Gear Grinding Machine Axis Eccentricity Compensation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing gear grinding machines struggle to achieve accurate machining of gears with helical tooth traces, such as helical and crossed helical gears, due to alignment errors and synchronization issues between the grinding wheel and gear rotation, leading to reduced machining accuracy.

Innovation Solution

A gear grinding machine equipped with rotary-table driving means, grinding-wheel rotating means, displacement measuring means, and controlling means that calculate and apply correction values to adjust the position and motion of the rotary table and grinding wheel to compensate for axis eccentricity and inclination, ensuring precise profile grinding of gears with helical tooth traces.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the axis of the gear is displaced with respect to the axis of the rotary table, then the gear can be machined, but the centering cannot be done easily because the gear is extremely heavy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecentering easeVSAvoidaxis positioning accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The displacement measuring means automatically detects the actual position of the gear axis relative to the rotary table axis without requiring manual centering operations. The system self-corrects for axis displacement by calculating correction values and adjusting the grinding wheel's position and motion parameters, eliminating the need for difficult manual centering of heavy gears while maintaining high machining accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual mechanical centering operations with an automated measurement and control system. The displacement measuring means and controlling means work together to electronically determine and compensate for axis misalignment, substituting the need for precise mechanical alignment of heavy gears with an automated feedback-based correction system

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP2596892B1Gear grinding machine
Publication Date: 2020.06.10 MITSUBISHI HEAVY IND MACHINE TOOL CO LTD
  • EP2596892B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2596892B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2596892B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The actual axial center position of a helical gear (10) relative to the axial center position of a rotary table (112) is calculated on the basis of input gear dimensions and information from a touch probe (120) (S1-S3). Correction values for the positions and motions of the rotary table (112) and a grindstone (118) are calculated on the basis of the actual axial center position of the helical gear (10) (S8). Operation values for the rotary table (112), a column (113), a saddle (114), and a grindstone head (116) are calculated by adding the correction values to reference values for the positions and motions of the rotary table (112) and the grindstone (118) (S9). Motors (112M to 114M, 116M) are controlled in such a way that operation is carried out at the operation values to thereby carry out form grinding (S10).