Low Shaft Angle Hypoid Gears with High Offset Design

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current hypoid gear theories fail to design low shaft angle bevel gears with significant offset, as they are limited by traditional methods that do not allow for low shaft angles close to 0° or high offsets, and existing solutions like Beveloids and angular spiral bevel gears are inadequate for such configurations.

Innovation Solution

A method for manufacturing low shaft angle and offset bevel gears using non-generated gear members with straight or curved tooth profiles, where the pinion is generated based on the non-generated gear's basic machine settings, allowing for precise conjugate relationships and optimal tooth proportions, and adjusting the pinion diameter to maintain constant offset and center distance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If conventional bevel gear methods are used, then manufacturing processes are well-established, but achieving low shaft angles with high offset is not possible

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing process maturityVSAvoidgear geometry accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent establishes preliminary design criteria and mathematical relationships before the actual manufacturing process. It defines the conjugate action requirements, pitch surface geometry, and tooth profile generation methods in advance, creating a complete design framework that guides manufacturing. This preliminary theoretical foundation enables manufacturers to produce low shaft angle offset bevel gears with the required precision using adapted conventional processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If high offset is achieved in traditional hypoid gears, then shaft positioning flexibility improves, but the gear design becomes impossible with existing theory

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveshaft positioning flexibilityVSAvoiddesign feasibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal design methodology that can handle multiple configurations of shaft angles and offsets within a single theoretical framework. The new equations and geometric relationships are general enough to accommodate any shaft angle from 0° to 30° and any offset value, making the design approach universally applicable rather than limited to specific cases. This multi-functional design theory eliminates the need for separate methodologies for different offset scenarios.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2350493B1Hypoid gears with low shaft angles
Publication Date: 2013.12.18 THE GLEASON WORKS
  • EP2350493B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2350493B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2350493B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

Disclosed is a gear pair set comprising low shaft angle and offset bevel gears and a method for their manufacture including determination of the appropriate gear and pinion blanks and the basic machine settings for their manufacture. The pair of bevel gears comprises a first member and a second member wherein the members of the pair have a shaft angle in the range of greater than 0° to 30°, preferably greater than 0° to 20°, and have an offset in the range of greater than zero to the sum of half the mean pitch diameters of the two members of the bevel gear pair.