JP7406431B2 - reduction gear - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a speed reduction device.

Patent Document 1 describes a reduction gear that decelerates rotation input to an input shaft and outputs the rotation to an output shaft. This speed reducer has a plurality of gears surrounded by a casing. This speed reducer is configured to drive a hydraulic pump to lubricate lubricated locations.

Publication No. 51-52175

In a configuration in which a hydraulic pump is driven to lubricate a lubricated location like the reduction gear described in Patent Document 1, lubrication may not be ensured when the hydraulic pump fails.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and one of the objects is to provide a speed reduction device that can ensure lubrication.

In order to solve the above problems, a speed reduction device according to an aspect of the present invention is a speed reduction device including a casing, a speed reduction mechanism housed in the casing, and a lubricant housed in the casing, It has a lubricant tank that communicates with the space inside the casing and allows the lubricant to flow between the space inside the casing and the space inside the casing. When changing from the first attitude to the second attitude, the lubricant in the casing escapes into the lubricant tank, and when changing from the second attitude to the first attitude, the lubricant in the lubricant tank escapes into the casing. supplied to

Note that arbitrary combinations of the above-mentioned components and mutual substitution of the components and expressions of the present invention between methods, systems, etc. are also effective as aspects of the present invention.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a speed reduction device that can ensure lubrication.

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a driven device to which a speed reduction device according to an embodiment is attached. FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a speed reduction device according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a lubricant tank of the speed reducer shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a side view showing a lubricant tank of the reduction gear of FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a front view showing a lubricant tank of the reduction gear of FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing the vicinity of a connection tank of the reduction gear device in FIG. 2; 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6. FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing the state of lubricant in the reduction gear device of FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing the state of lubricant in the reduction gear device of FIG. 2;

The present inventor studied a speed reduction device that drives a driven device by slowing down input rotation, and obtained the following knowledge. Depending on the application, the reduction gear may be operated in an environment where the attitude changes. For example, a speed reduction device attached to an electric cylinder of an arm of a crane raises and lowers the arm by driving a driven member of the electric cylinder. When the arm is raised or lowered, the attitude of the reduction gear (the angle between the axial direction and the horizontal direction) changes integrally with the angle of the electric cylinder.

The appropriate amount of lubricant for the speed reducer differs depending on the attitude, so when the attitude changes, in a system that maintains a fixed amount of lubricant, the amount of lubricant may be excessive or insufficient depending on the attitude. For this reason, it is conceivable to attach a forced circulation device of forced circulation lubrication type to the reduction gear device externally and to control the amount of lubricant by the forced circulation device. However, with this method, there is a risk that a lubricant shortage may occur if the forced circulation device fails or if lubricant leaks from external piping.

Based on these findings, the present inventor conceived of a mechanism that can adjust the amount of lubricant in the speed reducer according to the attitude of the speed reducer without using a forced circulation device. According to this adjustment mechanism, even in a situation where the posture of the speed reducer changes, an appropriate amount of lubricant can be achieved in each posture, and stable operation of the speed reducer can be achieved. Embodiments will be described below.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments and modified examples, the same or equivalent components and members are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate. Further, the dimensions of members in each drawing are shown enlarged or reduced as appropriate to facilitate understanding. Further, in each drawing, some members that are not important for explaining the embodiments are omitted.

Also, although ordinal terms such as first, second, etc. are used to describe various components, these terms are used only to distinguish one component from another; The components are not limited by this.

[Embodiment]
With reference to FIG. 1, a driven device 80 to which a speed reduction device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is attached will be described. FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a driven device 80 to which a speed reducer 100 is attached. This figure shows a partially cutaway view. The speed reducer 100 is attached to the driven device 80, and its posture changes between a first posture and a second posture, which will be described later, according to the operation of the driven device 80. The speed reducer 100 slows down the rotation of the motor 70 and rotationally drives the driven device 80 .

In the example of FIG. 1, the driven device 80 includes a cylinder body 83 and an output rod 84, and the output rod is rotated relative to the cylinder body 83 in accordance with the rotation input to the driven member 85 (for example, an input gear). 84 is an electric cylinder that moves forward and backward. The speed reducer 100 transmits the rotation output to the output shaft 14 to the driven member 85 via the output gear 15. The driven device 80 is mounted on a device including an arm (not shown) such as a crane, and moves the arm upward by advancing the output rod 84, and lowers the arm by moving the output rod 84 backward. In the following explanation, perpendicular to the horizontal plane is simply referred to as perpendicular.

As an example, when the arm's undulation angle is the maximum (for example, vertical), the driven device 80 and the speed reducer 100 are in a highly inclined posture in which their axial directions are inclined at 90 degrees from the horizontal, as shown by the solid line. Furthermore, when the arm's undulation angle is 0° (horizontal), the driven device 80 and the speed reducer 100 are in a low-inclined posture where the axial direction is closer to the horizontal than the large-inclined posture, as shown by the broken line. In order to ensure appropriate lubrication in each posture, the speed reduction device 100 includes a lubricant tank 50 that supplies or withdraws lubricant depending on the posture.

The overall configuration of the speed reduction device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the speed reducer 100, with a part cut away. FIG. 2 shows the deceleration device 100 in a second attitude, which will be described later, in a state where the central axis La, which will be described later, is horizontal. The speed reduction device 100 includes a speed reduction mechanism 10, a casing 30, a lubricant tank 50, and a lubricant 58. The speed reducer 100 has a connection flange 40 for connecting the speed reducer 100 to the motor 70. The lubricant tank 50 includes a tank body 51 arranged on the motor 70 side of the connection flange 40 and a connection tank 60 arranged on the reduction gear 100 side of the connection flange 40. The tank body 51 and the connection tank 60 communicate through a communication hole provided in the connection flange 40. The tank body 51 is arranged below the motor 70 in the second attitude, and the connection tank 60 is arranged below the speed reduction mechanism 10 in the second attitude. The connection flange 40 and lubricant tank 50 will be described later.

The reduction gear device 100 reduces the rotation speed input from the motor 70 and outputs the rotation from the output shaft 14 to an external driven device 80 . Hereinafter, the direction along the central axis La of the output shaft 14 will be referred to as the "axial direction", and the circumferential direction and radial direction of a circle centered on the central axis La will be referred to as the "circumferential direction" and the "radial direction", respectively. . Further, for convenience, one side in the axial direction (the side where the motor 70 is arranged with respect to the speed reduction mechanism 10) will be referred to as the input side, and the other side will be referred to as the counter-input side. Further, the direction perpendicular to the axial direction within the horizontal plane in a state where the central axis La is oriented in the horizontal direction is referred to as the "width direction", and may be indicated by an arrow W. Further, in FIG. 2, the direction of arrow Z is sometimes referred to as "upper side" or "upper", and the direction opposite to arrow Z is sometimes referred to as "lower side" or "lower". Further, the state viewed in the direction of arrow X in the axial direction is called a front view. Further, the state viewed in the direction of arrow Z is called planar view.

The deceleration mechanism 10 decelerates the rotation input from the motor 70 and outputs it to the output shaft 14 . An output gear 15 that meshes with an input gear (not shown) of a driven device 80 and transmits rotation is fixed to the end of the output shaft 14 on the opposite input side. The output gear 15 is spline-coupled to the output shaft 14, for example.

The casing 30 is an outer shell that houses the speed reduction mechanism 10 and the lubricant 58, and defines a casing inner space 30a. The lubricant 58 is housed in the casing 30 and lubricates the deceleration mechanism 10 and also contributes to cooling the deceleration mechanism 10. The lubricant tank 50 is configured to communicate with the casing inner space 30a so that the lubricant 58 can flow between the casing inner space 30a and the casing inner space 30a.

In the reduction gear device 100, when the reduction gear device 100 changes from the first attitude to the second attitude, the lubricant 58 in the casing 30 retreats into the lubricant tank 50, and the reduction gear device 100 changes from the second attitude to the first attitude. The lubricant 58 in the lubricant tank 50 is configured to be supplied into the casing 30 through the connection tank 60 when the lubricant tank 50 changes. In this specification, the inclination of the axial direction of the speed reducer 100 with respect to the horizontal direction is referred to as "axial inclination."

The first posture is a posture in which the axial direction is closer to vertical than the second posture (the axial direction inclination is closer to 90°), and the second posture is a posture in which the axial direction inclination is 0° (horizontal ). Hereinafter, for convenience, the first attitude is assumed to be an attitude in which the output shaft 14 of the reduction gear device 100 is located below and the axial direction inclination is 90° (vertical), and the second attitude is assumed to be an attitude in which the output shaft 14 of the reduction gear device 100 is inclined in the axial direction. The posture is such that the angle is 0° (horizontal). This description of the inclination does not limit the range of change in the attitude of the reduction gear device 100.

The speed reduction mechanism 10 will be explained. Although there is no limitation to the configuration of the speed reduction mechanism 10, the speed reduction mechanism 10 in this example includes a first stage speed reducer 16, a second stage speed reducer 17, and a third stage speed reducer 18, each of which is a simple planetary speed reducer. It has a fourth stage reduction gear 19. The first-stage reducer 16, second-stage reducer 17, third-stage reducer 18, and fourth-stage reducer 19 are connected in cascade in this order, and sequentially decelerate the input rotation and output it to the output shaft 14. .

The first stage reducer 16 includes a first input shaft 16j, a first sun gear 16s, a first planetary gear 16p, a first planetary pin 16b, a first carrier 16c, and a first internal gear 16d. have The second stage reducer 17 includes a second input shaft 17j, a second sun gear 17s, a second planetary gear 17p, a second planetary pin 17b, a second carrier 17c, and a second internal gear 17d. have The third stage reducer 18 includes a third input shaft 18j, a third sun gear 18s, a third planetary gear 18p, a third planetary pin 18b, a third carrier 18c, and a third internal gear 18d. have The fourth stage reducer 19 includes a fourth input shaft 19j, a fourth sun gear 19s, a fourth planetary gear 19p, a fourth planetary pin 19b, a fourth carrier 19c, and a fourth internal gear 19d. have

The first to fourth stage reducers 16 to 19 input rotation from the first to fourth sun gears 16s to 19s that rotate integrally with the first to fourth input shafts 16j to 19j, and The four planetary gears 16p to 19p are made to revolve between the first to fourth internal gears 16d to 19d, and the revolutions of the first to fourth planetary gears 16p to 19p are caused to revolve between the first to fourth planetary pins 16b to 19b. It is configured such that the signal is transmitted to the first to fourth carriers 16c to 19c via the carrier and taken out from the first to fourth carriers 16c to 19c.

The first to fourth input shafts 16j to 19j are arranged coaxially with the central axis La. The first input shaft 16j is connected to a motor shaft 72, and the rotation of the motor 70 is input to the first input shaft 16j. The first input shaft 16j and the motor shaft 72 are inserted into the sleeve body 64 from opposite directions, and are connected to the sleeve body 64 by spline, for example. The second to fourth input shafts 17j to 19j are connected to the first to third carriers 16c to 18c in the previous stage, and receive the output rotations of the first to third stage reduction gears 16 to 18 in the previous stage.

The first to fourth sun gears 16s to 19s are fixed to the outer peripheries of the non-input side portions of the first to fourth input shafts 16j to 19j, and rotate integrally therewith.

A plurality of first to fourth planetary gears 16p to 19p (three in this example) are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The first to fourth planetary gears 16p to 19p are externally meshed with the first to fourth sun gears 16s to 19s, and internally meshed with the first to fourth internal gears 16d to 19d.

The first to fourth internal gears 16d to 19d are fixed to the casing 30. More specifically, the first, second, and fourth internal gears 16d, 17d, and 19d are integrally configured with first, second, and fourth casing bodies 31, 32, and 34, which will be described later, and The internal gear 18d is fixed in a fitted state to the third casing body 33.

The first to fourth planetary pins 16b to 19b pass through the center holes of the first to fourth planetary gears 16p to 19p. The first to fourth planetary gears 16p to 19p are rotatably supported by the first to fourth planetary pins 16b to 19b via roller bearings. In particular, two rows of roller bearings are provided between the fourth planetary gear 19p and the fourth planetary pin 19b. The non-input sides of the first to fourth planetary pins 16b to 19b are fixed to the first to fourth carriers 16c to 19c, respectively.

The first to fourth carriers 16c to 19c are substantially disc-shaped members arranged on the opposite input side of the first to fourth planetary gears 16p to 19p, and rotate around the central axis La. Second to fourth input shafts 17j to 19j are connected, for example, by splines, to the center holes of the first to third carriers 16c to 18c. The output shaft 14 is, for example, spline-coupled to the center hole of the fourth carrier. The first to fourth planetary pins 16b to 19b are coupled by press fitting or the like to offset holes provided at positions offset in the radial direction from the center holes of the first to fourth carriers 16c to 19c.

The fourth stage reduction gear 19 has an input side carrier body 19e arranged on the input side of the fourth planetary gear 19p. The input side carrier body 19e is a hollow annular member that surrounds the fourth input shaft 19j with a gap therebetween. The input side of the fourth planetary pin 19b is coupled by press fitting or the like to an offset hole provided at a position offset in the radial direction from the center of the input side carrier body 19e. The fourth carrier 19c and the input side carrier body 19e are connected by three connecting members 19f extending in the axial direction. Each connecting member 19f is arranged in a circumferential gap between each fourth planetary gear 19p.

The casing 30 will be explained. The casing 30 has a generally cylindrical shape that extends in the axial direction as a whole. The casing 30 includes a connecting flange 40, an introduction cylinder part 41, a first casing body 31, a second casing body 32, and a third casing body 33, which are connected in order from the input side to the counter-input side. It includes a fourth casing body 34 , a fifth casing body 35 , a sixth casing body 36 , a seventh casing body 37 , an eighth casing body 38 , and a second cover portion 39 . The first to eighth casing bodies 31 to 38 may be connected to each other by welding, bolting, etc. to form an integral cylindrical body, or a part or all of them may be integrally formed. .

First, second, and fourth internal gears 16d, 17d, and 19d are integrally formed on the inner peripheral sides of the first, second, and fourth casing bodies 31, 32, and 34. A third internal gear 18d is fitted and fixed on the inner peripheral side of the third casing body 33. The eighth casing body 38 is provided with a non-input side flange 38f that projects outward in the radial direction. The deceleration device 100 is fixed to the driven device 80 by fixing the counter-input side flange 38f to the mounting portion 82 of the driven device 80 with bolts B38.

A first main bearing 28 is provided between the sixth casing body 36 and the output shaft 14. A second main bearing 29 is provided between the eighth casing body 38 and the output shaft 14. In the example of FIG. 2, the first main bearing 28 and the second main bearing 29 are, for example, two-row cylindrical roller bearings that are assembled face-to-face. The output shaft 14 is supported by the casing 30 via a first main bearing 28 and a second main bearing 29 that are provided apart from each other in the axial direction.

A second cover portion 39 is connected to the opposite input side of the eighth casing body 38 . The second cover portion 39 has a thick plate shape that closes the opposite input side of the eighth casing body 38 . The second cover portion 39 is connected to the end surface of the eighth casing body 38 on the opposite input side by bolts B39. The second cover portion 39 has a hollow cylindrical cover portion 39p that protrudes from the end surface on the non-input side toward the non-input side. The cover cylindrical portion 39p is provided with an output shaft hole 39h through which the output shaft 14 passes.

A non-input side oil seal 39s is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the cover cylindrical portion 39p. The non-input side oil seal 39s includes two rows of seal bodies arranged adjacent to each other in the axial direction. The inner circumferential side of the non-input side oil seal 39s is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the output shaft 14. The non-input side oil seal 39s suppresses leakage of the lubricant 58 from the casing inner space 30a to the outside.

An introduction cylinder portion 41 is connected to the input side of the first casing body 31 . The introduction cylinder portion 41 surrounds the first input shaft 16j, the motor shaft 72, and the sleeve body 64. The inner space 41a of the introduction tube 41 constitutes a part of the casing inner space 30a.

See also FIG. FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing the periphery of the connection tank 60. The casing 30 has a supply hole 41h for the lubricant 58. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the supply hole 41h is provided in the introduction cylinder portion 41 that is disposed on the input side of the deceleration mechanism 10. The supply hole 41h for the lubricant 58 is provided in the peripheral wall surface below the central axis La in the second attitude of the introduction cylinder 41. The supply hole 41h has a rectangular shape whose longitudinal direction extends in the axial direction in plan view. A connection tank 60 that guides the lubricant 58 from the lubricant tank 50 to the casing inner space 30a is connected to the outer peripheral side of the supply hole 41h. With this configuration, the supply hole 41h communicates with the tank internal space 50a within the lubricant tank 50. The connection tank 60 and lubricant tank 50 will be described later.

A connecting flange 40 is connected to the input side of the introduction cylinder 41, and an intermediate flange 41f is connected to the opposite input side. The connecting flange 40 has a thick plate shape that closes the input side of the introduction cylinder section 41 . The connecting flange 40 and the intermediate flange 41f are connected to the introduction cylinder portion 41 by welding or the like. The connecting flange 40 and the intermediate flange 41f protrude outward in the radial direction from the outer periphery of the introduction cylinder portion 41 in a flange shape.

See also FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6. The connecting flange 40 has an outer shape in which the upper half is circular and the lower half is rectangular when viewed in the axial direction (see also FIG. 7). The connecting flange 40 is provided with a motor shaft hole 40h through which the motor shaft 72 passes.

A plurality of reinforcing plates 43 arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction are fixed to the introduction cylinder part 41 and the connecting flange 40. The reinforcing plate 43 is a polygonal plate member having two sides sandwiching a right angle, and the two sides are fixed by welding to the outer cylindrical surface of the introduction cylinder section 41 and the end surface on the opposite input side of the connecting flange 40. .

As shown in FIG. 2, a motor flange 70f of the motor 70 is connected to the input side surface of the connection flange 40 by bolts B40. An input side seal unit 68 is provided on the opposite input side of the connection flange 40 . The input side seal unit 68 includes a hollow cylindrical seal holding part 68h fixed to the connection flange 40 by welding or the like, and an input side oil seal 68s fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the seal holding part 68h. The inner peripheral side of the input oil seal 68s contacts the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve body 64. The input oil seal 68s suppresses leakage of the lubricant 58 from the casing inner space 30a to the outside.

The motor 70 has a cylindrical motor case 70m that extends from the motor flange 70f toward the input side and surrounds the internal mechanism. Although there is no limitation on the configuration of the motor 70, the motor 70 of this embodiment is an inverter motor.

The lubricant tank 50 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. 3 is a plan view of the lubricant tank 50, FIG. 4 is a side view of the lubricant tank 50, and FIG. 5 is a front view of the lubricant tank 50. These figures mainly show the periphery of the tank body 51 of the lubricant tank 50. As described above, the lubricant tank 50 is a tank in which the lubricant 58 can flow between it and the casing inner space 30a. The lubricant tank 50 of this embodiment includes a tank body 51, a tank connection plate 52, a side plate 53, a ventilation section 54, a communication pipe 55, and a connection tank 60.

The tank main body 51 is a box made of sheet metal that surrounds a vertically flat rectangular parallelepiped tank internal space 50a, and has an opening 51h on the non-input side. The tank connection plate 52 is a thick plate member for connecting the tank body 51 to the speed reduction mechanism 10. The tank connecting plate 52 has a horizontally elongated rectangular shape with an arc-shaped cutout on the upper side when viewed from the front. As shown in FIG. 5, the tank connection plate 52 is provided with a first communication hole 52h and a plurality of bolt holes 52k, each of which penetrates in the axial direction. The first communication hole 52h has a horizontally long rectangular shape when viewed from the front. The tank connecting plate 52 is fixed to the tank body 51 by welding or the like so as to close the opening 51h. The first communication hole 52h communicates with the tank interior space 50a of the lubricant tank 50 via the opening 51h.

The side plates 53 are a pair of plate-like members fixed to both sides of the tank body 51 in the width direction by welding or the like. The side plate 53 has an outer shape that covers the side surface of the tank body 51 when viewed from the side, and has an inclined portion on the upper side thereof that slopes upward from the input side toward the counter-input side. The side plate 53 reinforces the tank body 51 by having an edge 53f on the opposite input side fixed to the input side of the tank connecting plate 52 by welding or the like.

The ventilation section 54 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. The ventilation section 54 communicates with a through hole 41j provided in the introduction cylinder section 41 via a communication pipe 55. The ventilation portion 54 of this embodiment is provided on the side surface of the lubricant tank 50 and has a through hole that penetrates the side plate 53 and the side wall of the tank body 51. The ventilation section 54 mainly allows air to move between the introduction tube section 41 and the lubricant tank 50 via the communication pipe 55. The communication pipe 55 also functions as an escape path for air and the like when the pressure in the casing inner space 30a increases during operation.

The connection tank 60 will be explained with reference also to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6. The connection tank 60 has a guide space 60a that stores the lubricant 58, and constitutes a part of the lubricant tank 50. Further, the connection tank 60 functions as a passage for the lubricant 58 that connects the tank interior space 50a and the casing interior space 30a. The connection tank 60 has first and second side walls 61 and 62 and a bottom wall 63 surrounding the guide space 60a. The first and second side wall portions 61 and 62 constitute side walls that face each other across the guide space 60a in the width direction. The bottom wall portion 63 constitutes a bottom wall that defines the lower part of the guide space 60a. The first and second side walls 61 and 62 extend upward from both ends of the bottom wall 63 in the width direction.

The upper sides of the first and second side wall parts 61 and 62 are fixed to the introduction cylinder part 41 by welding or the like. The input sides of the first and second side walls 61 and 62 are fixed to the connection flange 40 by welding or the like, and the non-input sides are fixed to the intermediate flange 41f by welding or the like.

The upper side of the guide space 60a is connected to the casing inner space 30a through the supply hole 41h of the casing 30. The input side of the guide space 60a is closed by the connecting flange 40. The connection flange 40 is provided with a second communication hole 40j that penetrates in the axial direction, and the input side of the guide space 60a is lubricated through the second communication hole 40j and the first communication hole 52h of the tank connection plate 52. It is connected to the tank internal space 50a of the agent tank 50.

The lubricant tank 50 has a guide surface 63g that guides the lubricant 58 to the supply hole 41h of the casing 30 when the attitude changes. In this embodiment, the guide surface 63g is provided on the bottom wall portion 63 of the connection tank 60. The guide surface 63g is an inclined surface that becomes more horizontal when changing from the second attitude to the first attitude. As shown in FIG. 6, the guide surface 63g is an inclined surface that slopes downward from the non-input side toward the input side when viewed from the side in the second posture, and the input side is lower than the non-input side. That is, in the second attitude, the guide surface 63g guides the lubricant 58 from the casing inner space 30a to the tank inner space 50a by the action of gravity.

Further, the guide surface 63g is an inclined surface that slopes downward from the input side toward the non-input side when viewed from the side in the first posture, and the non-input side is lower than the input side. That is, in the first attitude, the guide surface 63g guides the lubricant 58 from the tank interior space 50a to the casing interior space 30a by the action of gravity.

The operation of the speed reduction device 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 8, and 9. FIGS. 8 and 9 are side views schematically showing the state of the lubricant 58 of the speed reducer 100 in the first attitude and the second attitude. In FIGS. 8 and 9, the thick solid line indicates the space in which the lubricant 58 is enclosed, and the thin dashed line mainly indicates the rotating portion of the speed reduction mechanism 10.

As the motor 70 rotates, the speed reduction device 100 transmits the speed reduction rotation from the output shaft 14 to the driven member 85 of the driven device 80 . The attitude of the driven device 80 changes according to the rotation of the driven member 85. The deceleration device 100 attached to the driven device 80 changes its posture integrally with the change in the posture of the driven device 80. At this time, the attitude of the speed reducer 100 changes between the first attitude shown in FIG. 8 and the second attitude shown in FIG. 9.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the first attitude in which the axial direction is vertical, the lubricant 58 moves from the tank inner space 50a to the casing inner space 30a, and the liquid level L58 of the lubricant 58 is 10 meshing portions are formed at a level that is immersed in lubricant 58. In this example, it is desirable that the first internal gear 16d located at the top is immersed in the lubricant 58. As an example, the liquid level L58 of the lubricant 58 is located above the first internal gear 16d. In this case, lubrication of the speed reduction mechanism 10 can be ensured.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the second position where the axial direction is horizontal, the lubricant 58 moves to the tank interior space 50a and the guide space 60a, and the lubricant 58 exceeding the capacity of these spaces flows into the casing interior space. It remains at 30a. In the second attitude, the liquid level L58 of the lubricant 58 is formed at a level where a part of the bearing disposed between the planetary gear and the planetary pin is immersed when each planetary gear is located at the lowest position in the vertical direction. . In this example, when the first planetary gear 17p with the smallest distance from the center axis La is located at the lowest position in the vertical direction, at least one of the bearings disposed between the first planetary gear 17p and the first planetary pin 16b is It is desirable that some of the water be submerged. As an example, the liquid level L58 of the lubricant 58 is located above at least one rolling element of the bearing disposed between the first planetary gear 17p and the first planetary pin 16b. In this case, lubrication of the speed reduction mechanism 10 can be ensured.

In the first attitude and the second attitude, the liquid level L58 of the lubricant 58 can be located below the input oil seal 68s. In this case, leakage of the lubricant 58 from the input side oil seal 68s is reduced, and a space above the liquid level L58 can be secured.

The characteristics of the speed reduction device 100 of this embodiment configured as described above will be explained. According to the present embodiment, when changing from the first attitude to the second attitude, the lubricant 58 in the casing 30 retreats into the lubricant tank 50, and when changing from the second attitude to the first attitude, Since the lubricant 58 in the lubricant tank 50 is supplied into the casing 30, lubrication of the speed reduction mechanism 10 can be easily ensured.

Furthermore, in the second attitude, the axial direction of the deceleration mechanism 10 is closer to the horizontal direction than in the first attitude, so that the attitude change range of the deceleration device 100 can be set wider. Furthermore, the casing 30 has a supply hole 41h on the input side of the deceleration mechanism 10, and the supply hole 41h communicates with the tank internal space 50a of the lubricant tank 50. When the lubricant 58 is also placed on the input side, the lubricant 58 can be evacuated and supplied by the action of gravity.

Moreover, since the guide surface 63g is an inclined surface that becomes more horizontal when changing from the second attitude to the first attitude, the guide surface 63g becomes lower from the source to the destination of the lubricant 58, The movement of the lubricant 58 becomes smooth.

Furthermore, since the lubricant tank 50 includes a tank body 51 disposed on the motor 70 side of the coupling flange 40 and a coupling tank 60 disposed on the reduction gear 100 side of the coupling flange 40, the lubricant tank 50 has a total Capacity can be increased. Further, since the tank body 51 and the connecting tank 60 communicate with each other through the communication hole 40j provided in the connecting flange 40, the connecting tank 60 can be used as a passage.

Furthermore, since the deceleration device 100 is attached to the driven device 80 and changes its posture between the first posture and the second posture according to the operation of the driven device 80, the transmission mechanism between them can be simplified. can. As a result, it is advantageous to reduce the size and weight of the entire device.

Examples of embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail. The embodiments described above are merely specific examples for carrying out the present invention. The content of the embodiments does not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and many design changes such as changes, additions, and deletions of constituent elements may be made without departing from the idea of the invention defined in the claims. It is possible. In the above-mentioned embodiment, contents that allow such design changes are explained with the notations such as "in the embodiment" and "in the embodiment", but the design does not include such notations. This does not mean that changes are not allowed.

[Modified example]
Modifications will be described below. In the drawings and description of the modified example, the same reference numerals are given to the same or equivalent components and members as in the embodiment. Explanation that overlaps with the embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and configurations that are different from the embodiment will be mainly explained.

In the description of the embodiment, an example is shown in which the first attitude is an attitude in which the axial direction inclination is 90°, and the second attitude is an attitude in which the axial direction inclination is 0°, but the present invention is not limited to this. . The first attitude may be an attitude having a larger axial inclination than the second attitude.

In the description of the embodiment, an example is shown in which the speed reduction mechanism 10 is configured with a simple planetary gear mechanism, but the speed reduction mechanism 10 may be configured with a speed reduction mechanism that operates on a different principle instead of the simple planetary gear mechanism. However, it may be configured by a combination of speed reduction mechanisms based on different principles. Furthermore, the speed reduction mechanism 10 is not limited to one having gears, and may be, for example, a traction drive.

In the description of the embodiment, an example was shown in which the speed reduction mechanism 10 is configured with a four-stage speed reducer, but there is no limitation on the number of speed reducers, and the speed reduction mechanism 10 may have three or less stages or a five-stage or more speed reducer. may be configured.

In the description of the embodiment, an example is shown in which the connecting tank 60 is provided, but instead of the connecting tank 60, a passage member such as a pipe connecting the lubricant tank 50 and the casing 30 may be provided.

In the description of the embodiment, an example was shown in which the speed reduction mechanism 10 is configured with speed reducers arranged on the central axis La, but the speed reduction mechanism 10 may also include speed reducers arranged at positions offset from each other.

Each of the above-mentioned modifications has the same functions and effects as the embodiment.

Any combination of the above-described embodiments and modifications are also useful as embodiments of the present invention. A new embodiment resulting from the combination has the effects of each of the combined embodiments and modifications.

10 reduction mechanism, 30 casing, 30a casing inner space, 40 connection flange, 41 introduction tube, 41h supply hole, 50 lubricant tank, 50a tank inner space, 51 tank body, 58 lubricant, L58 liquid level, 60 connection tank , 63g guide surface, 70 motor, 80 driven device, 100 reduction gear.

Claims (3)

A speed reduction device comprising a casing, a speed reduction mechanism housed in the casing, and a lubricant housed in the casing,
a lubricant tank that communicates with the space within the casing and allows the lubricant to flow between the space within the casing;
When changing from the first attitude to the second attitude, the lubricant in the casing retreats into the lubricant tank, and when changing from the second attitude to the first attitude, the lubricant in the lubricant tank retreats. of the lubricant is provided within the casing;
The casing has a supply hole on the input side of the speed reduction mechanism, and the supply hole communicates with a space within the lubricant tank,
The lubricant tank has a guide surface that guides the lubricant to the supply hole of the casing, and the guide surface has an inclination that becomes more horizontal when the second attitude changes to the first attitude. A speed reduction device characterized by being a surface. A speed reduction device comprising a casing, a speed reduction mechanism housed in the casing, and a lubricant housed in the casing,
a lubricant tank that communicates with the space within the casing and allows the lubricant to flow between the space within the casing;
When changing from the first attitude to the second attitude, the lubricant in the casing retreats into the lubricant tank, and when changing from the second attitude to the first attitude, the lubricant in the lubricant tank retreats. of the lubricant is provided within the casing;
The lubricant tank has a connection flange for connecting the motor and the main reduction gear, and the lubricant tank has a tank body arranged on the motor side of the connection flange, and a tank body arranged on the main reduction gear side of the connection flange. A speed reduction device comprising a connecting tank, wherein the tank main body and the connecting tank communicate with each other through a communication hole provided in the connecting flange. A speed reduction device comprising a casing, a speed reduction mechanism housed in the casing, and a lubricant housed in the casing,
a lubricant tank that communicates with the space within the casing and allows the lubricant to flow between the space within the casing;
When changing from the first attitude to the second attitude, the lubricant in the casing retreats into the lubricant tank, and when changing from the second attitude to the first attitude, the lubricant in the lubricant tank retreats. of the lubricant is provided within the casing;
This speed reduction device is attached to a driven device, and the posture changes between the first posture and the second posture according to the operation of the driven device.

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