Planetary Gearbox Ring Gear With Bushing Support for High Torque
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional planetary gearboxes face challenges in achieving high torque while maintaining a small size, low weight, and low production costs due to the use of large and expensive bearings, which require complex assembly and tighter tolerances, increasing manufacturing complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
A planetary gearbox design featuring a unitary, one-piece ring gear with a channel for a collapsible bushing, eliminating the need for additional bearings and allowing for a larger outer diameter of the carrier, thus reducing complexity and cost while supporting high torque applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If conventional bearings are used to support planetary gear assembly, then load carrying capacity is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase due to multi-piece ring gear and tighter tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the bearing function from a separate component and integrates it directly into the ring gear structure. The ring gear includes built-in bearing races formed as integral parts of the ring gear body, eliminating the need for separate bearing components and their associated mounting structures. This reduces device complexity while maintaining load carrying capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the ring gear and bearing support functions into a single integrated structure. The bearing races are formed directly within the ring gear body, combining what were previously separate components (ring gear + bearings + mounting structure) into one unified part, thereby reducing the number of parts and assembly complexity.
2Reliability
If conventional bearings are used to support planetary gear assembly, then support reliability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases due to multi-piece ring gear and tighter tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the bearing support function and integrates it into the ring gear structure, eliminating the need for separate bearing components. This reduces the number of parts that need to be manufactured and assembled, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining support reliability through the integrated bearing races.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the ring gear and bearing support functions into one integrated component. This eliminates the need for separate manufacturing of bearings and their mounting structures, reducing the total number of manufacturing operations, tolerances required, and assembly steps, thereby lowering overall manufacturing cost while maintaining reliability.
3Force
If bearings are used to support planetary gear assembly, then load carrying capacity is improved, but planetary gearbox size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the ring gear and bearing support structures into a single integrated component. This eliminates the need for separate bearing components and their mounting structures, allowing the bearing support function to be provided within the existing ring gear footprint. This reduces the overall gearbox size while maintaining load carrying capacity through the integrated bearing races.
Data Source
AI summary
A planetary gearbox including a first planetary gear assembly and a second planetary gear assembly. The first planetary gear assembly includes a first sun gear, a first carrier, at least one first planet gear mounted in the first carrier, and a ring gear. The second planetary gear assembly includes a second sun gear, a second carrier, at least one second planet gear mounted in the second carrier, and the ring gear. The ring gear comprises a unitary, single-piece main body including a plurality of first teeth and a plurality of second teeth formed thereon. The first teeth are spaced apart from the second teeth to form a channel therebetween. The channel is configured to receive a bushing therein.