Method for automatically detecting a wear condition of a drive belt, drive belt for transmitting torques and device formed with a drive belt

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for automatically detecting the wear condition of a drive belt designed to transmit torque from a drive pulley to a driven pulley. The invention further relates to a device for transmitting torque from a drive pulley to a driven pulley, wherein at least a portion of the drive belt is electrically conductive and designed to transmit at least one electrical signal. The invention also relates to a device comprising a drive belt for transmitting torque from a drive pulley to a driven pulley, wherein at least a portion of the drive belt is electrically conductive.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for automatically detecting the wear condition of a drive belt designed to transmit torque from a drive pulley to a driven pulley. The invention further relates to a device for transmitting torque from a drive pulley to a driven pulley, wherein at least a portion of the drive belt is electrically conductive and designed to transmit at least one electrical signal. The invention also relates to a device comprising a drive belt for transmitting torque from a drive pulley to a driven pulley, wherein at least a portion of the drive belt is electrically conductive.

[0002] These drive belts are used in a wide variety of belt drives, such as V-belts, timing belts, or other types of friction belts. These drive belts are subject to wear during operation, for example, due to abrasion of the rubber material of the drive belt against the drive and driven pulleys. To ensure uninterrupted operation of the belt drive, increased wear of the drive belt should be detected as soon as possible, ideally before the drive belt fails completely.

[0003] In drive technology, especially in agricultural machinery, V-belts, particularly wide V-belts, are used for various applications. Wear on these drive belts presents a particular challenge for manufacturers and users, as beyond a certain point, the belt's performance can be significantly impaired, and a belt failure can damage surrounding components. Therefore, early wear detection is crucial to replace the belt before it fails.

[0004] The invention is based on the objective of enabling improved wear detection of drive belts.

[0005] This task is solved in a method of the type mentioned above by detecting an electrical signal at the drive belt and automatically generating a wear signal by evaluating this signal. Advantageously, the drive belt itself can thus be used as a sensor component for monitoring its wear. The automatic detection and evaluation of an electrical signal enables simple and reliable wear detection, for example, with an electronic wear detection device that generates a wear signal based on the detected electrical signal, e.g., in the form of a visual, acoustic, and / or haptic signal. Such an electrical signal can be evaluated relatively easily, particularly using cost-effective components.

[0006] Due to operational wear on the drive belt, the chamfer of the drive belt becomes progressively smaller until the backing material finally comes into contact with the drive pulley and / or the driven pulley. The resulting electrical continuity can then generate an electrical signal, such as a current flowing through the drive belt. This signal can be used to indicate to the user, via a signal transmitter (e.g., acoustic or visual), that the belt has reached its wear limit and needs to be replaced. Advantageously, the electrical signal can be detected on the drive belt while it is running and / or when the drive belt is stationary.

[0007] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the electrical signal is an electric current flowing through at least a section of the drive belt and / or an electrical voltage applied to the drive belt. This is also advantageous for simple evaluation of the electrical signal by means of an electronic wear detection device. The electrical signal can be a direct current signal or a direct voltage signal, or an alternating current signal or an alternating voltage signal.

[0008] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the electrical signal is detected by a current flowing through the drive belt that runs transversely to the direction of travel of the drive belt. The direction of travel of the drive belt is a direction that runs from the driven pulley to the drive pulley and back again. In contrast, the electrical signal is detected by a current flowing through the drive belt that runs transversely to this direction of travel, i.e., at an angle other than 0 degrees to the direction of travel of the drive belt, e.g., at a 90° angle to the direction of travel or in the range between 0° and 90°, e.g., in the angle range between 30° and 60°. Such an electrical signal guided diagonally through the drive belt has the advantage that only a short signal path has to be traversed through the drive belt, compared to a signal that travels longitudinally.The direction of rotation of the drive belt would need to be transmitted. This improves signal quality and avoids interference. Furthermore, drive belts can then be more easily manufactured with electrical conductivity using standard design principles, since, for example, electrically conductive textile fibers can be more easily incorporated transversely into the fabric of the drive belt.

[0009] According to an advantageous embodiment, the electrical signal can be detected by a current flowing through the drive belt, which runs from one side flank of the drive belt to the opposite side flank of the drive belt.

[0010] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the electrical signal is detected via measuring electrodes that are in contact with opposite side surfaces of the drive belt. This allows for simple and reliable detection of the electrical signal, particularly when the drive belt is running. The measuring electrodes can include, for example, sliding contacts, slip rings, electrically conductive rollers, inductive and / or capacitive couplers, wireless power transmission, and / or other current collectors.

[0011] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the electrical signal is detected in the area of ​​the belt back, in the area of ​​one leg of the drive belt, and / or in the area of ​​the power transmission section of the drive belt where the drive belt rests against at least one pulley during operation. This allows for a variety of configurations for detecting the electrical signal on the drive belt. If the electrical signal is to be detected, for example, in the area of ​​the belt back or in the area of ​​one leg of the drive belt, the signal transmission can be achieved, for example, via sliding contacts or electrically conductive rollers located there. If the electrical signal is to be detected in the area of ​​a pulley, the pulley itself can be used for electrical signal transmission, e.g., the drive pulley, the driven pulley, or another type of pulley, e.g., a tensioning pulley.For this purpose, the pulley can be designed, for example, as two disc halves that are electrically insulated from each other. Then, an electrical signal can be transmitted on each half of the pulley, for example, via sliding contacts or rollers in contact with it.

[0012] The aforementioned problem is also solved by a drive belt for transmitting torque from a drive pulley to a driven pulley, wherein at least a portion of the drive belt is electrically conductive and designed to transmit at least one electrical signal, and wherein the drive belt has electrical contact surfaces on its opposite sides, which can be electrically contacted by electrical measuring electrodes of a wear detection device during operation of the drive belt and / or when stationary, in order to detect an electrical signal on the drive belt. The advantages described above can also be realized in this way. The drive belt does not need to be electrically conductive along its entire length in the direction of travel; rather, it is sufficient that it has electrically conductive sections in one or more segments in the longitudinal direction (direction of travel).

[0013] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the drive belt has at least one textile material layer on its back, which is made electrically conductive by the incorporation of electrically conductive fibers and / or electrically conductive fabric. In this way, drive belts with a conventional design can be made electrically conductive in a simple manner; that is, a complete redesign of the drive belt is not required. Rather, it is sufficient to make the belt back, which already has a textile material layer, electrically conductive by incorporating the electrically conductive fibers or fabric. The textile material layer of the belt back can, for example, be a woven fabric.

[0014] In this way, the design of the drive belt with electrically conductive areas can be seamlessly integrated into known production steps for such drive belts, particularly in the manufacture of the textile material layer. Advantageously, the electrically conductive fibers can be incorporated into the textile material layer as warp threads and / or weft threads.

[0015] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the drive belt is made electrically conductive by applying an electrically conductive film, e.g., a thin metal foil, or another electrically conductive coating. For example, it is conceivable to apply an electrically conductive film, e.g., a thin metal foil, or another electrically conductive coating to the outside of the textile material layer or as an intermediate layer between the textile material layer and the upper core compound / embedding.

[0016] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the fiber orientation of the electrically conductive fibers and / or the electrically conductive fabric is arranged at an oblique angle to the direction of travel of the drive belt. In this way, the drive belt can be designed to be particularly stable and robust despite the incorporation of the electrically conductive fibers or the electrically conductive fabric, especially with regard to transverse forces, which, due to the oblique orientation of the fibers relative to the direction of travel, cannot damage the drive belt. The fiber orientation is therefore neither parallel to nor perpendicular to the direction of travel of the belt, but at an oblique angle, which has a value between 0° and 90° with respect to the direction of travel of the belt, e.g., in the range of 30° to 60°.

[0017] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the belt backing consists at least partially of a rubber compound made electrically conductive by electrically conductive fillers. This also enables a very efficient provision of electrically conductive areas of the drive belt, which can be readily integrated into existing drive belt production processes. For example, electrically conductive microparticles, such as metal particles and / or carbon fiber particles, can be incorporated as electrically conductive fillers. The fillers can be, for example, fibers, spheres, powders, and / or other particles.

[0018] The aforementioned problem is also solved by a device comprising a drive belt for transmitting torque from a drive pulley to a driven pulley, wherein at least a portion of the drive belt is electrically conductive and configured to transmit at least one electrical signal, and comprising at least one wear detection device configured to detect wear of the drive belt using a method of the type described above. The advantages described above can also be realized in this way. The wear detection device can thus be configured to perform a method of the type described above. For example, the wear detection device can be an electronic device, optionally with or without a microprocessor.If a microprocessor is present, it can execute a computer program that is stored in a memory of the wear detection device and contains program steps by which a procedure of the type described above is carried out when the computer program is executed on the computer.

[0019] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the drive belt can be designed as a drive belt of the type described above.

[0020] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the device is designed as a belt drive with a drive pulley and a driven pulley, wherein the drive belt is tensioned over the drive pulley and the driven pulley and is designed for the transmission of torques from the drive pulley to the driven pulley.

[0021] The drive belt can be an open-flanked, toothed or unserted V-belt, for example in the form of a wide V-belt or a covered V-belt. It is also conceivable to apply an electrically conductive film or other electrically conductive coating to the back of a covered V-belt to make the V-belt electrically conductive.

[0022] The wear detection device may, for example, have a trigger circuit or other trigger function in the event that the electrical contact time of an electrically conductive area of ​​the drive belt and the measuring electrodes is relatively short, and / or a capacitor that is charged by a short-term flowing electrical signal and whose capacitor voltage can be evaluated.

[0023] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments and drawings.

[0024] They show Fig. 1 a device with a drive belt and a wear detection device, Fig. 2 a drive belt in cross-sectional view, Fig. 3 a drive belt in perspective sectional view.

[0025] The Fig. Figure 1 shows a belt drive 1 with a belt 2. The belt drive 1 has a first pulley 3 and a second pulley 4. For example, the first pulley 3 can be designed as the drive pulley, and the second pulley 4 as the driven pulley. However, the arrangement can also be reversed. The belt 2 is tensioned over the first pulley 3 and the second pulley 4.

[0026] In belt drives, a section of the belt 2 that is not in contact with a pulley 3, 4 is called a run. The loaded run is the section of the belt 2 that bears the transmitted load, i.e., the section that is taut due to the transmission of the load. The slack run is the loose, untensioned, and slightly sagging section. As can be seen in the Fig. As 1 recognizes, the belt drive 1 has an upper run 5 and a lower run 6.

[0027] The Fig. Figure 1 further shows a wear detection device 8, which is connected to the drive belt 2 via electrical leads 7, e.g., via measuring electrodes that contact the upper run 5 or the lower run 6. The wear detection device 8 detects an electrical signal during operation and / or when the drive belt 2 is stationary. If this electrical signal indicates a specific wear condition of the drive belt 2, the wear detection device 8 automatically outputs a wear signal, e.g., via a signal transmitter 9 connected to the wear detection device 8.

[0028] The Fig. Figure 2 shows a possible design of a drive belt 2 in cross-sectional view. The drive belt 2 has a belt back 13, which can, for example, be made of a textile fabric. During normal operation of the drive belt 2, the belt back 13 is generally not in contact with a pulley 3, 4. For contact with the pulley 3, 4, the drive belt 2 has a contact section 18, which can, for example, be formed by a lower core compound. The drive belt 2 has two opposing side surfaces 10, each with a side flank 12 in the area of ​​the contact section 18 and a chamfer 11 in the area of ​​the belt back 13.

[0029] The contact section 18, with its left and right side flanks 12, is designed to bear against the side edges of a pulley 3, 4. In the area of ​​the belt back 13, the side surface 10 is formed by the chamfer 11, which does not bear against a pulley 3, 4 during normal operation of the drive belt 2.

[0030] The drive belt 2 can, as optional layers, have an upper core compound 14 between the belt backing 13 and the contact section 18. This upper core compound 14 can be applied as a material layer to the underside of the belt backing 13 facing the contact section 18. Beneath the upper core compound 14, a layer in the form of an embedded compound 15 can be located. Beneath the embedded compound 15, the drive belt 2 can have a layer with a tensile cord 16. Between the layer forming the tensile cord 16 and the contact section 18, the drive belt 2 can have a further embedded compound 17. The upper and / or lower core compounds 14, 18, and / or the embedded compound 17 can consist, for example, of ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM), chloroprene rubber (CR), and / or hydrogenated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR). The tensile cord can comprise one or more threads, which may consist of, for example, polyester and / or aramid and / or carbon.

[0031] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the electrical signal for detecting the wear condition is detected on the opposite side surfaces 10 of the drive belt 2, i.e., by an electric current running transversely to the direction of travel of the drive belt 2. This is in the Fig.Figure 3 illustrates this by way of example. The drive belt 2 has an electrically conductive area in which electrically conductive fibers 21 extend transversely, i.e., diagonally, to the direction of travel L of the drive belt 2 from one side surface 10 to the opposite side surface 10. A measuring electrode 20 is arranged on each of the side surfaces 10, e.g., via a sliding contact or a rotating roller, whereby the electrical signal can be selectively detected on one side surface 10 either in the area of ​​the chamfer 11 and / or the side flank 12, and on the other, opposite side surface 10 also selectively at the chamfer 11 and / or the side flank 12. The electrical signals transmitted via the measuring electrodes 20 are fed to the wear detection device 8 via the lines 7 and evaluated there as already explained.

[0032] In another embodiment, the chamfer can also be attached to at least one tooth, in which case the electrically conductive tissue lies against the tooth side.

Claims

[1] Method for detecting a wear condition of a drive belt (2) designed to transmit torques from a drive pulley (3) to a driven pulley (4), characterized by , that an electrical signal is detected at the drive belt (2) and a wear signal is automatically output by evaluating the electrical signal. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by , that an electrical signal is detected which is an electric current flowing through at least one section of the drive belt (2) and / or an electrical voltage applied to the drive belt (2). [3] Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the electrical signal is detected by a current flow through the drive belt (2) which runs transversely to the direction of travel (L) of the drive belt (2). [4] Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the electrical signal is detected via measuring electrodes (20) which are located on opposite side surfaces (10) of the drive belt (2). [5] Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the electrical signal is detected in the area of ​​the belt back (13), in the area of ​​a run (5, 6) of the drive belt (2) and / or in the area of ​​the power transmission section of the drive belt (2), with which the drive belt (2) bears against at least one pulley (3, 4) during operation. [6] Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the electrical signal is detected via at least one sliding contact, slip ring, electrically conductive roller, inductive and / or capacitive coupler, wireless power transmission and / or other current collector. [7] Drive belt (2) for transmitting torques from a drive pulley (3) to a driven pulley (4), wherein at least a part of the drive belt (2) is electrically conductive and is designed to transmit at least one electrical signal, characterized by , that the drive belt (2) has electrical contact surfaces on the opposite side surfaces (10) which can be electrically contacted by electrical measuring electrodes (20) of a wear detection device (8) during operation of the drive belt (2) and / or when stationary, in order to detect an electrical signal on the drive belt (2). [8] Drive belt according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the drive belt (2) has at least one textile material layer on the back of the belt (13) which is made electrically conductive by the introduction of electrically conductive fibers (21) and / or electrically conductive fabric. [9] Drive belt according to claim 8, characterized by , that the electrically conductive fibers (21) are incorporated into the textile material layer as warp threads and / or as weft threads. [10] Drive belt according to one of claims 8 to 9, characterized by , that the fiber orientation of the electrically conductive fibers (21) and / or the electrically conductive fabric is arranged at an oblique angle to the direction of travel (L) of the drive belt (2). [11] Drive belt according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized by , that the belt back (13) consists at least partly of a rubber compound which is made electrically conductive by electrically conductive fillers. [12] Drive belt according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized by , that the drive belt (2) is made electrically conductive by applying an electrically conductive film, e.g. a thin metal foil, or any other electrically conductive coating. [13] Device comprising a drive belt (2) for transmitting torques from a drive pulley (3) to a driven pulley (4), wherein at least a part of the drive belt (2) is electrically conductive and is configured to transmit at least one electrical signal, and comprising at least one wear detection device (8) configured to detect the wear of the drive belt (2) using a method according to any one of claims 1 to 6. [14] Device according to claim 13, characterized by , that the drive belt (2) is designed as a drive belt according to one of claims 6 to 10. [15] Device according to claim 13 or 14, characterized by, that the device is designed as a belt drive (1) with a drive pulley (3) and a driven pulley (4), wherein the drive belt (2) is tensioned over the drive pulley (3) and the driven pulley (4) and is designed for the transmission of torques from the drive pulley (3) to the driven pulley (4).

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