Slew Drive Worm Gear Integrated Reducer to Reduce Length and Seals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional slew drives require additional components such as splined shafts and seals, which increase the overall length and complexity of the system, while also allowing lubricant to escape, necessitating a more integrated design.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a worm gear with a reducer assembly, where the worm gear operates as a carrier, eliminating the need for a splined shaft and seals, and reducing the system's length by direct contact through holes in the worm gear with planetary gears.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a conventional slew drive design with separate carrier and splined shaft is used, then the reducer assembly can be coupled to the worm gear, but the overall length of the system increases and additional seals are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the carrier and splined shaft into a single integrated worm gear component. The worm gear is designed with a hollow cylindrical body that directly receives the planetary gears, eliminating the need for separate carrier and splined shaft components. This integration reduces the overall number of parts and shortens the axial length of the slew drive system while maintaining the same functional coupling between the reducer assembly and worm gear.
2Reliability
If additional components such as seals are included in the conventional design, then lubricant containment is improved, but the device complexity and number of components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The integration of the carrier and splined shaft functions into the worm gear body eliminates internal interfaces where seals would be required. The hollow cylindrical body of the worm gear directly engages the planetary gears, creating a sealed environment without requiring additional seal components. This reduces component count while maintaining lubricant containment reliability.
3Ease of operation
If a separate carrier and splined shaft are used to couple the reducer assembly to the worm gear, then the coupling mechanism is established, but the system length and component count increase
Solution Approach 1:
The worm gear is designed as an integrated component that combines the carrier function (holding planetary gears) and splined shaft function (transmitting rotation) into a single hollow cylindrical body. This eliminates the need for separate carrier and splined shaft components, reducing the axial length of the system while maintaining full coupling functionality between the reducer assembly and worm gear.
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
This design simplifies the slew drive by reducing the number of components, minimizing lubricant leakage, and shortening the overall length, enhancing efficiency and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a reducer assembly comprising a plurality of reducer subassemblies, wherein one of the plurality of reducer subassemblies is in direct contact with the worm gear, via the plurality of holes
Implementation Method 2
a worm gear and a worm wheel that is integrated with a reducer assembly... the axes of rotation of the worm gear and worm wheel are, in general, perpendicular
Data Source
AI summary
A slew drive comprises a worm gear which is integrated with a reducer assembly. One end of the worm gear operates as a carrier which engages a plurality of planetary gears which are part of the reducer assembly. The carrier may be a separate component that is coupled with the worm gear. Alternatively, one end of the worm gear can be machined to operate as the carrier. The carrier engages a plurality of planetary gears via a plurality of holes.