Conveyor-driven fabric dyeing machine including an axle distance adjustment device

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional fabric dyeing machines face issues with conveyor belt tightness due to wear and abrasion, leading to improper operation and movement, as existing solutions lack adjustable axle distances and effective sealing mechanisms.

Innovation Solution

An axle distance adjustment device with position-adjustable bearing seats and hollow bearing seat bases, equipped with seal elements and horizontal rails, allows for adjustable axle distances between rollers to maintain optimal conveyor belt tension and prevent liquid or pressure leakage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the conveyor belt length is fixed and rollers are immobile, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the conveyor belt becomes excessively tight or loose due to wear and abrasion

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural simplicityVSAvoidconveyor belt tightness
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the roller position adjustable rather than fixed. The bearing seat can move along the guide rail to change the distance between rollers, allowing the conveyor belt tension to be adjusted as the belt wears over time. This transforms a static structure into a dynamic one that can adapt to changing conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter of roller position (distance between axles) to maintain optimal conveyor belt tension. By adjusting the position of the bearing seat along the guide rail, the system can compensate for belt elongation due to wear, thereby maintaining reliable operation without requiring complete belt replacement or complex tensioning mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If skilled persons or supporting measures are used to adjust chain length and control tightness, then conveyor belt reliability improves, but device complexity and operational difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconveyor belt operationVSAvoidadjustment mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The adjustable bearing seat mounted on a guide rail provides a simple dynamic mechanism that allows operators to easily reposition rollers along the rail to maintain proper belt tension. This simple mechanical adjustment system avoids complex chain length adjustment mechanisms or multiple supporting structures, maintaining ease of operation while improving reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If the bearing seat is made movable to adjust axle distance, then conveyor belt tightness can be maintained, but sealing effectiveness may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconveyor belt tension controlVSAvoidliquid and pressure leakage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a seal element as an intermediary between the movable bearing seat and the fixed structure. This seal element prevents liquid and pressure leakage while allowing the bearing seat to move along the guide rail for axle distance adjustment. The seal acts as a mediator that enables both movement and sealing functions simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The seal element is a simple, easily replaceable component that provides effective sealing at low cost. Rather than designing a complex sealed movable joint, the patent uses a straightforward seal element that can be replaced when worn, maintaining sealing effectiveness without compromising the adjustability function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

4Manufacturing precision

If guide rails are added to ensure horizontal movement of the sliding plate, then adjustment precision improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaxle distance adjustmentVSAvoidguiding structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The guide rail provides a simple yet effective constraint that ensures the bearing seat moves only in the horizontal direction along the rail. This single-degree-of-freedom guidance mechanism is much simpler than alternative guiding structures and provides sufficient precision for axle distance adjustment without adding significant complexity to the overall system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3636564B1Conveyor-driven fabric dyeing machine including an axle distance adjustment device
Publication Date: 2023.09.20 CHANG
  • EP3636564B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3636564B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP3636564B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

An axle distance adjustment device is provided for a conveyor-driven fabric dyeing machine M and includes a conveyor belt 11 in the form of an endless loop arranged inside a machine body 1 and a fixed roller 12B and a movable roller 12A respectively arranged at two ends of the conveyor belt 11. The fixed roller 12B has a rotary axle 122 having two ends mounted through bearings to bearing seats mounted on sidewalls of the machine body 1. The movable roller 12A has a rotary axle 121 having two ends mounted through bearings to position-adjustable bearing seats 31, which are coupled to hollow bearing seat bases 32 mounted to the sidewalls of the machine body 1. The position-adjustable bearing seats 31 are attachable to the hollow bearing seat bases 32 at different locations so that an axle distance between the rotary axle 122 of the fixed roller 12B and the rotary axle 121 of the movable roller 12A is changed for adjustment of tightness of the conveyor belt 11.