Backlash Eliminator with Movable Intermediate Shaft for Low-Loss Gear Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional backlash eliminators fail to minimize loss while eliminating backlash in gear trains, leading to friction and heat generation due to unconsidered pushing force on intermediate gears.
Innovation Solution
A backlash eliminator using helical gears with intermediate shafts where one is stationary and the other movable, employing pressing means to exert a backlash eliminating force in the direction of the cutting load during machining, and featuring a pressing force varying mechanism to adjust the force based on the cutting load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional backlash eliminator pushes intermediate gears axially to eliminate backlash, then tooth flank separation is prevented, but friction and heat generation increase due to unconsidered pushing force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the direction parameter of the backlash eliminating force to align with the cutting load direction. By orienting the pressing force of the movable intermediate shaft in the same direction as the cutting load, the force required for backlash elimination is reduced, thereby decreasing friction and heat generation while maintaining effective backlash elimination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the cutting load, which is necessarily present during machining, into a beneficial force that assists backlash elimination. By aligning the backlash eliminating force with the cutting load direction, the cutting load itself contributes to preventing tooth flank separation, transforming a potentially harmful force into a useful component for backlash elimination.
2Reliability
If a fixed pressing force is applied to eliminate backlash, then tooth flank separation is prevented under all loads, but energy loss increases due to excessive force during light load conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a movable intermediate shaft that can dynamically adjust its position and the pressing force it applies. This dynamic mechanism allows the backlash eliminating force to vary according to the actual cutting load conditions, applying sufficient force when needed and reducing force when the cutting load is light, thereby optimizing energy consumption while maintaining reliable backlash elimination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the pressing force is adjusted based on the cutting load conditions. The movable intermediate shaft responds to changes in load by adjusting its pressing force accordingly, creating a self-regulating system that maintains effective backlash elimination while minimizing energy consumption under varying operational conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A backlash eliminator includes an input shaft (15) coupled to a driving motor (20) and having a drive gear (52); an output shaft (14) fixing a gear (W), as an object to be cut, thereon, and having a driven gear (42); and a stationary intermediate shaft (16) and a moving intermediate shaft (17) disposed parallel to the input shaft and the output shaft, and having large intermediate gears (62, 72) meshing with the drive gear, and small intermediate gears (63, 73) meshing with the driven gear, and a switching regulating valve (31) for pressing the moving intermediate shaft in its axial direction so that an output-side backlash elimination torque (Ts) between the driven gear and the small intermediate gear (73) acts in the same direction as the direction of generation of a cutting load torque (Tw) generated in the circumferential direction of the gear during machining of the gear.