FR2469622A1 - Speed transmission for wind powered generator - uses standard components with chain or belt coupling to allow range selection of speed transmission ratios at assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The transmission uses an assembly of a small number of standard components so that various speed ratios, both increasing and reducing, may be quickly assembled. A housing, of variable length, supports posts which are slid into place and fixed so they are equally spaced. A hub, fixed to the post at one of two standard heights, carries a shaft onto which one of two sprocket or pulley sizes may be fixed. A chain or belt couples the successive wheels between input and output. It is possible to mix belts and chains at different stages of the transmission as required. The gear wheels are pref. of two diameter to reduce maintainance problems. The gearing is chosen to allow relatively low rotational speeds of the turbine to be multiplied from the order of 100-150 r.p.m. to approximately 10,000 r.p.m.

Description

Speed transmission device, especially for wind turbines
The invention relates to a speed transmission device with wheels and endless links, intended in particular to be driven by the output shaft of a wind turbine.

 An important problem which arises during the installation of a wind turbine installation in a given place lies in obtaining a determined average rotation speed.

Before installing the wind turbine, we measure the average wind speed at the location in question, then adapt it in the workshop, depending on the characteristics of the wind turbine and the estimated average speed of the wind turbine. wind, a transmission device driven by the output shaft of the wind turbine and which must provide the required speed of rotation.

However, for various reasons, and in particular in general due to the punctuality in time of the measurements carried out, the average wind speed thus estimated may prove to be significantly different from the average speed actually observed over a relatively long period of time, once the wind installation installed.

 It is then necessary to dismantle the installation (or at least the speed transmission device) and to carry out in the workshop an appropriate adjustment and / or modification.

 Finally, this design of the installation leads to an installation which can turn out to be delicate and expensive.

The main object of the invention is therefore to design a speed transmission device which overcomes this inconvenience, thanks to an arrangement allowing, once the wind installation set up, an in situ adjustment of the ratio between the output and the entry to obtain the required exit speed.

The object of the invention is also a speed transmission of the aforementioned kind which is of simple design, which requires only a minimum of different component parts and which is arranged so as to allow very simply the production of multipliers and reducers of speed, whatever the input and output speeds, and therefore whatever the number of transmission stages.

 For these purposes, the transmission device according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises - a casing, - a certain number of uprights arranged in this casing and supported therein parallel to each other, - shafts parallel to each other and supporting wheels with their extracts, - bearings supporting said shafts, - and fixing means integral with said bearings so that these are detachably fixed respectively on the uprights and can be moved along the latter .

 Such an arrangement provides great manufacturing flexibility since it is then possible to select the appropriate number of shafts provided with wheels and to position them on the uprights so as to obtain the operating mode (speed multiplier or reducer) and the ratio speed change required.

 In addition, once the wind installation in place, it is possible to modify very easily and in situ the transmission ratio initially planned, by reversing the position of one or more trees, or even even by adding or removing one or more trees .

 Finally, due to the fixing method provided for fixing the shaft support bearings on the uprights, the reversal of the position of a shaft can be accompanied by a change of position along the corresponding upright, which makes it possible to keep the same endless link (for example belt or chain) and avoids having to modify the length of said endless link.

 Preferably, to further simplify the design of the transmission and reduce the number of component parts to be kept in stock, only two types of wheels are used, namely small wheels all having the same diameter and large wheels having all the same me diameter; moreover, advantageously, all the uprights are identical and separated from each other by equal distances, and the shafts supporting the wheels all have the same length and the same diameter.

 To speed up manufacturing times and allow rapid adjustment of the position of the bearings on the uprights during modifications carried out in situ, it is provided that the means for fixing the bearings of the shafts on the uprights are clamping fixing means, for example cable ties or, to reduce costs, wing bolts acting directly on the uprights.

Preferably, the uprights are fixed to the casing in a removable manner, so that only the necessary number of uprights is arranged in the casing, thus avoiding an unnecessary weighing down of the transmission device.

In the case where the movement transmission device is mounted as a speed multiplier providing a high output speed, for example when it equips an electricity aerogenerator provided with a wind turbine and an alternator, provision is made to ensure a suitable transmission of the torques, that the wheels and the endless links of the stages at low speeds are respectively cogwheels and chains, and that the wheels and the endless links of at least the stage at higher speed are pulleys and belts.

 The invention will be better understood on reading the following description of some of its embodiments given by way of purely illustrative examples without any limiting character. In this description, reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which - FIG. 1 diagrammatically represents the transmission device of the invention mounted as a speed multiplier, used in an electricity aerogenerator, and - FIG. 2 diagrammatically represents the transmission device transmission of the invention mounted in speed reducer, used in a wind pump.

 Referring firstly to FIG. 1 which represents the transmission device of the invention mounted as a speed multiplier, a casing 1 is internally provided with several uprights 2, parallel to each other and separated from each other by equal intervals.

As shown, all of the uprights are preferably aligned.

To each upright 1 is fixed a bearing 3 supporting a shaft 4 at the ends of which are mounted two wheels 5 integral in rotation with said shaft.

 Preferably, as shown, all the wheels belong only to two types: small wheels 5a all having the same diameter and large wheels 5b all having the same diameter, thus, the types of wheels to be kept in stock are limited.

The bearings 3 are fixed on the uprights 2 along two axes 6 'and 6 "- the axis 6' coincides for example with the axis of an input shaft 7 carrying, at its inner end to the housing, a large wheel 5b and, at its other end the propeller 8 of the wind turbine; the shafts 4 aligned on the axis 6 'carry, at one end, a small wheel 5a and, at the other end, a large wheel 5b; - the shafts 4 aligned on the axis 6 "(located below the axis 6 'in FIG. 1) only carry small wheels 5a.

 In addition, it will be noted that each tree 4 located on one of the axes 6 'or 6 "is preceded and followed by trees located on the vautré axis (respectively 6" or 6'); moreover, the mutual spacing of the uprights 2, the mutual spacing of the axes 6 'and 6 ", and the length of the shafts 4 are such that the output wheel of a shaft and the input wheel of the shaft following (considered in the direction delta transmission of the rotational movement with increasing speeds) are substantially coplanar and are coupled in rotation by an endless link 10.

 Under these conditions, each pair of large wheel 5b - small wheel 5a constitutes (taking into account the direction of transmission of the rotational movement, from left to right in FIG. 1) a speed multiplier stage: in the device of FIG. 1 four speed multiplier stages, respectively A to D, appear in series.

 By an appropriate choice of the respective diameters of the small wheels 5a and the large wheels 5b, it is possible, from a rotational speed 6e, the relatively low propeller 8 (for example of the order of 100 to 150 revolutions / minute ), to obtain at the output of the multiplier a relatively high speed of rotation, such as a speed of the order of 10,000 to 11,000 revolutions / minute necessary for certain uses. By way of example, one of these uses requiring a high speed of rotation is the drive of an alternator 9, as shown in FIG. 1.

 The wheels 5 and the endless links 10 can be of all appropriate types, in particular pulleys and belts, or else toothed wheels and chains.

 In the example in FIG. 1, taking into account the high exit speed, a mixed composition was used: the wheels and the endless links are all toothed wheels and chains respectively, except on the last multiplier stage D where two pulleys and a belt are provided to avoid excessive noise and oil splashes during operation.

 All the bearings 3 are fixed to the corresponding uprights 2 using clamping fixing means, constituted for example by a collar 11 secured to the bearing 3 and tightened by a bolt on the upright, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1, or else , more economically, by wing bolts acting directly on the uprights.

In this way, the bearings 3 can be easily and quickly implemented on the uprights or removed therefrom.

 When setting up the wind turbine installation at its place of use, it is therefore possible to carry out in situ any adjustment of the transmission ratio to obtain the required output speed, either by adding or removing multiplier stages, either by reversing the position of the shafts aligned on the axis 6 'to swap the positions of the large wheels and the small wheels respectively.

 Furthermore, the fixing by clamps authorizes the displacement of the bearings 3 along the corresponding uprights 2 and their positioning in any place along these; in this way, when reversing the position of a bearing, it is always possible to use the same endless link (belt or chain), and the adjustment is carried out by bringing the bearings previously aligned on the axes together or away from each other 6 'and 6 ".

 Finally, it is useful to provide that the uprights 2 are fixed to the casing 1 in a removable manner, so that only the strictly necessary number of uprights 2 is installed; adding or removing one or more amounts can be done during the final adjustment at the place of use.

 FIG. 2 represents the movement transmission device of the invention mounted as a speed reducer. In this figure, the same reference numerals have been kept to designate the elements identical to those of FIG. 1.

The speed reducer of Figure 2 is arranged identically to the speed multiplier of Figure 1 and has the same constructive characteristics as the latter, except of course the fact that the wheels 5 are arranged to provide a reduction in speed.

 In the embodiment shown by way of example in FIG. 2, on the output axis 4, is cranked a crank 12 intended to create an alternating movement, for example for driving a pump.

 As goes without saying and as it moreover already results from the foregoing, the invention is in no way limited to those of its embodiments which have been more especially envisaged, it embraces, on the contrary, all variants.

 In particular, if the wheels are preferably chosen from two distinct types of different diameters, this provision is only intended to reduce the manufacturer's stocks and to facilitate maintenance, so there is nothing obligatory with regard to operation. of the machine and cn can use wheels of other diameters if need be. In particular, one can consider the use of wheels of diameters different from those used in the other stages at the outlet of the transmission device, in order to obtain an exit speed as close as desired to the exit speed sought.

 Of course, the modes of application explained above have been given only by way of example, and the subject of the invention is capable of application in any wind power system such as the training of an electric compressor, generator or alternator, of a bevel torque, of a pump whatever it is, and in general of any machine with movable organ requiring an alternating or rotary drive , horizontal or vertical or angular.

Claims (8)

1 - Speed transmission device with wheels and endless links, intended in particular to be driven by the output shaft of a wind turbine, characterized in that it comprises - a casing, - a certain number of uprights arranged in this casing and supported therein parallel to each other - shafts parallel to each other and supporting wheels at their ends, - bearings supporting said shafts, - and fixing means integral with said bearings so that these are fixed removably respectively on the uprights and can be moved along the latter, whereby it is possible to select the appropriate number of shafts provided with wheels and to position them on the rnontants so as to obtain the operating mode ( speed multiplier or reducer) and the required gear change ratio. 2 - A speed transmission device according to claim 1, characterized in that the wheels are distributed only in small wheels of the same diameter and large wheels of the same diameter.  3 - A speed transmission device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that all the uprights are identical and separated from each other by equal distances, and in that all the shafts have the same length and same diameter.  4 - A speed transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the means for fixing the bearings of the shafts on the uprights are clamping fixing means, for example these clamping clamps. 5 - A speed transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the uprights are fixed to the housing in a removable manner.  6 - A speed transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, when mounted as a speed multiplier providing a relatively high output speed, the wheels and the endless links of the stages to low speeds are cogwheels and chalnes, respectively, and the wheels and endless links of at least the highest speed stage are pulleys and belts, respectively.  7 - Wind turbine, characterized in that it is equipped with a speed transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 8 - Electricity generator, comprising a wind turbine and an electric generator, in particular an alterna. tor, characterized in that, between the wind turbine and the electric generator, there is interposed a speed multiplier device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.