Eccentric Gear Bearing Adjustment for Backlash-Free Meshing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Backlash in mechanical systems, caused by gaps between gear teeth, leads to sudden striking forces, accelerated wear, and jerky motions, necessitating an effective anti-backlash adjustment mechanism.
Innovation Solution
An eccentric anti-backlash adjustment mechanism that allows for the fine adjustment of the center position of driving and driven shafts by using eccentric bearing adjusts and tip set screws, thereby eliminating gaps between gears.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If gears are assembled with standard clearance between teeth, then the mechanical system allows for smooth operation and ease of assembly, but backlash occurs causing lost motion and jerky movements when direction is reversed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an eccentric bearing assembly that allows the shaft to be dynamically repositioned relative to the gear. By rotating the shaft within the eccentric bearing, the center position can be adjusted to eliminate backlash while maintaining smooth operation. This dynamic adjustment capability resolves the contradiction between achieving zero backlash and maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the positional parameter of the shaft center through the eccentric bearing mechanism. By altering the radial position of the shaft within the bearing (changing the center-to-center distance between gears), the backlash parameter can be controlled and eliminated. This parameter change approach allows precise control over gear clearance without requiring complex assembly procedures.
2Reliability
If the center position of driving and driven shafts is precisely adjusted to eliminate gaps between gears, then backlash is mitigated, but the device complexity increases due to additional adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The eccentric bearing assembly serves multiple functions: it supports the shaft, allows for positional adjustment, and provides a mechanism for backlash elimination all in one component. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate adjustment mechanisms, thereby mitigating the increase in device complexity while achieving reliable backlash mitigation.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft is nested within the eccentric bearing assembly, which itself is contained within the gear box housing. This nested structure allows the adjustment mechanism to be integrated within the existing gear train without requiring additional external components, thus minimizing the increase in overall device complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If standard gear clearance is maintained, then ease of manufacture is preserved, but gear teeth experience sudden striking forces during reversal causing accelerated wear and particle generation
Solution Approach 1:
The eccentric bearing assembly allows for preliminary adjustment of the gear center distance during assembly or maintenance. By pre-positioning the shafts to eliminate clearance between gear teeth before operation, the harmful striking forces that cause wear and particle generation are prevented from occurring in the first place, while the gears themselves remain standard and easy to manufacture.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The mechanism effectively mitigates backlash, reducing wear on gear teeth, minimizing jerky motions, and maintaining smooth operation of mechanical systems.
Implementation Method 1
a first eccentric bearing adjust (500) positioned so as to surround at least a portion of the driving shaft (130)
Data Source
AI summary
A gear box may have a housing and a driving shaft with a gear and a driven shaft with a gear. The shafts may be rotatably mounted in the housing and positioned so that the driving shaft gear meshes, i.e., is in operable position, with the driven shaft gear. An eccentric bearing adjust may be positioned to surround a part of the driving shaft (or a part of the driven shaft). A first and second tip set screws may be positioned in the housing in operable position to the eccentric bearing adjust. The first and second tip set screws are configured to rotate the eccentric bearing which moves a center position of the driving shaft (or a center position of the driven shaft) when the screws are tightened or loosened. Rotating and calibrating the eccentric bearing adjust mitigates any backlash between the driving shaft gear and the driven shaft gear.