Improved drive for tool belts

Abstract

Tool belt drive (1), comprising a support profile (2) for receiving and supporting a tool belt (3), wherein the support profile (2) is attached at one end to a motorized deflection housing (7) of the tool belt (3) and at the opposite end to an idle deflection housing (8) of the tool belt (3), wherein the motorized deflection housing (7) and the idle deflection housing (8) each receive a drive roller (9m) and an idle roller (9f) that support the tool belt (3), and wherein the drive roller (9m) is coupled to an electric motor (M), characterized in that at least one of the motorized deflection housings (7) and idle deflection housings (8) consists of a one-piece block comprising: - at least one receiving seat (2s) at one end of the support profile (2); and - a first and a second coaxial bore (15, 16) which each accommodate a front and a rear bearing (10) of the drive roller (9m) and idle roller (9f), respectively.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of tool belt drives. In a preferred embodiment, the tool belt is driven in a reciprocating motion. In a preferred application, the tool carried by the tool belt is a spray nozzle in a bed-of-needles washing machine. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] As used herein, the term "tool belt" refers to any flexible, motorized element capable of carrying a carriage, to which a working tool is stably attached, in a controlled manner along a linear axis. The working tool may be attached directly to the carriage when only linear motion is required, or indirectly—namely, attached to the carriage of a second tool belt, which is integrally connected to and perpendicular to the carriage of the first tool belt—when the tool must instead perform its function in a two-dimensional plane. The field of reciprocating tool belt drives is a large and well-developed area; however, some components of such drives, such as tool belt deflection housings, can still be improved.

[0003] Tool belt deflection housings currently consist of several machined mechanical parts assembled into a single structure. This design makes these housings expensive to manufacture and assemble, inherently weak from both a mechanical and corrosion standpoint, and prone to the accumulation of dust and dirt that is difficult to remove, particularly in the connection areas between the various parts. For all these reasons, there is an urgent need for significant improvements to current tool belt drives to simplify manufacturing and assembly processes and to facilitate and expedite routine and / or specialized maintenance.This need is all the more urgent the more critical the environmental conditions are in which the tool belt drives are operated - for example, in environments where humidity, water, temperatures above room temperature or foreign substances play a role - when such tool belt drives are installed in machines which, among their various functions, must also control the longitudinal movement of a tool held within them.

[0004] The applicant also noted that the aforementioned critical problems are significantly more pronounced in the textile industry due to the presence of waste and dust from the treated textile fibers, as well as water or other liquid treatment agents used in the processing of these fibers.One specific area where these critical problems are particularly evident is in washing machines for needle beds (plates with a multitude of parallel needles used in knitting machines), where the tool carried by the tool belt is a washing nozzle, and thus the entire machine, and especially the tool belt drive, operates under conditions of high humidity, high washing temperatures, constant contact with water, and the presence of suspended particles, all of which inevitably increase the rate of corrosion and / or degradation of the deflection housings with their numerous connection areas, as well as the other components of the tool belt drive. TECHNICAL PROBLEM AND SOLUTION

[0005] The technical problem addressed by the present utility model is therefore to provide a tool belt drive that overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages and, in particular, has a lower design complexity and higher robustness than the prior art tool belt drives.

[0006] A primary objective of the present utility model is therefore to simplify the general structure of a tool belt drive by reducing the total number of its components.

[0007] A second objective of the present utility model is to simplify the general structure of the tool belt deflection housings, with the specific aim of reducing manufacturing costs and simplifying assembly, maintenance and cleaning operations.

[0008] This problem is solved and these objectives are achieved by an improved tool belt drive with the features defined in appended claim 1. The dependent claims define further preferred features of the utility model. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Further features and advantages of the utility model will become clearer from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, which is given only as an example and without limitation and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows an exploded view of a tool belt drive according to the utility model; Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B shows perspective views from two different angles of a motorized deflection housing that is part of the tool belt drive according to the utility model; Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B Two orthogonal views of the opposite sides of the motorized deflection housing of the Fig. 2 show; Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of an idle deflection housing that is part of the tool belt drive of the utility model; Fig. 5 an orthogonal view of one side of the idle deflection housing of the Fig. 4 shows the one facing the tool belt; and Fig. 6 an orthogonal view of the in Fig. 5 shows the opposite side of the idle deflection housing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED FORM OF EXECUTION

[0010] Fig. Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a tool belt drive 1 according to the utility model, in which the tool belt is provided with a reciprocating motion. In a manner known per se, the drive 1 comprises a support profile 2 suitable for receiving and supporting a tool belt 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the support profile 2 comprises an open upper channel 4, which is laterally bounded by two rounded ribs 5 that receive the working strand of the tool belt 3 on which a tool is mounted; the tool mounting area 3u on the tool belt 3 is in Fig. 1 is indicated only by an interruption in the continuity of the tool belt 3, precisely because the tool can be attached to the tool belt directly or indirectly, via a slide and, if necessary, a second tool belt. The support profile 2 then includes a closed return channel 6, which accommodates the return strand of the tool belt 3.

[0011] According to the utility model, a motorized deflection housing 7 of the tool belt 3 is attached to one end of the support profile 2, while an idle deflection housing 8 of the tool belt 3 is attached to the opposite end of the support profile 2. The structure and features of the motorized deflection housing 7 and the idle deflection housing 8 are described in detail below. Fig. Figure 1 clearly shows how the motorized deflection housing 7 accommodates a drive roller 9m, which is supported by a pair of bearings 10; similarly, the idle deflection housing 8 accommodates an idle roller 9f, which is also supported by a pair of bearings 10. In a manner known per se, the assemblies, consisting of the drive roller 9m or the idle roller 9f and the associated bearings 10, are held in position in the respective deflection housings 7 and 8 by means of retaining rings 11, for example of the Seeger type, which engage in corresponding grooves in the aforementioned deflection housings. Finally, an axial shaft 12, which is integral with the drive roller 9m, is coupled to the output shaft of an electric motor M via a universal joint G in order to compensate for any mounting misalignments between the output shaft of the motor M and the shaft 12 of the drive roller 9m.

[0012] The structural features of the motorized deflection housing 7 are described in the Fig. 2 and Fig. Figure 3 clearly illustrates this. According to an important feature of the utility model, the motorized deflection housing 7 consists of a single block and is manufactured from a suitable plastic or metal-plastic material using an additive 3D printing process or a conventional injection molding process. The additive 3D printing process is particularly preferable for small-batch production, both because of the lower costs and because of the high design complexity of a mold required to obtain the numerous cavities and undercuts of the desired housing shape. The motorized deflection housing 7 consists of a cuboid, box-shaped body provided with receiving seats 2s on at least one and preferably both opposite sides to receive one end of the support profile 2.Each receiving seat 2s is preferably recessed relative to the outer surface of the box-shaped body and has a shape that corresponds to the outer contours of the support profile 2 in order to enable a tight connection between said support profile 2 and the motorized deflection housing 7. Each receiving seat 2s is also provided with a base wall 2b in which several through holes 13 are formed, in which screws V are arranged that engage in corresponding threaded holes in the support profile 2. By screwing in the screws V, the support profile 2 is clamped stably against the base wall 2b of the receiving seat 2s of the motorized deflection housing 7. Many other known fastening systems can also be used, provided they enable a firm connection between the support profile 2 and the motorized deflection housing 7.

[0013] The bottom wall 2b of the motorized deflection housing 7 also has a large central window 14 to allow the two strands of the tool belt access to their respective drive rollers 9m. The two identical receiving seats 2s, preferably provided on the two opposite sides of the motorized deflection housing 7, make it possible to attach the motorized deflection housing 7 to either end of the support profile 2, thus better meeting the access requirements of each individual machine into which the tool belt drive of the present utility model is installed. Finally, the box-shaped body of the motorized deflection housing 7 described above includes, on its front wall, a bore with a stop 15 for receiving a front bearing 10 of the drive roller 9m and, on its rear wall, a bore for receiving and securing a rear bearing 10 of the same drive roller 9m.The rear bearing 10 can be secured in the aforementioned bore by a mechanical press fit or by means of a retaining ring that sits in a groove 16 coaxial with the aforementioned bore. An inspection window 17, formed on the upper wall of the box-shaped body, facilitates the assembly of the various components in the motorized deflection housing 7.

[0014] In addition to the box-shaped body described above, the motorized deflection housing 7 also includes a support plate P for the motor M, which is arranged parallel to and at a distance from the front wall of the box-shaped body and is connected to it by two robust connecting walls 18 that project from the box-shaped body. A cavity is thus formed between the front wall of the box-shaped body and the support plate P of the motor M, in which the cardan joint G described above is housed and protected. The support plate P is provided with through holes at its four corners, which allow the electric motor M to be attached to the motorized deflection housing 7 in a completely conventional manner using screws W and corresponding nuts.

[0015] The idle deflection housing 8, which is mounted at the other end of the support profile 2, is in the Fig.4-6 shows and has a structure very similar to that of the box-shaped body of the motorized deflection housing 7, with the sole difference being that a receiving seat 2s is present only on one of the two sides of the box-shaped body, while a simple access window 19 is located on the opposite side. The idle deflection housing 8 can in fact be selectively mounted at either the right or the left end of the support profile 2, provided that the assembly, consisting of the idle roller 9f and the associated bearings 10, must always be inserted through the bore provided with the groove 16 until the front bearing abuts the bore-with-stop 15, and is then locked in position by inserting a retaining ring into said groove 16.In this case too, the groove 16 can be omitted, and the rear bearing 10 can be blocked by simple mechanical press fit in the bore-without-stop through which the idle roller assembly 9f is inserted.

[0016] According to an important feature of the present utility model, the idle deflection housing 8 is also designed as a single-piece block, using either an additive 3D printing process with a suitable plastic or metal-plastic material or a conventional injection molding process. This manufacturing method of the motorized deflection housing 7 and the idle deflection housing 8 as single-piece blocks makes it possible to drastically reduce design and assembly times compared to current manufacturing techniques, while simultaneously improving the performance of the tool belt drive of the present utility model, particularly with regard to the tool belt deflection housings, thus achieving all the intended objectives. Consequently, the installation of the tool belt drive in any machine requiring longitudinal tool movement is also facilitated.It is only necessary to cut the support profile 2 and the tool belt 3 to size, while all other components of the tool belt drive remain unchanged in any type of application.

[0017] As stated above, the applicant has determined that the application of the tool belt drive according to the present utility model for moving spray nozzles of a washing liquid in a washing machine for needle beds (plates with a plurality of parallel needles used in knitting machines) is particularly advantageous. In said washing machines, all components of the tool belt drive are constantly exposed to direct contact with the washing liquid under conditions of high humidity and temperature. Therefore, the simplification introduced in the design of such a tool belt drive, and in particular the deflection housing, allows for an extended service life of the tool belt drive and a significant simplification of the corresponding cleaning and maintenance procedures.

[0018] It is understood, however, that the protection granted by the present utility model also extends to other embodiments that have the same effectiveness, which may include any modification that is within the reasonable discretion of a person skilled in the art, and which fall within the scope of protection of the present utility model as defined by the following claims.

Claims

[1] Tool belt drive (1) comprising a support profile (2) for receiving and supporting a tool belt (3), wherein the support profile (2) is attached at one end to a motorized deflection housing (7) of the tool belt (3) and at the opposite end to an idle deflection housing (8) of the tool belt (3), wherein the motorized deflection housing (7) and the idle deflection housing (8) each receive a drive roller (9m) and an idle roller (9f) which support the tool belt (3), and wherein the drive roller (9m) is coupled to an electric motor (M), characterized by , that at least one of the motorized deflection housings (7) and idle deflection housings (8) consists of a single block comprising: - at least one receiving seat (2s) at one end of the support profile (2); and - a first and a second coaxial bore (15, 16) which each accommodate a front and a rear bearing (10) of the drive roller (9m) and idle roller (9f), respectively. [2] Tool belt drive according to claim 1, wherein the motorized deflection housing (7) and the idle deflection housing (8) are manufactured from a plastic or metal-plastic material using an additive 3D printing process. [3] Tool belt drive according to claim 2, wherein the motorized deflection housing (7) further comprises a support plate (P) of the electric motor (M) which is integrally connected to the motorized deflection housing (7) by connecting walls (18). [4] Tool belt drive according to claim 3, wherein the support profile (2) comprises an open upper channel (4) in which the working strand of the tool belt (3) carrying a tool is received, and a closed return channel (6) in which the return strand of the tool belt (3) is received. [5] Tool belt drive according to claim 4, wherein the motorized deflection housing (7) and the idle deflection housing (8) each consist of a cuboid, box-shaped body, on the side walls of which the said receiving seats (2s) are provided, in the front and rear walls of which the first and second coaxial bores (15, 16) for receiving the bearings (10) are provided and in the upper wall of which an inspection window (17) is formed. [6] Tool belt drive according to claim 5, wherein the receiving seats (2s) of the ends of the support profile (2) are recessed relative to the outer surface of the box-shaped body, have a shape corresponding to the outer contours of the support profile (2), and comprise a bottom wall (2b) in which fastening means for the support profile (2) are provided. [7] Tool belt drive according to claim 6, wherein the bottom wall (2b) is provided with a large central window (14) which allows access of the two strands of the tool belt (3) to the drive roller (9m) and the idle roller (9f), respectively. [8] Tool belt drive according to claim 5, wherein the first bore is a bore-with-stop (15) which accommodates the front bearing (10) of the drive roller (9m) and the idle roller (9f), respectively. [9] Tool belt drive according to claim 8, wherein the second bore is a receiving seat bore with mechanical press fit of a rear bearing (10) of the drive roller (9m) or the idle roller (9f). [10] Tool belt drive according to claim 8, wherein the second bore is a bore with a groove (16) for receiving a rear bearing (10) of the drive roller (9m) or the idle roller (9f), wherein said bearing is blocked by inserting a retaining ring into said groove (16). [11] Tool belt drive according to claim 3, wherein an axial shaft (12) of the drive roller (9m) is coupled to an output shaft of the electric motor (M) via a cardan joint (G) which is accommodated in the space limited by the connecting walls (18). [12] Tool belt drive according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the tool carried by the tool belt (3) is a washing nozzle or a slide on which a second tool belt is mounted, which carries said washing nozzle and runs in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of said tool belt (3). [13] Washing machine for needle beds of knitting machines, comprising a tool belt drive according to claim 12.

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