Awning Winding Shaft Coupling for Fine Fabric Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing awning arrangements with coaxial winding shafts connected via a wedge coupling can only rotate in 180° steps, leading to rough corrections and potential misalignment of awning fabric ends, as the shafts can only be rotated in discrete 180° increments, which is not sufficient for precise alignment.
Innovation Solution
The winding shafts are designed with pinion ends of the same diameter, featuring peripheral teeth that can be adjusted by a split hub, allowing for fine corrections in small steps, with each pinion and hub having internal and external toothing for precise alignment, and flanges for a robust connection, enabling minimal offset of fabric ends.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a wedge coupling is used to connect winding shafts, then the shafts can be connected in a rotationally locked manner, but they can only be rotated in 180° steps which results in rough correction and misalignment of fabric ends
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling mechanism is segmented into a hub with multiple discrete coupling positions (at least three positions) instead of a continuous or binary wedge coupling. This segmentation allows the winding shafts to be adjusted in smaller incremental steps, enabling fine alignment of fabric ends while maintaining operational simplicity through discrete positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling mechanism changes the adjustment parameter from coarse 180° steps to fine incremental steps through multiple coupling positions. The hub provides at least three distinct angular positions, transforming the adjustment granularity and enabling precise fabric end alignment without increasing overall mechanism complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple coupling positions are provided for fine adjustment, then fabric end alignment is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling mechanism merges the adjustment function and locking function into a single integrated hub structure. The hub combines multiple coupling positions with a unified design that maintains rotational locking capability, achieving fine adjustment precision without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The hub serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides rotational locking, enables fine adjustment through multiple coupling positions, and maintains structural simplicity. This multi-functionality allows the coupling mechanism to achieve precise alignment without requiring separate complex subsystems for each function.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
In an awning arrangement with several awnings (1) arranged side by side, which have coaxial winding shafts (4) for winding and unwinding an associated awning fabric (5), wherein the coaxially arranged winding shafts (4) can each be connected to one another by means of a positive-locking coupling (9) in a rotationally locked manner, and wherein at least one of the connected winding shafts (4) is provided with a drive device, a fabric offset can be minimized by the fact that the rotationally locked winding shafts (4) each have mutually facing, identical diameter shaft stubs (12) which are designed as toothed pinions (13) provided with circumferential external teeth, which can be bridged by means of a split hub, the halves of which can be fixed to one another (14a,14b) comprise the two gear pinions (13) and have an internal toothing (15) with at least one tooth that can be engaged with the external toothing on the pinion side.