AU762590B2 - Planetary transmission for a vehicle - Google Patents

Description

t T YJ

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant(s): VOLVO CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT COMPONENTS AB Invention Title: PLANETARY TRANSMISSION FOR A VEHICLE.

0. a o o oo*o ooo o The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 1 PLANETARY TRANSMISSION FOR A VEHICLE The present invention relates to a planetary transmission for a vehicle, comprising a planet carrier, on which at least one planet wheel is mounted, a hub arranged for a vehicle wheel and connected to the planet carrier, a static housing which is connected to the vehicle and in which the hub is mounted, and an outer gear ring arranged so as to interact with at least one planet wheel, the outer gear ring being connected to the static housing by means of a splined connection.

It is previously known to arrange a planetary transmission in conjunction with the wheel of a vehicle. The drive shaft of the vehicle is then provided with an inner sun wheel for the planetary transmission, and a static housing surrounding the planetary transmission is provided with an outer gear ring. The sun wheel and the gear ring interact with planet wheels which are arranged on a planet carrier. The planet carrier is connected to a hub 15 which is mounted in the static housing, and a vehicle wheel can be mounted on the hub by means of wheel bolts. By arranging a planetary transmission in conjunction with the wheel of a vehicle, an increase in torque from the drive shaft to the wheel is obtained. In order to brake the vehicle, friction discs are arranged on the periphery of the planet carrier, S i which interact with disc plates which are arranged in the static housing.

The construction of the known planetary transmission is such that it is not suitable for large and heavy vehicles, such as industrial machinery, which would require, for example, a stronger hub bearing arrangement and thus a longer hub in the axial direction. This would, however, place greater demands on the connection between the planet carrier and the hub, at the same time as it is desirable to keep the planetary transmission as a whole as compact as possible.

An object of the present invention is to produce a planetary transmission of the type indicated in the introduction, which eliminates the problems indicated above and aims to obtain as compact a construction as possible.

H:nolah\2ec\Spo\Plantry Tunniunon for a Vhicle diviskoxa.doc 14/12/01 ni /I 2 A further object of the invention is o produce a planetary transmission which comprises relatively few components and is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.

Throughout this specification the term "comprising" is used inclusively, in the sense that there may be other features and/or steps included in the invention not expressly defined or comprehended in the features or steps subsequently defined or described.

What such other features and/or steps may include will be apparent from the specification read as a whole.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a planetary transmission comprising a planet carrier, on which at least one planet wheel is mounted, •a hub arranged for a vehicle wheel and connected to the planet carrier, a static housing which is connected to the vehicle and in which the hub is mounted, characterized in that *an outer gear ring is arranged so as to interact with the at least one planet wheel and in that the outer gear ring is connected to the static housing by means of a second splined connection.

Such a planetary transmission is compact and comprises fewer components than the known planetary transmission in spite of the fact that the planetary transmission is dimensioned so as to absorb considerably greater forces than the known construction.

i The invention will be described in greater detail below with reference to the appended drawing which shows two exemplary embodiments and in which: Fig. 1 shows a sectional side view of a planetary transmission according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 shows a sectional side view of a planetary transmission according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In Fig. 1, reference number 1 designates a planetary transmission for a vehicle, which planetary transmission 1 comprises a planet carrier 2, on which a number of planet wheels 4 are arranged. From the engine or gearbox (not shown) of the vehicle, a drive H:\nolih\KeepSpeclPIantay Tnuminion for a Vehicle divisioul.doc 14/12/01 shaft 6 extends, the outer end 8 of which comprises an inner sun wheel 10 for the planetary transmission 1, which inner sun wheel 10 is intended to interact with the planet wheels 4 on the planet carrier 2. The number of planet wheels 4 according to the first exemplary embodiment in Fig. 1 is three, but it is also possible for the number of planet wheels to be two, four or more.

The term vehicle is intended to mean both vehicles which are intended to be drive on the road and vehicles which are intended to be drive off-road, for example in the forest.

Such vehicles may be dumpers, wheeled loaders, excavators or other industrial machinery.

The planet carrier 2 comprises a through-hole 12 which is provided with splines 14.

The centre line 15 of the hole 12 coincides with the axis of rotation of the planet carrier 2. A hub 16, which at a first end 18 comprises a journal 20 with splines 21, is arranged in the hole 12 of the planet carrier 2 and is thus radially connected to the planet carrier 2.

A plate 19 is connected to the hub 16 by means of screws 23 and ensures that the hub 16 is axially connected to the planet carrier 2. The hub 16 comprises at a second end 22 a fastening arrangement 24 for a wheel 25 of the vehicle.

The hub 16 is mounted by means of roller bearings 26 in a static housing 28 which is connected to the vehicle. The hub 16 therefore rotates in relation to the housing 28.

Arranged in the housing 28 is an outer gear ring 30 for the planetary transmission 1, which ring is intended to interact with the planet wheels 4 on the planet carrier 2. The gear ring 30 is connected to a first pressure plate 32 for a friction brake 34 which will be described below.

The friction brake 34 comprises a set of friction discs 36 which are arranged on the periphery of the planet carrier 2. According to the first exemplary embodiment shown, the number of friction discs 36 is eight, but an arbitrary number of friction discs 36 is possible. The friction discs 36 are axially displaceable on splines 38 which are arranged on the periphery of the planet carrier 2. The friction discs 36 are locked on the planet HInolahKe\pSpIP~angazy Trnumnluon for a Vehicle diviusow.doc 14/I1201 carrier 2 in the circumferential direction.

A set of disc plates 40 is arranged on splines 42 in the housing 28. The disc plates are axially displaceable but locked in the circumferential direction relative to the housing 28. The number of disc plates 40 is preferably the same as the number of friction discs 36. Alternatively, the disc plates 40 may be arranged on the periphery of the planet carrier 2 and the friction discs 36 may be arranged in the housing 28. The disc plates may be made of, for example, metal, plastic or carbon fibre. It is also possible to use other materials.

A second pressure plate 44 is arranged so as to compress the friction discs 36 and the disc plates 40 against the first pressure plate 32 when the rotation of the planet carrier 2 and thus the movement of the vehicle are to be braked. The second pressure plate 44 can be displaced axially by a number of hydraulic pistons 46 which are distributed along the second pressure plate 44. The hydraulic pistons 46 displace the second pressure plate 44 axially by means of hydraulic fluid under pressure acting on the hydraulic pistons 46. The hydraulic fluid is contained in an annular duct 48 arranged in the housing 28. The hydraulic fluid is supplied to the annular duct 48 through a mouthpiece 50 and a bore 51 in the housing 28. One or more helical springs 49, which are arranged between the first and second pressure plates 32 and 44 respectively, return the hydraulic piston 46 to an initial position after braking.

The first and second pressure plates 32 and 44 respectively and also the friction discs 36 and the disc plates 40 are preferably annular but they may also be arranged in segments in a circular shape around the centre line 15 of the planet carrier 2.

According to the first exemplary embodiment in Figure 1, the hydraulic pistons 46 may alternatively be provided with a self-adjustment member 52 which adjusts the initial position of the hydraulic piston 46 as the friction discs 36 wear. The self-adjustment member 52 comprises a sleeve 53 which is arranged with a grip fit in a blind hole 54 in the housing 28. A pin 56, which extends through the sleeve 53, is at a first end 58 H:wh\Kep\SpccAPtndmty Trmnsluion for a Vehic divhionaj.doc I4/12I connected to the hydraulic piston 46 and is at a second end 60 provided with a head 62 which has a bearing surface 64 intended to bear against an end surface 66 of the sleeve 53. As the friction discs 36 wear, the hydraulic piston 46 must travel a greater distance in order to compress the friction discs 36 and the disc plates 40 against the first pressure plate 32 and thus a greater volume of hydraulic fluid is required. In order to overcome this problem the grip between the sleeve 53 and the blind hole 54 is adapted in such a manner that the force from the hydraulic fluid that acts on the hydraulic piston 46 causes the sleeve 53, with the aid of the head 62 of the pin 56, to be displaced in the blind hole 54 and to occupy a new position. The grip between the sleeve 53 and the blind hole 54 is, however, adapted in such a manner that the force from the helical spring 49 does not cause the sleeve 53 to be displaced in the blind hole 54, which means that the hydraulic piston 46 will occupy a new initial position after the return stroke.

As an alternative, a sensor 68 may also be arranged in the hosing 18, which senses the speed of rotation of the planet carrier 2 and thus also the speed of the vehicle. The sensor 68 is suitably arranged in a hole 70 in the housing 28 at the first pressure plate 32 and is directed towards the splines 38 on the periphery of the planet carrier 2, on which splines the first friction discs 36 are arranged. The sensor 68 then senses how fast the bars of the splines 38 pass the sensor 68, which is proportional to the speed of rotation of the planet carrier 2. In order to increase the accuracy of the sensing of the sensor 68, the planet carrier 2 may alternatively be provided with teeth or splines with a finer pitch next to the splines on which the first friction discs 36 are arranged.

In Figure 2, a second exemplary embodiment according to the invention is shown. The planetary transmission according to this second exemplary embodiment comprises an outer gear ring 30' which is arranged so as to engage with the splines 42 which are formed in the housing 28. The height of the splines 42 has, in a portion that interacts with the gear ring 30', been reduced so as to form a stop or a bearing surface for the gear ring 30'. The outer gear ring 30' is, on an outer periphery, provided with splines 74 which engage with the splines 42 in the housing 28 to form a second splined connection.

H:\noMah\KVSpcPImntay Tmnsmison for a Vehicle.- divisional.doc 14/1201 The gear ring 30' forms a first pressure plate 32' for the friction discs 36 and the disc plates 40 which form the friction brake 34. The friction brake 34 preferably operates in a fluid which is made to circulate through a cooling device (not shown) by means of a pipe 72.

In Figure 2, a self-adjustment member 52' is shown, which adjusts the initial position of the hydraulic piston 46' as the friction discs 36 wear. Apart from the features described above in connection with Figure 2, the construction of other components of the planetary transmission according to Figure 2 essentially corresponds to the construction of the components described in connection with the planetary transmission according to Figure 1.

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Claims (7)

1. Planetary transmission for a vehicle, comprising a planet carrier, on which at least one planet wheel is mounted, a hub arranged for a vehicle wheel and connected to the planet carrier, a static housing which is connected to the vehicle and in which the hub is mounted, characterized in that an outer gear ring is arranged so as to interact with the at least one planet wheel and in that the outer gear ring is connected to the static housing by means of a second splined connection.

2. Planetary transmission according to claim 1, characterised in that splines on an outer periphery of the outer gear ring and in that splines are arranged in the housing which splines form the second splined connection.

3. Planetary transmission according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the friction brake comprises a set of first friction discs arranged on the periphery of the planet carrier and a set of second friction discs arranged on an inner side of the static housing, which second friction discs are arranged so as to engage with the splines in the housing. S

4. Planetary transmission according to claim 3, characterised in that the outer gear ring forms a first pressure plate which is arranged so as to compress, on braking, the first and second friction discs.

Planetary transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that a friction brake is arranged at an outer periphery of the planet carrier and intended to brake the rotation of the planet carrier in relation to the static housing.

6. Planetary transmission according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the hub and the planet carrier are interconnected by means of a first splined connection. H:\noIah\Keep\SpedPlaniwy Trumiulon for a Vehicle diviionl.doc 14/12/01 8

7. Planetary transmission substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. DATED this 14w" day of December 2001 VOLVO CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT COMPONENTS AB by its Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia. H:~iolhKeeFSpcci\Pantar Transmo for a Vechicle- divisiCnai.doc 14112/01