Power transmission system for driving a variable speed processing machine

Claim 2

In a power transmission system for driving a variable speed processing machine, and having system elements comprising: (a) a shaft (12) that is coupled to a first gear component of a differential gear (13); and wherein (b) a second gear component of said differential gear (13) is permanently coupled to an output shaft (14); and wherein (c) a third gear component of said differential gear (13) is coupled by means of an override shaft (16) to a hydrodynamic brake (17) coaxially disposed with respect to said override shaft (16) for retarding the latter shaft and to a turbine wheel (26) of a fillable and emptiable and controllable hydrodynamic torque converter (15), so that said output shaft may be rotated in a lower speed range when said brake (17) is effective and when said torque converter (15) is emptied and may be rotated in an upper speed range when said brake (17) is released and when said torque converter (15) is filled; and wherein (d) a constant step-up or step-down gearing (19) comprising a constant ratio coaxial planetary gearing is disposed in series between said turbine wheel of said torque converter (15) and the third gear component of said differential gear (13), wherein all of said shafts (12; 14; 16) and said differential gear (13), said constant step-up or step-down gearing (19) and said hydrodynamic torque converter (15) are coaxially disposed with respect to one another.

Claim 3

The power transmission system of claim 1 wherein said constant step-up or step-down gearing (19) is mounted axially between said brake (17) and said differential gear (13).

Claim 4

The power transmission system of claim 2 wherein said hydrodynamic brake (17) has means for setting different fluid filling degrees.

Claim 5

The power transmission system of claim 1 wherein said override shaft (16) comprises a hollow shaft mounted to enclose said shaft (12).

Claim 6

In a power transmission system for driving a variable speed processing machine, and having system elements comprising: (a) a shaft (12) that is coupled to a first gear component of a differential gear (13) wherein said shaft (12) is formed as an intermediate shaft and is coupled via a controllable hydrodynamic coupling (11) to an input shaft (10); and wherein (b) a second gear component of said differential gear (13) is permanently coupled to an output shaft (14); and wherein (c) a third gear component of said differential gear (13) is coupled by means of an override shaft (16) to a hydrodynamic brake (17) coaxially disposed with respect to the override shaft (16) for retarding the latter shaft and to a turbine wheel (26) of a fillable and emptiable and controllable hydrodynamic torque converter (15), so that said output shaft may be rotated in a lower speed range when said brake (17) is effective and when said torque converter (15) is emptied and may be rotated in an upper speed range when said brake (17) is released and when said torque converter (15) is filled, wherein all of said shafts (10; 12; 14; 16) and said differential gear (13) and said hydrodynamic torque converter (15) are coaxially disposed with respect to one another.

Claim 7

In a power transmission system for driving a variable speed processing machine, and having system elements comprising: (a) a shaft (12) that is coupled to a first gear component of a differential gear (13) wherein said shaft (12) is formed as an intermediate shaft and is coupled via a controllable hydrodynamic coupling (11) to an input shaft (10); and wherein (b) a second gear component of said differential gear (13) is permanently coupled to an output shaft (14); and wherein (c) a third gear component of said differential gear (13) is coupled by means of an override shaft (16) to a hydrodynamic brake (17) coaxially disposed with respect to the override shaft (16) for retarding the latter shaft and to a turbine wheel (26) of a fillable and emptiable and controllable hydrodynamic torque converter (15), so that said output shaft may be rotated in a lower speed range when said brake (17) is effective and when said torque converter (15) is emptied and may be rotated in an upper speed range when said brake (17) is released and when said torque converter (15) is filled, wherein all of said shafts (10; 12; 14; 16) and said differential gear (13) and said hydrodynamic torque converter (15) are coaxially disposed with respect to one another.

Claim 8

The power transmission system of claim 5 which further comprises means for setting different fluid filling degrees in said hydrodynamic brake (17).

Claim 9

The power transmission system of claim 5 wherein said hydrodynamic coupling (11) is coaxial with respect to said input shaft (10), said hydrodynamic torque converter (15), said brake (17), said differential gear (13) and said output shaft (14).

Claim 10

The power transmission system of claim 7 wherein said override shaft (16) is a hollow shaft mounted to enclose said shaft (12).

Claim 11

The power transmission system of claims 5 wherein said hydrodynamic coupling (11) has a mechanical bypass coupling (18) disposed in parallel therewith.

Claim 12

The power transmission system of claim 9 which further comprises a pump impeller (25) permanently coupled to said shaft (12) as part of said hydrodynamic torque converter (15).

Claim 13

In a power transmission system for driving a variable speed processing machine, and having system elements comprising a three-component differential gear (13) having first, second and third gear components, said system elements further comprising: (a) a shaft (12) that is coupled for transmitting torque to the first gear component of said differential gear (13); and wherein (b) the second gear component of said differential gear (13) is permanently coupled to an output shaft (14); and wherein (c) the third gear component of said differential gear (13) is coupled by means of an override shaft (16), which is a hollow shaft mounted to enclose said shaft (12), to a hydrodynamic brake (17) for retarding the latter shaft and to a turbine wheel (26) of a fillable and emptiable and controllable hydrodynamic torque converter (15) comprising a pump impeller (25), said turbine wheel (26), and a set of guide blades (27a) which are positioned in a stationary converter shell (15a), so that the output shaft may be rotated in a lower speed range when said brake (17) is effective and when said torque converter (15) is emptied and may be rotated in an upper speed range when said brake (17) is released and when said torque converter (15) is filled, wherein all of said shafts (12; 14; 16) and said differential gear (13), said hydrodynamic torque converter (15) and said hydrodynamic brake (17) are coaxially disposed with respect to one another.

Claim 14

In a power transmission system for driving a variable speed processing machine, and having system elements comprising a three-component differential gear (13) having first, second and third gear components, said system elements further comprising: (a) a shaft (12) that is coupled for transmitting torque to the first gear component of said differential gear (13); and wherein (b) the second gear component of said differential gear (13) is permanently coupled to an output shaft (14); and wherein (c) the third gear component of said differential gear (13) is coupled by means of an override shaft (16), which is a hollow shaft mounted to enclose said shaft (12), to a hydrodynamic brake (17) for retarding the latter shaft and to a turbine wheel (26) of a fillable and emptiable and controllable hydrodynamic torque converter (15) comprising a pump impeller (25), said turbine wheel (26), and a set of guide blades (27a) which are positioned in a stationary converter shell (15a), so that the output shaft may be rotated in a lower speed range when said brake (17) is effective and when said torque converter (15) is emptied and may be rotated in an upper speed range when said brake (17) is released and when said torque converter (15) is filled, wherein all of said shafts (12; 14; 16) and said differential gear (13), said hydrodynamic torque converter (15) and said hydrodynamic brake (17) are coaxially disposed with respect to one another.

Claim 15

The power transmission system of claim 11 which further comprises means for setting different fluid filling degrees for said hydrodynamic brake (17).