本文讨论的锥齿轮,是泛指非平行轴传动的齿轮,包括锥齿轮的特例——两轴线相交的平面形齿轮副。在研究锥齿轮的发明与发展史时,将涉及它的“同胞”——开发得更早、用得更广的平行轴传动的“圆柱齿轮”。最早的齿轮是怎样发明出来的?它源于何方?用于何处?——这是近百年来人们在探索的一个难解之谜。(1)按常规的线索,是从“考古”着手,从出土文物去找答案。由于先后从古希腊、罗马、埃及、印度与中国,都有出土的青铜齿轮或铸铁齿轮出现,于是有齿轮源于欧洲的“欧源”说、和类似的“非源”说、“亚源”说,各自找到物证来支持。莫衷一是。 Bevel gear discussed in this article refers to non-parallel shaft drive gear, including the special case of bevel gear - two-axis intersecting plane gear pair. In the study of the history of the invention and development of bevel gears, it will be related to its “siblings” - the development of earlier, more widely used parallel axis driven “spur gear.” How did the earliest gear be invented, where did it originate and where it was used? This is a mystery that people have been exploring for nearly a hundred years. (1) According to conventional clues, from “archeology” to proceed from the unearthed relics to find the answer. As a result of the emergence of bronze gears or cast iron gears unearthed from ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, India and China, there are gears that originate from Europe’s “Ouyuan” and that similar “non-source” “Asian source ” said that they each find physical evidence to support. Impolite.