14. Automatic Synthesis of Planetary Gear Trains

The chapter introduces a novel approach to the structural synthesis of planetary gear trains (PGTs) using parent graphs, addressing the limitations of existing methods. It presents a systematic and fully automatic method to synthesize 1-DOF and non-fractionated 2-DOF PGTs, establishing a complete database of rotation and displacement graphs for PGTs with up to nine links. The method involves generating parent graphs, detecting fractionation, and eliminating isomorphic graphs, all automated through a software developed in C++. The chapter also reviews previous synthesis methods, highlighting inconsistencies in results for PGTs with more than five links. The unique contribution of this chapter lies in its ability to synthesize PGTs with multiple degrees of freedom (DOFs) and its potential to advance the design of complex transmission systems in various industries.