft 20 rotates at a substantially constant speed (for example, the aforementioned 15 rpm), the second phase of engagement is followed by a waiting phase in which there is no meshing engagement between the gears 10, 30. During this waiting phase, the drive gear 30 remains stationary until the teeth 11 of the drive gear 10 come into contact with the teeth 31 of the driven gear 30 again. Assuming a speed of 15 rpm, the waiting time in the exemplary embodiment of Figure 1 is slightly less than three seconds. The almost three seconds result from the difference between the time for one full rotation of the drive gear 10 minus the duration of the first phase minus the duration of the second phase (4 s - 1 s - 250 ms). The first phase, the second phase and the waiting phase form a cycle, which is followed by further cycles if the drive shaft is continuously rotating.

[0037] The freewheel 50 allows the output shaft 40 to continue rotating counterclockwise when the output gear 30 is stationary during the waiting phase. During the waiting phase, no torque is transmitted between the output gear 30 and the output shaft 40. Only when the angular velocity of the output gear 30 is greater than the angular velocity of the output shaft 40 in the second phase of a subsequent cycle does the freewheel 50 ensure the torque transmission required to drive the output shaft 30. Since the output gear 30 rotates faster than the output shaft 30 in the second phase, it is possible to further accelerate the output shaft 30.

[0038] Figure 1 shows two black-backed teeth 13, 33, which are subject to particularly high stress due to their position in the toothing 11 and 13, respectively. These teeth 13, 33 may be interchangeable and / or specially hardened.

[0039] Figure 2 shows a further embodiment, in which the drive shaft 20 and the output shaft 40 are shown in a top view. In addition to the drive gear 10 described above, further drive gears 10a are located on the drive shaft 20. On the output shaft 40, in addition to the output gear 30, further output gears 30a are arranged. The interaction of the drive gear 10a and the output gear 30a corresponds to the interaction of the drive gear 10 and the output gear 30 described above. Accordingly, each pair of drive gear 10a and output gear 30a can be assigned a linkage 60a and a freewheel 50a. The first phase of the engagement between the drive gear 10 and the output gear 30 is phase-shifted from a first phase of the engagement between the output gear 10a and the output gear 30a. For the five drive gears 30, 30a, the phase shift between the individual first phases is preferably 72° (36075).This phase shift ensures a more constant rotation of the input shaft 20 and output shaft 40. The phase shift prevents the input shaft 20 from temporarily rotating without load, since there is always a gear pair (input gear / output gear) that is in the first phase.

[0040] As explained above, in the embodiment of Figure 2, the output gears 30, 30a are located on the output shaft 40, wherein in the second phase the corresponding output gear 30 rotates at the same speed as the output shaft 40. However, it is also possible that a gear ratio designed differently for each output gear is provided between the output gear 30, 30a, so that the ratio of the speed of the output gear to the speed of the output shaft is different for the individual output gears in the respective second phase.

[0041] Figure 3 shows a further exemplary embodiment of the transmission according to the invention. Components or details that are similar or identical to components or details of the exemplary embodiment in Figure 1 are provided with the same reference numerals. This also applies analogously to all other figures. The following description of the figures focuses in particular on the differences from the exemplary embodiment in Figure 1.

[0042] The connection between the output gear 30 and the energy storage device 70 is made here via a crank drive 90 with a crank 91, a first connecting rod 92 and a second connecting rod 93. The crank 91 and the first connecting rod 92 are connected to one another via a joint 94. A further joint 95 ensures an articulated connection between the first connecting rod 91 and the second connecting rod 93. The energy storage device 70 here has a helical spring 79 which is connected to one end of the second connecting rod 93. By rotating the output gear 30, the crank mechanism 90 is actuated, whereby the second connecting rod 93 is moved up or down parallel to the longitudinal axis (see arrow 80) of the helical spring 79. In the first phase of the engagement between the drive gear 10 and the driven gear 30, the coil spring 79 is tensioned and the energy storage device 70 absorbs energy.In the second phase of engagement, this energy is released again to drive the output shaft 40 via the output gear 30. The preload of the spring 79 can be adjusted via an adjusting mechanism 81. The adjusting mechanism 81 has the same function as the valve 77 in the embodiment of Figure 1. The adjusting mechanism 81 can be used to adjust the force that must be overcome to charge the energy storage device 70 or that is available when discharging the energy storage device 70.

[0043] The output shaft 40 can be connected to a generator for generating electricity. Additionally or alternatively, a linear generator 100 is provided, which can generate electricity when the second connecting rod 93 is displaced within the linear generator 100 along the arrow 80.

[0044] Instead of the linear generator 100, or in addition to it, a piston-cylinder unit with a displacement that suddenly increases its volume in the second phase can be provided. The displacement can be connected to a line through which a gaseous fluid flows, which cools due to the sudden increase in volume. If the fluid is a liquid, it can evaporate due to the sudden increase in volume and thus extract heat from the environment of the piston-cylinder unit. The piston-cylinder unit can thus be operated as a refrigeration machine.

[0045] Figures 4 and 5 show a further embodiment of the invention. Figure 4 shows the gearbox 1 from the side, while Figure 5 shows the gearbox from above. The output element is designed here as an output gear rack 110. Figures 4A and 4B show the drive rod 110 in different axial positions.

[0046] The drive rack 110 is coupled to the energy storage device 70 and the linear generator 100, similar to the second connecting rod 93 of the embodiment of Figure 3. An axial displacement of the output rack 110 thus leads to a charging or discharging of the energy storage device 70. Electricity can also be generated in the linear generator 100 through the axial displacement.

[0047] Figure 4A shows the engagement between the drive gear 10 and the output rack 110 at the beginning of the first phase. The drive gear 10 rotates counterclockwise (see arrow 12) and is already meshing with the teeth of the output rack 110 via one tooth of the gearing 11. Due to the rotational movement of the drive gear 10, the output rack 110 is moved to the right in the illustration of Figure 4 and charges the energy storage device 70 (for example, by tensioning a coil spring). At an end 111 facing away from the energy storage device 70, the output rack 110 is connected to a blocking device 120.

[0048] The blocking device 120 has a first rod 121 and a second rod 122, which are connected to one another via a joint 123. An end of the first rod 121 facing away from the joint 123 is supported on a stationary pivot bearing 124. An end of the second rod 122 facing away from the joint 123 is pivotally connected to the wear rack 110 via another joint 124. The displacement of the output rack 110 to the right (see arrow 126) causes the included angle between the first rod 121 and the second rod 122 to increase and ultimately amount to 180° (see Figure 5B). The position shown in Figure 5B can also be referred to as the end position, since further displacement of the output rack 110 in direction 126 is not possible. In the final position shown, the rods 121, 122 lie on a straight line.As long as the rods 121, 122 are not deflected from this end position, they block the output rack 110 from springing back and thus the discharging of the energy storage device 70. The end position shown here can therefore also be referred to as a blocking position.

[0049] To stabilize the blocking position, the blocking device 120 has a magnet 127 that interacts with a magnet 131 of a triggering device 130. The magnets 127, 131 ensure that the blocking position does not collapse accidentally and the energy storage device 70 is not accidentally discharged. The triggering device 130 has a trigger rod 132 that interacts with a rotatable cam 133. By rotating the cam 133, the trigger rod 132 can be axially displaced. In doing so, it presses against the joint 123 and releases the blocking position. The magnetic force between the magnets 127, 130 is small or can be set to zero by controlling the preferably switchable magnets 127, 130, so that the magnetic force does not prevent the release of the blocking position.

[0050] The advantage of the blocking device 120 is that it allows the individual setting of the time at which the discharge of the energy storage device 70 begins. The period between the end of the first phase (charging the energy storage device) and the beginning of the second phase (discharging the energy storage device) can be referred to as the holding or blocking phase.

[0051] In the second phase, the output rack 110 moves abruptly to the left, i.e., opposite to arrow 126. The output rack 110 meshes with a wear intermediate gear 140 arranged on the output shaft 40. A freewheel 150 is provided between the output intermediate gear 140 and the output shaft 40, which essentially has the same function as the first freewheel 50 in the previous embodiments. The freewheel 150 ensures that during the jerky movement of the output rack 110 to the left, the output intermediate gear 140 can transmit torque to the output shaft 40, while in the first phase (output rack 110 moves to the right) and in the holding phase (output rack 110 is stationary) the rotation of the output shaft 40 is not hindered by the output rack 110.

[0052] Figure 6 shows a synopsis of various embodiments of the invention. In the embodiment of Figure 6A, the energy storage device 70 is designed as a weight that can be raised or lowered by the lever 61, which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the output gear 30. The potential energy of the weight corresponds to the energy stored in the energy storage device.

[0053] Figure 6B essentially shows the embodiment of Figure 3 with the crank drive 90. By adjusting the size of the first angular range in which the drive gear 10 has the toothing 11 and / or by dimensioning the diameters of the gears 10, 30, the transmission can be adjusted so that the output gear 30 moves in the same direction of rotation in the first phase and in the second phase. For this to happen, in one embodiment, the output gear 30 must rotate by at least 180° during the first phase. Figure 6C illustrates that the drive gear 10 can also have a toothing 11 that extends over the entire circumference of the drive gear 10. Here, the toothing 11 and the toothing 31 of the output gear 30 are constantly in meshing engagement.Therefore, a second freewheel (not shown) is necessary to ensure that the drive shaft 20 does not decelerate the output gear 30 during the second phase, i.e., the phase in which the energy storage device is discharged. Figure 7D illustrates that the output element can be designed as an output rack.

[0054] Figure 7 schematically shows the force curves of a transmission with four drive gears and four output gears. The first phase of engagement between the drive gear and output gear is 90° (see Figure 7A) or 80° (see Figure 7B). The angle of rotation of the drive gears is plotted on the horizontal axis. The individual force curve represents the force acting, for example, on the piston 72 (see Figure 1) or on the coil spring 79 (see Figure 3).

[0055] Figure 7A shows that charging an energy storage device requires a rotation angle of 90° of the associated drive gear. The ascending branch of the respective force curve thus corresponds to the first phase, in which the respective energy storage device is charged. Here, the force increases continuously, for example, to further tension the coil spring 79 (see Figure 3). In the second phase, beginning directly after the first phase, the spring 79 is released very quickly, causing the energy storage device to suddenly release energy to the output shaft. The phase difference between the drive gears here is 90°, resulting in an overlap of the force curves.

[0056] If a different gear ratio exists between the individual drive elements or drive gears 30 and the output shaft 40, the output shaft 40 can be accelerated successively. For this purpose, the highest gear ratio is assigned to the first force curve (0 to 90°), and the lowest gear ratio is assigned to the last force curve (270 to 360°). Figure 7B shows that after tensioning, the coil spring 79 is held in this tensioned state for a certain time. This holding is made possible by the blocking device 120 described above (see Figures 4 and 5), with each energy storage device being assigned a blocking device.

[0057] The release of the respective blocking positions of the individual blocking devices occurs at the same time (see Figure 7B at 330°). The holding phase for the first-charged energy storage device is 250° (330° - 80°).

[0058] The embodiment of Figure 7B allows all energy storage devices to be discharged at the same time, thereby generating a particularly strong pulse to drive the output shaft.

[0059] List of reference symbols

[0060] 1 gearbox

[0061] 10 drive gear

[0062] 11 Gearing

[0063] 12 Direction of rotation / arrow

[0064] 13 tooth

[0065] 20 drive shaft

[0066] 30 Output gear

[0067] 31 Gearing

[0068] 32 Direction of rotation / arrow

[0069] 40 Output shaft

[0070] 50 first freewheel

[0071] 60 rods

[0072] 61 levers

[0073] 62 joint

[0074] 63 Piston rod

[0075] 64 Direction / Arrow

[0076] 70 energy storage units

[0077] 71 cylinders

[0078] 72 pistons

[0079] 73 Axis

[0080] 74 displacement

[0081] 75 compressed air

[0082] 76 Line

[0083] 77 Valve

[0084] 78 Room

[0085] 79 coil spring

[0086] 80 Direction / Arrow

[0087] 81 Adjustment mechanism

[0088] 90 Crank drive

[0089] 91 Crank

[0090] 92 first connecting rod second connecting rod joint joint linear generator output rack end blocking device first rod second rod joint pivot bearing joint direction / arrow magnet release device magnet release rod cam output intermediate gear

Claims

Patent claims 1. Gearbox (1) for generating a high-speed rotary motion from a low-speed rotary motion, comprising: - a drive shaft (20) rotating at low speed; - a drive wheel that sits on the drive shaft; - an output shaft (40) rotating at high speed; - an output element engaged with the drive gear, the engagement comprising a first phase in which the drive gear drives the output element and a second phase in which the drive gear and the output element are decoupled from each other; - an energy storage device (70) which, in the first phase of the engagement, absorbs energy by a movement of the output element and, in a second phase of the engagement, releases the absorbed energy via the output element to rotate the output shaft.

1. Gearbox (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that a first freewheel (50) is provided between the output element and the output shaft (40), so that the output element can only drive the output shaft (40) but cannot brake it.

2. Transmission (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that a second freewheel is provided so that the drive shaft (20) does not brake the output element in the second phase.

3. Transmission (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the drive wheel is designed as a drive gear (10).

4. Gearbox (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the drive gear (10) has a first angular range with teeth and a second angular range without teeth.

5. Gear (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that at least one edge tooth (13) of the first angular range is replaceable.

6. Gearbox (1) according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the output element is designed as an output gear (30) or as an output rack (110).

7. Transmission (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the engagement further comprises a holding phase which is provided between the first phase and the second phase, wherein in the holding phase the release of the energy absorbed by the energy storage device (70) is blocked.

8. Transmission (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that a blocking device (120) is provided which, in a blocking position, blocks the release of the energy absorbed by the energy storage device (70).

9. Gearbox (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that the blocking position can be released by a release device (130).

10. Gearbox (1) according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the blocking device (120) has two rods (121, 122) connected to one another by a joint (123) which lie substantially on a straight line in the blocking position.

11. Transmission (1 ) according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that on the drive shaft (20) at least one further drive wheel which engages with another output element.

12. Transmission (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that the first phase of the engagement between the drive wheel and the output element and a first phase of the engagement between the further drive wheel and the further output element are phase-shifted.

13. Transmission (1) according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the energy storage device (70) is provided with an adjusting mechanism (81 ) is assigned, by means of which a resistance force to be overcome when filling the energy store (70) can be adjusted.

14. Transmission (1) according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that a linear generator (100) is provided, by means of which a linear movement generated by the output element is converted into electrical energy.

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