Patent ID: 7112157

Claim:
A gear unit for the drive of a rotating tube, the rotating tube having a central axis, comprising: a drive shaft; and a power distribution gear stage including a helical gear unit with an intermediate shaft having two pinions mounted thereon and a load-summing gear stage with a take-off shaft co-axial with the central axis of the rotating tube, the intermediate shaft of the helical gear unit being supported axially freely adjustable on bearings, and the load-summing gear stage having a pair of parallel-operated planetary gear units, each planetary gear unit having a sun gear, a planetary gear mounted on a planetary axle for rotation therearound as the planetary gear meshingly engages an annulus gear, and the pair of planetary gear units being commonly mounted in a planet carrier configured as a single piece and connected with the take-off shaft of load-summing gear stage, the planetary axles of the pair of planetary gear units being separated from one another in the common planet carrier and offset relative to one another and the helical gear unit, and the planetary gear units together forming a symmetrical planetary gear unit combination.