WO2016154990A1

WO2016154990A1 - Gear box and machine for producing granules comprising the same

Info

Publication number: WO2016154990A1
Application number: PCT/CN2015/075760
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wei Jin; Yongfu Wang
Original assignee: Nestec S.A.
Priority date: 2015-04-02
Filing date: 2015-04-02
Publication date: 2016-10-06
Also published as: PH12017550066A1; MY191265A; RU2680993C1; CN207951374U

Abstract

A gear box (1) is provided. The gear box (1) comprises a casing (10), an input shaft, a first output shaft (113) with a first gear (123) and a second output shaft (114) with a second gear (124); a double-rack element (19) disposed between the first gear (123) and the second gear (124) and having a first rack (191) meshed with the first gear (123) and a second rack (192) meshed with the second gear (124) at two sides thereof, and a crank link mechanism disposed between the input shaft and the double-rack element (19) for converting rotation of the input shaft into translating movement of the double-rack element (19). The gear box (1) is capable of reducing load capacity, reducing manufacture and maintenance cost, decreasing vibration and mitigating wear. A machine for producing granules having the gear box (1) is also provided.

Description

GEAR BOX AND MACHINE FOR PRODUCING GRANULES COMPRISING THE SAME

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a gear box and a machine for producing granules comprising the gear box, such as a granulator, in particular an oscillating granulator.

BACKGROUND ART

Wet granulation technology prevails in the industry of food, pharmaceutical, chemical and etc. at present. Oscillating granulators, widely applied in particular, include single-head oscillating granulators and twin-head oscillating granulators, wherein the twin-head oscillating granulator presses wet mass through a mesh by oscillation of two rotary cylinders to produce granules of desired size. There are many problems in traditional oscillating granulators, for example, oil leakage, wet mass entering into the gear box, rigid shock between an output shaft of the gear box and the rotary cylinder of the granulator, wear of key components such as gears, racks and etc..

The Chinese patent application CN102553491A, for example, discloses a twin-head oscillating granulator, comprising two parallel rotary cylinders which carry out transmission by a double-rack transmission mechanism and swing in a positive and negative alternating mode. Two gears of the double-rack transmission mechanism are respectively mounted on the shafts of the two rotary cylinders, and two racks are respectively meshed with the gears, with the fixed ends of the two racks being pivotally connected, by means of cranks, to a rotary table driven by an electric motor. In the gear box of currently available twin-head oscillating granulator, it is necessary to provide two racks meshed with two gears respectively and to provide a holding mechanism for holding the racks meshed with corresponding gears and a pivot connecting mechanism for connecting the racks and the rotary table. In this case, the manufacture cost of the entire gear box is relatively high. The racks in the gear box are in planar motion (i.e. they are oscillating while moving) such that the gear box is apt to vibrate duration operation and shocks may be imparted to the key components, such as gears and racks to result in wear. In addition, the gear box exhibits pool stability and reliability of the gear box during the production of highly viscous products.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objective of the present invention is to overcome at least one of the above defects in the prior arts.

In a first aspect, the present invention thus provides a gear box comprising a casing, an input shaft extending into the casing from the outside, a first output shaft and second output shaft having parallel axes, wherein the first output shaft has a first gear inside the casing and the second output shaft has a second gear inside the casing, a double-rack element disposed between the first gear and the second gear and having a first rack and a second rack at two sides thereof, wherein the first rack meshes with the first gear, and the second rack meshes with the second gear, and a crank link mechanism disposed between the input shaft and the double-rack element for converting rotation of the input shaft into translating movement of the double-rack element.

By virtue of the gear box of the above structure, power is transmitted by meshing the double-rack element with two output gears at both sides, which, on the one hand, may increase loading capacity (which is twice as great as a single rack) of the machine and on the other hand decreases manufacture and maintenance cost by reducing the rack elements and drive mechanisms thereof. In addition, when the first and second gears are arranged symmetrically, the double-rack element receives force symmetrically, which effectively reduces vibration of the gear box during operation and has an advantage of mitigating shock and wear between the components.

In a preferred embodiment, the crank link mechanism comprises a crank connected to the input shaft anti-rotationally (i.e. no relative rotation therebetween) , a link connected pivotally to the crank at one end and connected pivotally to the double-rack element at the other end. One end of the link is preferably connected to the crank by means of a self-aligning bearing to ensure stable and non-vibrate operation of the crank link mechanism； further preferably, the other end of the link is connected to the double-rack element in such a manner that a rack shaft is arranged on the double-rack element, and at the other end of the link a link pin is provided which is mounted on the rack shaft and rotates about the rack shaft. More further, two connecting flanges are formed at the other end of the link, each being formed with a link pin mounting hole inside which two ends of the link pin are mounted by means of a link pin bearing, which is preferably a sliding bearing.

The above series of features can effectively compensate deflection generated during transmission to reduce wear and abrasion between the components and decrease vibration of the machine.

In a preferred embodiment, the gear box comprises a fixed linear guide rail along which the double-rack element is movable in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the axes of the first and second output shaft. More preferably, the guide rail is fixed to a guide rail connecting plate which is in turn fixed to the casing. Also preferably, the double-rack element is provided with a slider which slides along the guide rail； more preferably, rotary friction takes place between the double-rack element and the linear guide rail to further reduce friction force between the components and increase service life of the components.

The double-rack element, by way of the above preferred configurations, perform linear motion during operation, which has an advantage of reducing vibration of the machine, increasing service life of the sliding components and decreasing maintenance cost in comparison with planar motion of the rack elements in traditional gear box. Moreover, it is easy to replace fragile members for maintenance because of the above configurations and assembling manner, thereby avoiding high maintenance cost caused by overall replacement.

In a preferred embodiment, the gear box further comprises a lubricating unit including a lubricating pump, a lubricating pipeline which receives lubricant from the lubricating pump, a plurality of lubricating branches each connected to the pipeline and distributing the lubricant to a site to be lubricated. Preferably, the lubricating pump is located outside of the casing. Further, the lubricating pipeline is arranged to communicate with an outlet of the lubricating pump and extend into the interior of the casing. The plurality of lubricating branches are preferably arranged in such a manner that the plurality of lubricating branches include a first lubricating branch for lubricating the first gear and the first rack, a second lubricating branch for lubricating the second gear and the second rack, a third lubricating branch for lubricating the guide rail, a fourth lubricating branch for lubricating a bearing of the first output shaft and a fifth lubricating branch for lubricating a bearing of the second output shaft.

The lubricating unit of the above configuration is capable of effectively preventing leakage of lubricate while ensuring sufficient lubrication.

In a second aspect, the invention provides a machine for producing granules, which comprises a drive unit including an electric motor and a decelerator driven by the electric motor； a granulation unit including a hopper and a first and second rotary cylinders within the hopper； and a gear box according to the above claims disposed between the drive unit and the granulation unit, an input shaft of the gear box receiving power from the decelerator of the drive unit, a first output shaft of the gear box being coupled to the first rotary cylinder, and a second output shaft being coupled to the second rotary cylinder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the examples of the invention will become apparent with reference to the embodiments and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 schematically depicts a machine for producing granules of the present invention；

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an internal structure of the gear box having a lubricating unit；

FIG. 3 shows more specifically the internal structure of the gear box with the lubricating being omitted；

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the internal structure of the gear box of FIG. 3 along a center line；

FIG. 5 is a top view of the internal structure of the gear box of FIG. 3； and

FIG. 6 is a detail of the sectional view showing a connecting structure of the link and the double-rack element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments, which are shown in the drawings. The same reference numbers, if possible, are used throughout the drawings to indicate the same or similar components.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire machine for producing granules of the present invention, which machine generally comprises a gear box 1 having a lubricating unit designated thereto； a drive unit 2 for driving the gear box, the driving unit including an electric motor 21 and a decelerator 22； and an granulation unit 4 having a hopper, two rotary cylinders and a mesh inside the hopper, the two rotary cylinders being driven by two output shafts of the gear box. In the present invention, the electric motor 21 is preferably a decelerator motor and an output shaft thereof is preferably used to drive the decelerator 22 to dispense with traditional belt. This improves transmission efficiency and prolongs service life. The gear box 1 of the machine for producing granules, as shown in FIG. 1, has a generally cuboid sealed casing 10, and sealing members are used to seal between the casing and input and output shafts of the gear box to prevent lubricant leaking from the casing on the one hand and to prevent external impurities such as water, dust and so on entering into the casing on the other hand.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of the gear box having the lubricating unit and FIG. 3 shows more specifically the internal structure of the gear box with the lubricating being omitted, wherein the casing 10 is not shown for the sake of clarity. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the gear box has an input shaft (not shown) for driving its operation, the input shaft extending into the casing from the outside； and two output shafts, a first output shaft 113 and a second output shaft 114 which extend out of the casing and have parallel axes to output power for driving the two rotary cylinders of the granulation unit, wherein the first output shaft 113 has a first gear 123 inside the casing, and the second output shaft 114 has a second gear 124 inside the casing.

A single double-rack element 19 is used in the present invention to drive the first gear 123 and the second gear 124. The double-rack element 19 may be regarded as two racks constructed as one-piece, which, as shown in the drawings, is formed at two sides thereof with a first rack 191 and a second rack 192, wherein the first rack 191 meshes with the first gear 123, and the second rack 192 meshes with the second gear 124. Preferably, the first and second gears have the tooth number and modulus, and the fist rack and the second rack now may be arranged symmetrical relative to each other.

A crank link mechanism is disposed between the input shaft and the double-rack element in order to drive the double-rack element 19 to move and in turn drive the first and second gears to rotate. The crank link mechanism, as shown in FIG. 3, is designed to comprise a crank 11 which is connected to the input shaft and driven thereby to rotate, and a link 14 pivotally connected to a crank pin 11a of the crank 11 at one end (the lower end in Fig. 3) and pivotally connected to the double-rack element at the other end (the upper end in Fig. 3) . In order to reduce vibration, the crank is preferably subject to dynamic balancing and comprises for example a balancing weight 11b opposite to the crank pin 11a about the center of rotation.

The sectional views of FIGS. 4 and 6 further illustrate the connection between the link 14 and the crank 11 as well as the double-rack element 19. As shown in FIG. 4, the lower end of the link is formed with a mounting hole in which a self-aligning bearing 12 is arranged that receives the crank pin 11a of the crank. Because of self-aligning, the self-aligning bearing is capable of compensating minor error caused by production, assembling and mechanical transmission to improve precision of mechanical transmission. Further detail will not be illustrated herein because those skilled in the art can select a suitable type from currently available self-aligning bearings. In the meantime, a connecting endcap 13 and a bolt screwing into the crank shaft 11a through the connecting endcap are provided in the present invention to restrict relative movement between the crank and the link along an axial direction of the crank pin.

For the purpose of compensating error to reduce vibration, the upper end of the link and the double-rack element are connected in such a manner that the double-rack element 19 is provided with a rack shaft 18, an axis of which is perpendicular to a plane of the first and second racks, and at the upper end of the link 14 a link pin 16 is disposed, in the middle of which a mounting hole for accommodating the rack shaft 18 is formed； when the rack shaft is inserted into the mounting hole, the link pin 16 is rotatable about the rack shaft 18； preferably, a rack shaft bearing 17, e.g. a sliding bearing, is disposed between the mounting hole of the link pin 16 and the rack shaft 18.The two ends of the rack shaft are articulated into the mounting hole of the link pin of two fork-shaped connecting flanges formed at the upper end of the link such that the link pin 16 is rotatable relative to the link 14. Preferably, the two ends of the link pin are mounted in the link pin mounting hole by means of the link pin bearing 15 which is preferable a sliding bearing.

The double-rack element 19 and its guide rail in the present invention will be illustrated in detail with reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. In order to guide linear motion of the double-rack element 19 in the present invention, a linear guide rail 111 is provided which is perpendicular to the plane of the first output shaft 113 and the second output shaft 114. The guide rails, the number of which preferably is two or more, are fixed to a guide rail connecting plate 112 by means of for example bolt. The guide rail connecting plate 112 is fixed to the casing. In this case, only the guide rail 111 may be replaced when it is damaged and required to be replaced, with other components being intact. The double-rack element 19 is provided with a member engaging the guide rail 111； for example, the double-rack element is preferably provided with a slider 110 which slides along the guide rail 111； or, rotary friction takes place between the double-rack element 19 and the guide rail 111.

Referring to FIG. 2, the lubricating unit 3 of the gear box will be introduced. The lubricating unit 3, as shown in the drawing, comprises a lubricating pump 31, a lubricating pipeline 32 and a plurality of lubricating branches each connected to the lubricating pipeline via a lubricant dispenser 33, wherein the lubricating pipeline receives lubricant from the lubricating pump 31, and the plurality of lubricating branches are used to send the lubricant to a site to be lubricated. The lubricating branches include for instance a first lubricating branch for lubricating the first gear 123 and the first rack 191, a second lubricating branch for lubricating the second gear 124 and the second rack 192, a third lubricating branch for lubricating the guide rail 111, a fourth lubricating branch for lubricating a bearing of the first output shaft, and a fifth lubricating branch for lubricating a bearing of the second output shaft.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

For easy appreciation of the present invention, the working principle of the gear box and the machine for producing granules of the invention will be illustrated in detail below.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a rotary output shaft of the electric motor 21 of the drive unit 2 transmits power to the decelerator 22 which transmits the power to the input shaft after being reduced to a target rotation speed. The crank link mechanism of the gear box converts rotation of the input shaft to linear motion of the double-rack element 19 along the guide rail 111 to drive the meshed first gear 123 and the second gear 124 to rotate； and the two gears drive the associated first output shaft 113 and the second output shaft 114 to rotate, respectively. The first and second output shafts drive the first rotary cylinder and the second rotary cylinder of the granulation unit 4 to rotate respectively to produce the granules.

List of reference numbers

1—gear box

10—casing

11—crank

11a—crank pin

11b—balancing weight

12—self-aligning bearing

13—connecting endcap

14—link

15—link pin bearing

16—link pin

17—rack shaft bearing

18—rack shaft

19—double-rack element

191—first rack

192—second rack

110—slider

111—guide rail

112—guide rail connecting plate

113—first output shaft

114—second output shaft

123—first gear

124—second gear

2—drive unit

21—electric motor

22—decelerator

3—lubricating unit

31—lubricating pump

32—lubricating pipeline

33—lubricating dispenser

4—granulation unit

Claims

A gear box, comprising:

a casing,

an input shaft,

a first output shaft and a second output shaft having parallel axes, wherein the first output shaft has a first gear inside the casing and the second output shaft has a second gear inside the casing,

a double-rack element disposed between the first gear and the second gear and formed at two sides thereof with a first rack and a second rack, wherein the first rack meshes with the first gear, and the second rack meshes with the second gear, and

a crank link mechanism disposed between the input shaft and the double-rack element for converting rotation of the input shaft into translating movement of the double-rack element.
The gear box according to claim 1, characterized in that the crank link mechanism comprises:

a crank connected to the input shaft anti-rotationally, and

a link connected pivotally to the crank at one end and connected pivotally to the double-rack element at the other end.
The gear box according to claim 2, characterized in that one end of the link is connected to the crank by means of a self-aligning bearing.
The gear box according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the double-rack element is provided with a rack shaft；

the other end of the link is provided with a link pin；

the link pin is mounted on the rack shaft and rotates about the rack shaft.
The gear box according to claim 4, characterized in that two connecting flanges are formed at the other end of the link, each being formed with a link pin mounting hole inside which two ends of the link pin are mounted by means of a link pin bearing.
The gear box according to claim 5, characterized in that the link pin bearing is a sliding bearing.
The gear box according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gear box comprises a fixed linear guide rail along which the double-rack element is movable in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the axes of the first and second output shaft.
The gear box according to claim 7, characterized in that the guide rail is fixed to a guide rail connecting plate which is fixed to the casing.
The gear box according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that rotary friction takes place between the double-rack element and the linear guide rail.
The gear box according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the double-rack element is provided with a slider which slides along the guide rail.
The gear box according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gear box further comprises a lubricating unit including:

a lubricating pump；

a lubricating pipeline which receives lubricant from the lubricating pump；

a plurality of lubricating branches each connected to the lubricating pipeline and distributing the lubricant to a site to be lubricated.
The gear box according to claim 11, characterized in that the lubricating pump is located outside of the casing.
The gear box according to claim 12, characterized in that the lubricating pipeline communicates with an outlet of the lubricating pump and extends into the interior of the casing.
The gear box according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the plurality of lubricating branches include a first lubricating branch for lubricating the first gear and the first rack, and a second lubricating branch for lubricating the second gear and the second rack.
The gear box according to claim 14, characterized in that the plurality of lubricating branches further include a third lubricating branch for lubricating the guide rail.
The gear box according to claim 15, characterized in that the plurality of lubricating branches further include a fourth lubricating branch for lubricating a bearing of the first output shaft and a fifth lubricating branch for lubricating a bearing of the second output shaft.
The gear box according to claim 2, characterized in that the crank is provided with a balancing weight to ensure balance of the crank during rotation.
A machine for producing granules, comprising:

a drive unit including an electric motor and a decelerator driven by the electric motor；

a granulation unit including a hopper and a first and second rotary cylinders within the hopper； and

a gear box according to any one of claims 1 to 17, which is disposed between the drive unit and the granulation unit, wherein the input shaft of the gear box receiving power from the decelerator of the drive unit, the first output shaft of the gear box is coupled to the first rotary cylinder, and the second output shaft is coupled to the second rotary cylinder.
The machine for producing granules according to claim 18, characterized in that an output shaft of the electric motor is directly connected to an input shaft of the decelerator so that the electric motor drives the decelerator directly.
The machine for producing granules according to claim 18, characterized in that the first output shaft is coupled to the first rotary cylinder by an involute spline structure； and

the second output shaft is coupled to the second rotary cylinder by an involute spline structure.
The machine for producing granules according to claim 20, characterized in that a portion of the first output shaft, at which the first output shaft is connected to the first rotary cylinder, has a chromed surface；

a portion of the second output shaft, at which the second output shaft is connected to the second rotary cylinder, has a chromed surface.