Speed Reducer Shifter With Swingable Bushes for Low-Wear Engagement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing speed reducers face challenges in maintaining reliable engagement and preventing heat generation and abrasion due to surface contact between bushes and shifters, especially under increased load conditions, which can lead to disengagement and reduced lifespan.
Innovation Solution
A speed reducer design featuring a shifter with an annular groove for multiple bushes to press the shifter into engagement with gears, allowing for surface contact that suppresses heat generation and abrasion, and a bush support system enabling individual bush movement to maintain engagement, combined with a lubricant supply to reduce friction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single bush presses the shifter to bring it into engagement with the gear, then the structure is simple, but heat generation and abrasion increase due to concentrated surface contact
Solution Approach 1:
The single bush is divided into multiple bushes (at least two) that are arranged circumferentially around the shifter. Each bush independently presses the shifter into engagement with the gear, distributing the contact pressure and reducing heat generation and abrasion at any single contact point while maintaining structural feasibility.
2Manufacturing precision
If the bush is fixed rigidly to the bush support, then the positioning is precise, but the engagement reliability decreases under increased load conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The bush is made movable relative to the bush support through a movable connection mechanism (such as a spherical plain bearing or pivot connection). This allows the bush to dynamically adjust its position and angle in response to load variations, ensuring continuous reliable engagement of the shifter with the gear while accommodating increased load conditions without compromising positioning accuracy.
3Device complexity
If point contact or linear contact is used between the bush and shifter, then the structure is simple, but the allowable load capacity is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The contact between the bush and shifter is changed from point contact or linear contact to surface contact. The bush is designed with a press surface that contacts the shifter over an extended area, significantly increasing the allowable load capacity while maintaining structural simplicity. Multiple bushes arranged circumferentially further distribute the load across multiple surface contact points.
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 design ensures reliable speed changes between low and high speeds while preventing disengagement and extending the lifespan of components by minimizing heat generation and abrasion through controlled surface contact and lubrication.
Implementation Method 1
a lubricant supply device that supplies lubricant to each of the plurality of bushes
Data Source
AI summary
A speed reducer capable of reliably reducing and changing speed while suppressing heat generation and abrasion includes: a plurality of gears rotatably supported on an output shaft; a shifter engageable with an engagement gear selected from the plurality of gears to couple the engagement gear to the output shaft; and a plurality of bushes disposed in an annular groove formed in the shifter to move the shifter to the engagement gear and thereby engage the shifter with the engagement gear; and a bush support supporting the plurality of bushes so as to allow them to swing individually.