Lubrication method for gear device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12281699-B2
Application number	US-202118560761-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2021
Priority date	Jul 20, 2021
Publication date	Apr 22, 2025
Grant date	Apr 22, 2025

Abstract

A lubrication mechanism of a strain wave gearing is disposed in an interior space of an externally toothed gear and comprises a powder-accommodating bag that stores solid lubricant powder. A diaphragm of the externally toothed gear is repeatedly deflected during the driving of the strain wave gearing. Vibration or deflection is repeatedly imparted to the powder-accommodating bag and the solid lubricant powder is discharged from a powder discharge hole formed in the powder-accommodating bag into the interior space. A site to be lubricated is lubricated with the solid lubricant powder discharged into the interior space. Harmful effects due to a large amount of the solid lubricant powder being supplied to the site to be lubricated at one time can be resolved, and a necessary amount of the solid lubricant powder can be continuously supplied to the site to be lubricated.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lubrication method for a gear device, the method comprising:
accommodating a solid lubricant powder in a powder-accommodating bag provided with powder discharge holes;
disposing the powder-accommodating bag in a device-interior space where sites to be lubricated are positioned;
attaching a bag-securing member to a constituent component of the gear device, the constituent component being provided with an inner-side surface facing the device-interior space;
holding the powder-accommodating bag between the inner-side surface and the bag-securing member;
discharging the solid lubricant powder that is accommodated in the powder-accommodating bag, into the device-interior space, via the powder discharge holes, by using vibration or force that acts on the powder-accommodating bag or on the solid lubricant powder in association with driving of the gear device; and
lubricating the sites to be lubricated by the solid lubricant powder that has been discharged into the device-interior space and reached the sites to be lubricated.

2. A lubrication method for a gear device, the method comprising:
accommodating a solid lubricant powder in a powder-accommodating bag provided with powder discharge holes;
disposing the powder-accommodating bag in a device-interior space where sites to be lubricated are positioned;
discharging the solid lubricant powder that is accommodated in the powder-accommodating bag, into the device-interior space, via the powder discharge holes, by using vibration or force that acts on the powder-accommodating bag or on the solid lubricant powder in association with driving of the gear device; and
lubricating the sites to be lubricated by the solid lubricant powder that has been discharged into the device-interior space and reached the sites to be lubricated,
wherein
the interior of the powder-accommodating bag is partitioned into a plurality of accommodation sections so that the solid lubricant powder will not be unevenly distributed therein, and
the powder discharge holes are formed at sites corresponding to each of the accommodation sections so that the solid lubricant powder will be discharged into the device-interior space from each of the accommodation sections.

3. A lubrication method for a gear device, the method comprising:
accommodating a solid lubricant powder in a powder-accommodating bag provided with powder discharge holes;
disposing the powder-accommodating bag in a device-interior space where sites to be lubricated are positioned;
discharging the solid lubricant powder that is accommodated in the powder-accommodating bag, into the device-interior space, via the powder discharge holes, by using vibration or force that acts on the powder-accommodating bag or on the solid lubricant powder in association with driving of the gear device; and
lubricating the sites to be lubricated by the solid lubricant powder that has been discharged into the device-interior space and reached the sites to be lubricated,
wherein:
the gear device is a strain wave gearing provided with a rigid internally toothed gear, a flexible externally toothed gear, and a wave generator;
the wave generator is disposed inside the externally toothed gear, the wave generator causing the externally toothed gear to flex in a radial direction to mesh with the internally toothed gear, and causing the positions at which the externally toothed gear meshes with the internally toothed gear to move in a circumferential direction;
the device-interior space is an inner-side space in the externally toothed gear where the wave generator is disposed, or is a space portion that communicates with the inner-side space; and
the powder-accommodating bag is disposed along a site on the externally toothed gear that is repeatedly flexed by the wave generator, the aforementioned site imparting vibration or deformation to the powder-accommodating bag.

4. A gear drive comprising:
a powder-accommodating bag that is disposed in a device-interior space where sites to be lubricated are positioned;
powder discharge holes that are formed in the powder-accommodating bag;
a solid lubricant powder that is accommodated in the powder-accommodating bag; and
a bag-securing member that is attached to a constituent component of the gear device, the constituent component being provided with an inner-side surface facing the device-interior space,
the powder-accommodating bag being held between the inner-side surface and the bag-securing member, and
the solid lubricant powder being sized so as to be capable of being discharged into the device-interior space through the powder discharge holes.

5. A gear drive comprising:
a powder-accommodating bag that is disposed in a device-interior space where sites to be lubricated are positioned;
powder discharge holes that are formed in the powder-accommodating bag;
a solid lubricant powder that is accommodated in the powder-accommodating bag; and
a powder-agitating/guiding member that is disposed in the device-interior space,
wherein
the solid lubricant powder being sized so as to be capable of being discharged into the device-interior space through the powder discharge holes, and
the solid lubricant powder discharged into the device-interior space is agitated by the powder-agitating/guiding member and guided by the powder-agitating/guiding member to the sites to be lubricated.

6. A gear drive comprising:
a powder-accommodating bag that is disposed in a device-interior space where sites to be lubricated are positioned;
powder discharge holes that are formed in the powder-accommodating bag;
a solid lubricant powder that is accommodated in the powder-accommodating bag,
the solid lubricant powder being sized so as to be capable of being discharged into the device-interior space through the powder discharge holes,
wherein
the interior of the powder-accommodating bag is partitioned into a plurality of accommodation sections, and
the powder discharge holes are formed in each of the accommodation sections so that the solid lubricant powder will be discharged into the device-interior space from each of the accommodation sections.

7. A gear drive comprising:
a powder-accommodating bag that is disposed in a device-interior space where sites to be lubricated are positioned;
powder discharge holes that are formed in the powder-accommodating bag; and
a solid lubricant powder that is accommodated in the powder-accommodating bag,
the solid lubricant powder being sized so as to be capable of being discharged into the device-interior space through the powder discharge holes,
wherein the gear drive further comprises:
a rigid internally toothed gear;
a flexible externally toothed gear; and
a wave generator that is disposed inside the externally toothed gear, the wave generator causing the externally toothed gear to flex in a radial direction to mesh with the internally toothed gear, and causing the positions at which the externally toothed gear meshes with the internally toothed gear to move in a circumferential direction, and
wherein
the device-interior space is an inner-side space in the externally toothed gear where the wave generator is disposed, or is a space portion that communicates with the inner-side space, and
the powder-accommodating bag is disposed along a site on the externally toothed gear that is repeatedly flexed by the wave generator, the aforementioned site imparting vibration or deformation to the powder-accommodating bag.

8. The gear device according to claim 7 ,
wherein
the powder-accommodating bag is made from a sheet material or film material that has a porous structure, a net structure, or a mesh structure; and
apertures that extend through the sheet material or film

Assignees

• Harmonic Drive Systems

Inventors

• Kiyosawa Yoshihide

Classifications

• F16H57/048

  Type of gearings to be lubricated, cooled or heated · CPC title

• F16H57/0434

  relating to lubrication supply, e.g. pumps; Pressure control · CPC title

• F16H49/001

  Wave gearings, e.g. harmonic drive transmissions · CPC title

• C10N2050/08

  Solids · CPC title

• C10N2020/06

  Particles of special shape or size · CPC title