Dual Gear Train Transmission for Damage-Triggered Load Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transmission systems in devices like elevators and cranes face challenges in maintaining load alignment and safety when a gearbox part fails due to wear or breakage, often requiring a second drive or special measurement techniques to prevent tilting or slipping, which is inefficient and unreliable if the primary drive is damaged.
Innovation Solution
A transmission system with two synchronized gear trains, where only the first gear train is connected to the output shaft under normal conditions, and the second gear train is used to lock the first gear train in case of damage, ensuring the output shaft remains fixed without the need for a second drive or measurement technology.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a second drive with a second motor and a second gearbox is provided to catch the load in case of damage, then the load safety is improved, but the device complexity and effort increase considerably
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission system is divided into two independent gear trains (first and second gear trains) that share the same drive shaft but have separate transmission paths. The first gear train is connected to the output shaft for normal operation, while the second gear train remains disconnected and serves solely as a backup safety mechanism. This segmentation allows the backup system to remain simple and inactive during normal operation, reducing overall complexity while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The second gear train is pre-positioned and synchronized with the first gear train during normal operation, but remains disconnected from the output shaft. The locking mechanism is pre-configured so that upon detection of damage (through asynchrony), the locking element automatically engages without requiring active control or additional power. This preliminary arrangement ensures immediate safety response while avoiding the complexity of an actively engaged backup drive.
2Ease of manufacture
If the first and second gear trains are engaged with the drive worm in the same section, then the structure is simplified, but the locking function becomes unreliable when the drive worm is damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The critical safety function of locking the output shaft is extracted from the damaged drive worm engagement zone. The locking element is designed to engage with the output shaft at a different location than where the drive worm transmits power to the gear trains. This separation ensures that even if the drive worm teeth are damaged in one section, the locking mechanism can still securely engage the output shaft at another location, maintaining reliability while keeping the overall structure relatively simple.
3Reliability
If only the first gear train is connected to the output shaft under normal conditions, then the second gear train can serve as a backup, but the system complexity increases compared to a single gear train
Solution Approach 1:
Both the first and second gear trains are merged onto the same drive shaft, sharing common components such as the drive worm, bearings, and housing. This merging approach allows the backup gear train to be integrated into the existing structure without requiring a completely separate motor and transmission assembly. The output shaft connection is selectively engaged through a locking mechanism, combining the functions of both gear trains into a unified system that maintains reliability while minimizing additional complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A transmission (1, 30, 60, 80) is proposed, comprising a transmission base (26, 51), a drive shaft (3, 33, 63) which can be connected to a motor (2), an output shaft which can be connected to a machine or a component to be driven, a first transmission train (27, 57, 67, 97) which is operatively connected to the drive shaft (3, 33, 63), a second transmission train (28, 58, 68, 98) which is also operatively connected to the drive shaft (3, 33, 63) and is thereby synchronized with the first transmission train (27, 57, 67, 97), wherein only the first transmission train (27, 57, 67, 97) is operatively connected to the output shaft, with a [missing information] in the first transmission train (27, 57, first gear part (5, 35, 65, 85) contained in the second gear train (28, 58, 68, 98), with a second gear part (17, 39, 69, 89) contained in the second gear train (28, 58, 68, 98), which, in the case of an undamaged first gear train (27, 57, 67, 97), runs in sync with the first gear part (5, 35, 65, 85),with a locking element (19, 20, 42, 47, 48, 72, 90) which, in the event of asynchrony of the first gear train (27, 57, 67, 97) relative to the second gear train (28, 58, 68, 98) caused by damage to the first gear train (27, 57, 67, 97), locks the first gear part (5, 35, 65, 85) relative to the gear base (26, 51).