Segmented Shaft Driving Tool With Planetary Gear for Tight Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commonly constructed jack screw actuated gear pullers and shaft driving tools are mechanically cumbersome and difficult to operate, especially in tight spaces, making them impractical for use in limited working environments.
Innovation Solution
A multiply segmented sleeve with a drill actuated planetary gear drive assembly, featuring a rotatably supported gear and shaft engaging structures, which includes a screw shaft with helical threads and non-circular joints for secure engagement and rotation resistance, allowing for efficient axial driving and removal of shafts within apertured members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional jack screw actuated gear puller is used, then the shaft can be driven and removed, but the tool becomes mechanically cumbersome and difficult to operate in tight spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional jack screw mechanical actuation system with a drill actuated planetary gear drive assembly. The manual screw mechanism is substituted with a powered planetary gear system that uses a drill as the power source, fundamentally changing the actuation method from mechanical screw threading to gear-driven rotation, thereby reducing operational complexity and improving ease of use in confined spaces
Solution Approach 2:
The tool employs a multiply segmented sleeve design with upper, lower, and medial segments that can be independently positioned or nestingly received within each other. This segmentation allows the tool to be disassembled into smaller components for easier manipulation in tight spaces, directly addressing the operability issue in confined environments while maintaining the complete functional capability when assembled
2Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional shaft driving tool is used, then the shaft can be removed, but the tool requires significant working space making it impossible to operate in tight locales
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting of the upper sleeve segment within the medial segment and the lower segment within the medial segment's hollow bore. This nested configuration allows the tool components to be compactly stored within each other, dramatically reducing the spatial footprint when the tool is not in active use, and enabling passage through tight spaces while maintaining full functionality when deployed
Solution Approach 2:
The tool incorporates rotatable components including the planetary gear assembly and the multiply segmented sleeve that can rotate about the central axis. This dynamic capability allows the tool to adapt its orientation and positioning within confined spaces, enabling operation from various angles and improving adaptability to tight locales where fixed-orientation tools would fail
3Adaptability or versatility
If a drill actuated planetary gear drive assembly is used, then operation in confined spaces is enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The planetary gear drive assembly serves multiple functions: it converts drill rotation into controlled shaft driving motion, provides mechanical advantage for force multiplication, and enables precise control of the shaft removal process. By consolidating these multiple functions into a single integrated mechanism rather than requiring separate systems, the patent reduces overall device complexity while maintaining adaptability to confined spaces
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the drive mechanism, the sleeve segments, and the shaft engaging structures into an integrated tool assembly. The planetary gear drive is combined with the segmented sleeve structure and the shaft engagement components form a unified system, eliminating the need for separate mechanical assemblies and reducing the overall complexity despite the advanced functionality required for confined space operation
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The tool effectively drives and removes shafts from apertured members, such as gear or axle mounts, by utilizing a drill-powered planetary gear system that overcomes the mechanical limitations of traditional tools, enabling operation in confined spaces with enhanced ease and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a drill actuated planetary gear drive assembly, featuring a rotatably supported gear
Implementation Method 2
The tool effectively drives and removes shafts from apertured members, such as gear or axle mounts, by utilizing a drill-powered planetary gear system
Implementation Method 3
A screw shaft with helical threads and non-circular joints for secure engagement and rotation resistance, allowing for efficient axial driving and removal of shafts within apertured members
Data Source
AI summary
A tool for driving a shaft a shaft within an apertured member, the tool incorporating a segmented sleeve having upper, lower, and medial segments, each segment having upper and lower ends, a hollow bore of the lower segment being helically threaded; a shaft biasing screw mounted within the lower segment's hollow bore, upper and lower joints, the upper joint connecting the upper end of the screw with the upper segment, and the lower joint connecting the medial segment with the lower segment; a first gear component attached to the upper segment; a support frame attached to the medial segment; a second gear component mounted rotatably upon the support frame, the second gear component being positioned for rotating the first gear component; a rotary power input stem fixedly attached to the second gear component; and a clamp or hook arms adapted for positioning the apertured member beneath the screw's shaft biasing lower end.