Compact Farming Implement Gearbox With Grease Lubrication

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing gearboxes for garden equipment, particularly tillers, are bulky, expensive, and complex, with high maintenance requirements due to numerous mechanical parts and oil-based lubrication systems, which makes them heavy, costly, and difficult to assemble and maintain.

Innovation Solution

A compact gearbox design with a reduced number of mechanical elements, using injected plastic half-shells and a simplified control system with a control cable and fork assembly, allowing quick gear changes and easy assembly, and utilizing grease instead of oil for lubrication to reduce complexity and weight.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional aluminum casings with oil lubrication are used, then reliable lubrication is achieved, but the gearbox becomes heavy, bulky, and expensive

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelubrication reliabilityVSAvoidgearbox weight

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the lubrication parameter from oil to grease, and changes the casing material from aluminum to injected plastic. This substitution maintains lubrication functionality while significantly reducing weight and complexity of the gearbox assembly

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses injected plastic casings instead of expensive aluminum casings. The plastic casings are designed to be replaced rather than repaired, reducing manufacturing costs and complexity while maintaining adequate service life for the application

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

2Reliability

If traditional glued assembly of casing halves is used, then optimal sealing is achieved, but dismantling becomes tedious during maintenance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesealing qualityVSAvoiddismantling ease

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The casing is divided into two half-shells that can be separated through lateral openings. This segmentation allows the casing to be disassembled and reassembled easily during maintenance while maintaining sealing through gaskets at the junction

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Gaskets are introduced as intermediary elements between the two half-shells to ensure sealing. These gaskets allow the casing to be easily assembled and disassembled without glue, maintaining optimal sealing while enabling simple maintenance operations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of operation

If control cable with shift fork extending through upper half is used, then gear selection is achieved, but the design becomes complex and expensive

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegear selection capabilityVSAvoidcontrol mechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The shift fork is extracted through lateral openings in the half-shells rather than extending through the upper half. This extraction simplifies the control mechanism by eliminating the need for complex cable routing and housing modifications while maintaining full gear selection capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Reliability

If sealed crankcase with oil is used, then lubrication is ensured, but oil vapors cause overpressure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelubrication assuranceVSAvoidinternal pressure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStress or pressure

Solution Approach 1:

The lubrication parameter is changed from oil to grease, which has lower vapor pressure. This parameter change eliminates the overpressure problem caused by oil vapors in sealed crankcases while maintaining effective lubrication of all components

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3625481B1Gearbox for mechanized farming implement and mechanized farming implement comprising such a gearbox

Publication Date: 2021.02.17 PUBERT HENRI

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AI summary

The invention relates to a gearbox (608) for a mechanized farming implement, intended to interconnect drive means to driving members of the implement, the gearbox (608) comprising: an input shaft (21) designed to be rotationally driven by said drive means; an output shaft (23) designed to drive said driving members of the implement - a pinion, known as the sliding pinion (11), mounted such that it can move on the input shaft (21), and designed to occupy at least one first forward-operation position and at least one reverse-operation position, a mobile fork (4) extending inside the gearbox (608) are designed to collaborate with the said sliding pinion (11). According to the invention, the said gearbox (608) further comprises a double-ended lever (5) for controlling the movement of the said fork (4), taking the form of a rod extending partially inside the gearbox (608), a first end of the said lever (5) being designed to be connected to a control cable (C) so that action on the control cable (C) causes a change in transmission ratio.