Adjustable Precast Pulley Assembly for Automated Wire Path Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional systems for adjusting tire bead wire paths require manual intervention and downtime to change bead sizes, posing safety risks and inefficiencies due to the need for manual repositioning or swapping of precast pulleys.

Innovation Solution

An adjustable precast pulley assembly with first and second pulleys in an adjacent relationship, supported for angular orientation and circumferential rotation, allowing automated adjustment of the wire path without user intervention, enabling the wire to selectively engage or bypass each pulley based on desired bead sizes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If manual repositioning or swapping of precast pulleys is used to change bead sizes, then the wire path can be adjusted, but safety risks increase and downtime occurs due to manual intervention

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewire path adjustment capabilityVSAvoidoperational safety
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The precast pulley assembly is made dynamically adjustable through automated rotation, allowing the wire path to be changed without manual intervention. The system transitions from static pulley positions to dynamic, motor-controlled positioning, enabling safe and flexible adaptation to different bead sizes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs self-adjustment of the wire path through automated pulley rotation. The motor assembly enables the pulley to rotate and reposition itself according to control signals, eliminating the need for manual user intervention and thereby improving safety while maintaining adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Adaptability or versatility

If manual repositioning or swapping of precast pulleys is used to change bead sizes, then the wire path can be adjusted, but productivity decreases due to downtime

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewire path adjustment capabilityVSAvoidoperational efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The automated rotation mechanism enables dynamic adjustment of pulley positions without stopping production. The motor assembly allows the pulley to rotate continuously or incrementally, facilitating quick changes in wire path configuration and eliminating downtime associated with manual pulley swapping.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system maintains continuous operational capability by enabling on-the-fly adjustment of the wire path. The automated pulley rotation allows the machine to adapt to different bead sizes without interrupting the production flow, thereby maintaining productivity while improving versatility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple precast pulleys are provided for different bead sizes, then adaptability improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebead size variation capabilityVSAvoidpulley assembly structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of providing separate pulleys for each bead size, the invention uses a single precast pulley assembly that can perform multiple functions by rotating to different positions. Each position of the pulley corresponds to a different wire path configuration, enabling one component to replace multiple specialized components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The pulley assembly transitions from a static, multi-component configuration to a dynamic, single-component system. The motor-driven rotation mechanism allows one pulley to assume the roles of multiple pulleys by positioning itself appropriately, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining full adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3225386B1System for adjusting a path of a wire
Publication Date: 2019.12.04 BARTELL MACHINERY SYST LLC
  • EP3225386B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3225386B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3225386B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A system (20) for adjusting a path of a wire (98), the system comprising a precast pulley assembly (30) comprising at least one precast pulley, wherein the at least one precast pulley comprises first (40) and second (50) precast pulleys disposed in an adjacent relationship with respect to one another, wherein the wire (98) can selectively pass over one or both of the first and second precast pulleys, wherein in a first position the wire engages the second precast pulley and bypasses the first precast pulley, wherein in a second position the wire engages both the first and second precast pulleys, and wherein in a third position the wire engages the first precast pulley and bypasses the second precast pulley.