System having a gear unit

• US 9,958,052 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2009
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sew-Eurodrive GmbH & Company KG (BV Beteiligung GmbH & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Sew-Eurodrive GmbH & Company KG (BV Beteiligung GmbH & Company KG)
• Inventors: Bader, Antonius
• Primary Examiner(s): West, Paul
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZHONG, XIN Y
• Application Number:
  US12/921,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20110017013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,352 Days
• Field of Search: 74606 R, 73587, 73162
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2057/02069 for industrial applications
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/01 Monitoring wear or stress of gearing elements, e.g. for triggering maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/031 characterised by covers or lids for gearboxes
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0405 Monitoring quality of lubricant or hydraulic fluids
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0449 Sensors or indicators for controlling the fluid level
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/16 Dynamometric measurement of torque
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2186 Gear casings

Abstract

A system includes a gear unit, the gear unit including at least one housing cover, a sensor unit, on which sensors are provided, being provided on the housing cover, the sensors being connected at least electrically to an evaluation unit.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a gear housing including a first cutout through which a gear is capable of being inserted into the housing;

at least one housing cover that covers the first cutout when installed on the gear housing and includes a second cutout; and

a sensor unit accommodated in the housing cover through the second cutout, the sensor unit including at least one sensor and at least one other sensor, wherein the at least one sensor is exposed to the gear in an interior of the gear housing via a passage extending between the first and second cutouts;

wherein the at least one other sensor includes at least one of (a) a vibration sensor and (b) a vibration sensor adapted to detect structure-borne noise generated by at least one of (i) bearings and (ii) toothing parts; and

wherein the housing cover includes a surface, the vibration sensor contacting the surface.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit includes accommodations for the at least one sensor and the at least one other sensor.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit is joined to the housing cover on a side of the housing cover facing surroundings.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit is formed in one piece with the housing cover.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the housing cover is made of metal.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the sensor unit is made of at least one of (a) a metal different than the metal of the housing cover and (b) plastic.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit is made of a metal for shielding.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one of (a) an inductive proximity sensor and (b) an inductive proximity sensor adapted to determine rotation of a toothing part.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one of (a) an oil-condition sensor and (b) an infrared oil-condition sensor adapted to determine at least one of (a) a condition and (b) an age of lubricating oil of the gear housing.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one of (a) a torque sensor, (b) an OFW torque sensor, (c) a DMS torque sensor, and (d) a sensor adapted to determine torque transmitted with the aid of a shaft of the gear housing.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes an oil-level sensor.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least one sensor is adapted to determine a displacement of a component of the gear housing.

13. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an evaluation unit, the sensors of the sensor unit connected at least electrically to the evaluation unit.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the evaluation unit is at least one of (a) connected to the sensor unit, (b) connected to the sensor unit on a side of the sensor unit facing surroundings, and (c) formed in one piece with the sensor unit.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the evaluation unit includes at least one of (a) a timing element and (b) a quartz-crystal oscillator.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein the evaluation unit at least one of (a) includes a display device, (b) includes at least one interface, and (c) is arranged as a node of a bus system.