Modular Direct Drive System for Industrial Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial machines like electric rope shovels experience boom jacking and structural fatigue due to inertia and abrupt stops during operation, leading to potential machine tipping and reduced operational life.
Innovation Solution
A modular drive system with smaller, direct-drive motors and reduced inertia replaces traditional crowd motors, belts, and sheaves, minimizing system inertia and allowing for more responsive operation and easier maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If traditional crowd motors with belts and sheaves are used, then the system can provide sufficient torque and speed, but the system inertia is high causing boom jacking and structural fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the belt and sheave components from the traditional crowd drive system, retaining only the essential motor and gear elements. This extraction eliminates the harmful inertia generated by belts and sheaves while maintaining the necessary torque and speed output, directly resolving the boom jacking problem caused by excessive system inertia
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the belt-driven mechanical system with a direct gear-driven system. By replacing the belt-sheave mechanism with a direct motor-to-gear coupling, the system achieves the same functional output (torque and speed) with significantly reduced inertia, thereby eliminating boom jacking and structural fatigue
2Speed
If traditional crowd motors with belts and sheaves are used, then the system can maintain requested speed, but abrupt stops cause excessive reaction forces and machine tipping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the belt and sheave components that contribute to system inertia, keeping only the motor and gear. This reduction in inertia allows the system to maintain speed control while minimizing the harmful reaction forces during abrupt stops, preventing machine tipping
Solution Approach 2:
The patent fundamentally changes the inertia parameter of the crowd drive system by eliminating belt and sheave components. This parameter change enables the system to maintain the same speed performance while dramatically reducing the crowd reaction forces that cause machine tipping during abrupt stops
3Productivity
If modular drive system with direct drive motors is used, then system inertia is reduced for more responsive operation, but the brake system must be precisely positioned relative to the motor system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the drive system into distinct modular components: motor system, brake system, and gear case. Each module can be independently positioned and adjusted, allowing the brake system to be precisely located relative to the motor system while maintaining overall system simplicity and responsiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent positions the brake system in a different spatial dimension relative to the motor system, with the brake rotor extending from the motor shaft end. This dimensional arrangement allows precise positioning and easy adjustment without complicating the overall modular structure, maintaining both responsiveness and simplicity
Data Source
AI summary
A modular drive system for use with an industrial machine having a gear case includes a motor system. The motor system includes a motor housing and a motor shaft disposed in the motor housing. The motor system has a first, non-drive end and a second, drive end. The modular drive system also includes a brake system coupled to the second end of the motor system, and a drive gear coupled to the motor shaft, the drive gear disposed between the first end and the brake system.