US 12,442,445 B2
Lubricating structure for gear tooth surface
Norio Shirokoshi, Azumino (JP)
Assigned to HARMONIC DRIVE SYSTEMS INC., Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 18/717,418
Filed by HARMONIC DRIVE SYSTEMS INC., Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Jan. 18, 2022, PCT No. PCT/JP2022/001567
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 6, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/139636, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 27, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2025/0043861 A1, Feb. 6, 2025
Int. Cl. F16H 57/04 (2010.01)
CPC F16H 57/0431 (2013.01) 3 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A lubricating structure for gear tooth surfaces, comprising:
a pair of gears that meshes with one another, at least one of the pair of gears including
teeth that respectively have tooth tips, and
a plurality of lubricant passage grooves that is formed, at each of the tooth tips, at predetermined intervals along a tooth trace direction, each of the plurality of lubricant passage grooves extending from one tooth surface of each of the teeth to another tooth surface thereof, and that includes
a plurality of inclined grooves, each of the plurality inclined grooves being inclined toward one end of the at least one of the pair of gears relative to the tooth trace direction, and
at least one reversely inclined groove that is inclined toward an opposite end of the at least one of the pair of gears relative to the tooth trace direction in a direction opposite to each of the plurality of inclined grooves,
wherein the plurality of inclined grooves is formed at predetermined intervals from one tooth trace end of each of the tooth tips toward another tooth trace end thereof in the tooth trace direction, and
the at least one reversely inclined groove is formed at the another tooth trace end where the plurality of inclined grooves is not formed in the tooth trace direction, and at a position nearest to the another tooth trace end of each of the tooth tips or at each of a plurality of positions from the another tooth trace end of each of the tooth tips.