Drive assembly with a rotating housing attached to an output interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016377162-A1
Application number	US-201514754515-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 29, 2015
Priority date	Jun 29, 2015
Publication date	Dec 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A drive assembly is disclosed, including a housing cylinder with a cap end, an attachment end with a first attachment surface, and gear teeth disposed around an inner circumference to form at least one ring gear. A planetary gear set may be surrounded by the housing cylinder and includes at least one sun gear and at least one set of planet gears. An output interface may include an interface body and an annular attachment lip with a second attachment surface. The housing cylinder may be attached to the attachment lip for operation of the drive assembly via the second attachment surface contacting the first attachment surface, with the cap end of the housing cylinder extending axially past an axial end of the attachment lip. Rotational power may be transmitted from the planetary gear set to the output interface via the gear teeth and the contact between the attachment surfaces.

First claim

1 . A drive assembly for transferring power to an external device, the drive assembly comprising:
a housing cylinder mounted for rotation about a drive axis and having a cap end and an attachment end disposed entirely at an opposite end of the housing cylinder from the cap end, with the attachment end including an annular first attachment surface, and gear teeth disposed around an inner circumference of the housing cylinder to form at least one ring gear; a planetary gear set surrounded, at least in part, by the housing cylinder, and including at least one sun gear and at least one set of planet gears supported by at least one planet gear carrier, rotated by the at least one sun gear and meshed with the at least one ring gear; an output interface having an annular attachment lip extending axially and including an annular second attachment surface overlapping and being in contact only with the first attachment surface, with an axial end of the attachment lip terminating radially adjacent the first attachment surface; a connection being established between the annular first and second attachment surfaces wherein the housing cylinder is attached for transferring rotation to the attachment lip during operation of the drive assembly; and wherein rotational power is transmitted from the planetary gear set to the output interface, via the gear teeth and the connection between the first and second attachment surfaces, in order to drive the external device.

2 . The drive assembly of claim 1 , wherein one of the first and second attachment surfaces includes a self-cutting spline interface, such that when the housing cylinder is attached to the attachment lip for operation of the drive assembly, the connection between the first and second attachment surfaces is formed as a splined connection between the attachment end of the housing cylinder and the attachment lip.

3 . The drive assembly of claim 2 , wherein the one of the attachment lip and the attachment end of the housing cylinder includes at least one of a chamfer and a groove to receive debris generated by formation of the splined connection.

4 . The drive assembly of claim 1 , wherein the planetary gear set is a double planetary gear set including first and second sun gears, and first and second sets of planet gears.

5 . The drive assembly of claim 4 , wherein each of the first and second sets of planet gears is meshed with the at least one ring gear of the housing cylinder.

6 . The drive assembly of claim 5 , wherein the at least one ring gear is arranged in at least two distinct sets of gear teeth, the at least two distinct sets of gear teeth being separated by an axial gap; and
wherein the first set of planet gears is meshed with a first of the at least two distinct sets of gear teeth and the second set of planet gears is meshed with a second of the at least two distinct sets of gear teeth.

7 . The drive assembly of claim 1 , wherein, when the housing cylinder is attached to the attachment lip for operation of the drive assembly, the gear teeth of the housing cylinder are axially spaced from the axial end of the attachment lip, such that the gear teeth are axially spaced from the attachment lip.

8 . The drive assembly of claim 1 , wherein the connection between the first attachment surface of the housing cylinder and the second attachment surface of the attachment lip is provided by one of an interference fit connection and a shrink fit connection between the attachment end of the housing cylinder and the attachment lip.

9 . The drive assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a mounting structure; and a motor attached to the mounting structure and configured to provide rotational power to the planetary gear set; wherein the output interface rotates with respect to the mounting structure to drive the external device.

10 . A drive assembly for transferring power to an external device, the drive assembly comprising:
a mounting structure defining a mounting hub and an axially projecting cylindrical neck, an output hub mounted for rotation about the cylindrical neck and a housing cylinder respectively mounted in series along a drive axis of the drive assembly between opposite first and second axial ends of the drive assembly, with the mounting structure being adjacent the first axial end, the housing cylinder being adjacent the second axial end and the output hub being between the mounting hub and the housing cylinder; the housing cylinder having at least one ring gear integrally formed around an inner circumference of the housing cylinder, wherein a hub end of the housing cylinder has a radially outer annular surface spaced axially away from the ring gear towards the first end of the drive assembly; a planetary gear set surrounded, at least in part, by the housing cylinder, and including at least one sun gear and at least one set of planet gears supported by at least one planet gear carrier and being meshed with the at least one sun gear and with the at least one ring gear of the housing cylinder; and the output hub including a radially extending hub body and an annular attachment lip extending axially away from the hub body, toward the second end of the drive assembly, and having an axial end and an annular, radially inner surface defining an undercut; wherein the housing cylinder is attached to the attachment lip for operation of the drive assembly with the hub end of the housing cylinder disposed within the undercut, such that the inner surface of the attachment lip contacts the outer surface of the hub end of the housing cylinder with a connection being established between the inner surface of the attachment lip and the outer surface of the hub end of the housing cylinder to secure the housing cylinder to the output hub, and with the planetary gear set disposed, at least in part, axially between the axial end of the attachment lip and the second end of the drive assembly; and wherein rotational power is transmitted from the planetary gear set to the output hub via the at least one ring gear and the connection between the outer surface of the hub end of the housing cylinder and the inner surface of the attachment lip, such that the housing cylinder and output hub rotate in unison to drive the external device.

11 . The drive assembly of claim 10 , wherein one of the outer surface of the hub end of the housing cylinder and the inner surface of the attachment lip includes a self-cutting spline interface, such that when the hub end of the housing cylinder is moved axially into the undercut, the connection between the outer surface of the hub end of the housing cylinder and the inner surface of the attachment lip is formed as a splined connection between the hub end of the housing cylinder and the attachment lip.

12 . The drive assembly of claim 11 , wherein the one of the attachment lip and the hub end of the housing cylinder includes at least one of a chamfer and a groove to receive debris generated by formation of the splined connection.

13 . The drive assembly of claim 10 , wherein the planetary gear set is a double planetary gear set including first and second sun gears, and first and second sets of planet gears.

14 . The drive assembly of claim 13 , wherein each of the first and second sets of planet gears is meshed with the at least one ring gear of the housing cylinder.

15 . The drive assembly of claim 14 , wherein the at least one ring gear includes at least two distinct sets of gear teeth, the at least two distinct sets of gear teeth being separated by an axial gap; and
wherein the first set of planet gears is meshed with a first of the at least t

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Ziskovsky Darren J
• Fliearman Steven R
• Mckinzie Kyle K
• Turner Jeffrey S

Classifications

• F16H2001/324

  comprising two axially spaced, rigidly interconnected, orbital gears · CPC title

• F16H57/02 Primary

  Gearboxes; Mounting gearing therein · CPC title

• F16H2057/02017

  characterised by special features related to the manufacturing of the gear case, e.g. special adaptations for casting · CPC title

• B60K17/08

  of mechanical type · CPC title

• F16H1/32

  in which the central axis of the gearing lies inside the periphery of an orbital gear · CPC title