Off-set drive assembly for solar tracker
AssigneeNextracker LLC
InventorAlexander W. Au
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A slew gear drive including a housing having a tubular portion having a longitudinal axis, a shaft formed with a worm gear configured for rotational movement about the longitudinal axis within the tubular portion of the housing, and a torque tube having an outer surface, the torque tube carried by the housing for rotational movement about a rotational axis perpendicular to the worm gear, wherein an inner race coupled to the torque tube including a gear having teeth configured to engage the worm gear, the teeth extending less than a 360 degrees around the inner race. Rotation of the worm gear about the longitudinal axis engaging the teeth of the inner race, thereby rotating the inner race the torque tube about the rotational axis relative to the housing.
Claims18
A slew gear drive comprising:
- a housing including a tubular portion having a longitudinal axis;
- a shaft formed with a worm gear configured for rotational movement about the longitudinal axis within the tubular portion of the housing;
- and
- a torque tube having an outer surface, the torque tube carried by the housing for rotational movement about a rotational axis perpendicular to the worm gear, wherein an inner race coupled to the torque tube including a gear having teeth configured to engage the worm gear, the teeth extending less than a 360 degrees around the inner race,
- wherein rotation of the worm gear about the longitudinal axis engaging the teeth of the inner race, thereby rotating the inner race the torque tube about the rotational axis relative to the housing.
A method of operating a slew drive comprising:
- providing a worm gear within a tubular portion of a housing, the gear shaft formed with a worm thread configured for rotational movement about a longitudinal axis within the tubular portion of the housing;
- providing a torque tube carried by the housing for rotational movement about a rotational axis perpendicular to the worm gear, wherein an inner race coupled to the torque tube includes a gear having teeth configured to engage the worm gear, the teeth extending less than a 360 degrees around the inner race;
- and
- rotating the worm gear about the longitudinal axis to engage the teeth of inner race, thereby rotating the inner race and the torque tube about the rotational axis relative to the housing.
A slew drive comprising:
- an inner race having an outer surface;
- opposing ends;
- teeth, the teeth being formed less than 360 degrees about the inner race, and being located on the inner race between the opposing ends, and
- a housing including a worm gear configured for rotational movement about a longitudinal axis within a tubular portion of the housing, wherein rotation of the worm gear about the longitudinal axis engages teeth formed on the inner race, thereby rotating the inner race and a torque tube operably connected thereto about a rotational axis relative to the housing, the rotational axis being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.