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US 12,723,644 B2Granted
Gearbox with configurable idler gear
AssigneePt Tech, LLC
InventorBrian J. Peet
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gearbox includes a housing, input shaft, and a geartrain. An input gear fixed to the input shaft is rotatable about an input axis. An idler gear is rotatable about an idler gear axis and supported by a mount. Output gear(s) are rotated from the idler gear. The mount includes a mount pin extending along a mount axis through the idler gear and an opening in the housing, and an eccentric bushing positioned around the mount pin and centrally within the idler gear. The eccentric bushing is rotatable about the mount axis to alter an offset between the input axis and the idler gear axis. A fastener can lock a position of the bushing in relation to the housing. The fastener is engageable in a first/second hole of the housing to accommodate a first/second gear ratio between the input gear and the output gear(s).
Claims17
A gearbox comprising:
- a housing defining an interior cavity, the housing including a first hole and a second hole, wherein the first and second holes are blind holes only open to an interior surface of the housing;
- an input shaft rotatably supported by the housing;
- and
- a geartrain situated in the interior cavity, the geartrain including an input gear fixed for rotation with the input shaft relative to the housing about an input axis, an idler gear configured for rotation about an idler gear axis from the input gear and supported by the housing through a reconfigurable mount, and a pair of output gears configured for rotation from the idler gear and supported by the housing;
- wherein the reconfigurable mount includes
- a mount pin extending along a mount axis through the idler gear and an opening in the housing,
- an eccentric bushing positioned around the mount pin and centrally within the idler gear, wherein the eccentric bushing is rotatable relative to the mount pin about the mount axis to alter an offset between the input axis and the idler gear axis, wherein the mount pin is configured to clamp the eccentric bushing to the interior surface of the housing along the mount axis, and
- a fastener configured to lock a rotational position of the eccentric bushing in relation to the opening in the housing regardless of whether the eccentric bushing is clamped to the housing by the mount pin, wherein the fastener is engageable in the first hole of the housing to accommodate a first gear ratio between the input gear and the pair of output gears, and the fastener is engageable in the second hole of the housing to accommodate a second gear ratio between the input gear and the pair of output gears,
- wherein each of the first and second holes extends parallel to the mount axis, and
- wherein the fastener and the first and second holes are inaccessible when the eccentric bushing is clamped to the housing by the mount pin.
7 more elements
A gearbox comprising:
- an input shaft configured to provide engine power into the gearbox, the input shaft supporting an input gear thereon;
- a housing supporting the input shaft, the input shaft and the input gear being rotatable about a first axis that is fixed relative to the gearbox, wherein the housing includes a first hole and a second hole, wherein the first and second holes are blind holes only open to an interior surface of the housing;
- and
- a second gear supported by the housing and rotatable relative to the housing about a second axis, wherein the second gear is supported by the housing through a reconfigurable mount including
- a mount pin extending along a mount axis through the second gear and an opening in the housing,
- a bushing positioned around the mount pin and centrally within the second gear, wherein the bushing has a mounting hole for the mount pin that is eccentric with an outer cylindrical surface of the bushing such that the bushing is rotatable relative to the mount pin about the mount axis to alter an offset between the first axis and the second axis, wherein the mount pin is configured to clamp the bushing to the interior surface of the housing along the mount axis, and
- a fastener configured to lock a rotational position of the bushing in relation to the opening in the housing regardless of whether the bushing is clamped to the housing by the mount pin, wherein the fastener is engageable in the first hole of the housing to accommodate a first offset distance between the first axis and the second axis, and the fastener is engageable in the second hole of the housing to accommodate a second offset distance between the first axis and the second axis,
- wherein each of the first and second holes extends parallel to the mount axis, and
- wherein the fastener and the first and second holes are inaccessible when the bushing is clamped to the housing by the mount pin.
6 more elements
A method of assembling a gearbox, comprising:
- providing a housing accommodating an input gear, an idler gear driven from the input gear, and at least one output gear driven from the idler gear, the housing having a first opening defining a first axis about which the input gear is rotatable and a second opening defining a second axis;
- mounting the idler gear on a mount pin with a bushing therebetween, the bushing having an outer cylindrical surface and a mounting aperture through which the mount pin is received along the second axis, wherein the mounting aperture in the bushing is eccentric with the outer cylindrical surface;
- setting a selected rotational orientation of the bushing with respect to the housing, the selected rotational orientation being based on a gear ratio between the input gear and the at least one output gear, wherein the selected rotational orientation places an off-center hole of the bushing in alignment with a selected one of two separate alignment holes provided as blind holes in an interior surface of the housing;
- locking the selected rotational orientation of the bushing by inserting a fastener parallel to the second axis through the off-center hole of the bushing into engagement with the selected one of the two separate alignment holes;
- and
- after setting and locking the selected rotational orientation of the bushing, clamping the bushing to the housing along the second axis by extending the mount pin through the second opening, wherein clamping the bushing to the housing blocks access to the fastener.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.