Modular Planetary Gearboxes for Load-Specific Wind Turbine Transmissions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Customary transmission series have not been effective in wind turbines due to varying manufacturer specifications and load conditions, leading to oversized transmissions that are costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A series of transmissions with structurally identical planetary carriers and interchangeable planetary gears of varying tooth widths, allowing for adaptable load-specific designs and cost savings by using identical components across different transmissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single type of transmission is used to cover as many applications as possible, then the adaptability of the transmission series is improved, but the transmissions become oversized for applications with low loads, increasing cost and reducing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission is divided into modular components (planetary carriers, planetary gears, sun gears, ring gears) that can be independently selected and combined. This segmentation allows each transmission to be customized with the exact components needed for the specific application, avoiding oversized designs while maintaining adaptability across different load conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
A universal planetary carrier design is created that can accommodate different numbers and configurations of planetary gears. This universal carrier serves multiple functions across different transmission variants, allowing the same carrier structure to support both high-load and low-load applications by simply changing the planetary gear configuration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a single type of transmission is used to cover as many applications as possible, then the adaptability of the transmission series is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases due to oversized component production
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes key parameters (number of planetary gears, tooth width, module size) while maintaining the same planetary carrier structure. This allows manufacturers to produce a base set of universal carriers and then vary the planetary gear parameters to match specific application requirements, reducing overall manufacturing costs through component standardization.
Solution Approach 2:
Different planetary gears are designed with locally optimized qualities (tooth width, module, number of teeth) suited to specific load conditions, while the overall carrier structure remains standardized. This allows cost-effective production of customized transmissions by only varying the necessary local characteristics rather than redesigning entire transmission systems.
3Productivity
If transmissions are customized for specific load conditions, then the efficiency and cost-effectiveness for each application is improved, but the device complexity increases due to multiple transmission types
Solution Approach 1:
The universal planetary carrier serves as a common platform that can accommodate multiple planetary gear configurations. This universality reduces device complexity by maintaining a standardized base structure while allowing customization of planetary gears to achieve optimal efficiency for different load conditions, avoiding the need for completely different transmission designs.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the transmission into independent modular components, the invention allows efficient customization without proportionally increasing overall complexity. Each planetary gear can be independently selected based on load requirements, while the standardized carrier and other components remain unchanged, making the complexity management scalable and systematic.
Data Source
AI summary
A series of transmissions includes a first transmission, a second transmission, a third transmission, and a fourth transmission. Each of the first, second, third and fourth transmissions has a first planetary stage and a second planetary stage. The first planetary stage and the second planetary stage in each case have an internal gear, a sun gear, a planetary carrier, and one or more planetary gears. The planetary carriers of the first planetary stages of the first transmission and of the second transmission are structurally identical. The planetary carriers of the first planetary stages of the third transmission and of the fourth transmission are structurally identical. A width of teeth of the planetary gears of the first planetary stage of the first transmission is smaller than a width of teeth of the planetary gears of the first planetary stage of the second transmission.