Cover Edge Bead Fixation for Wear Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surface cover devices with fixed drums experience premature wear and increased operational difficulty due to sliding issues during deployment and removal, and lack effective longitudinal edge fixation, leading to safety concerns and ingress of debris.
Innovation Solution
A surface cover device with a rotating drum mounted on a longitudinal translation mechanism, featuring beads with a prismatic core in a tubular sheath for secure longitudinal edge fixation, which maintains flexibility for smooth operation and prevents puckering, utilizing a system of rails and flexible belts for engagement and disengagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the cover is dragged over the surface during deployment and removal, then the cover can be deployed and removed using a fixed drum, but this generates premature wear and greater work due to friction
Solution Approach 1:
The drum is made movable along the longitudinal edges of the cover instead of being fixed. The drum translates longitudinally during deployment and removal, allowing the cover to be laid or lifted without sliding over the protected surface. This dynamic positioning eliminates the harmful friction that caused premature wear while maintaining ease of operation.
2Reliability
If the drum is mounted on a longitudinal translation mechanism, then the cover can be laid without sliding, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drum serves multiple functions: it winds and unwinds the cover like a traditional drum, translates longitudinally to eliminate sliding, and engages with rails to guide movement. By combining these functions in a single component, the patent reduces overall device complexity despite adding the translation capability.
3Device complexity
If longitudinal edges of the cover are not fixed, then the cover device is simpler, but safety concerns arise and debris can ingress
Solution Approach 1:
The edge fixation is achieved through segmented beads attached to the longitudinal edges of the cover. These discrete bead elements engage with corresponding features on the drum or rails, providing localized fixation points along the edges. This segmentation allows effective edge securing while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
4Ease of operation
If the bead core is not fixed to the tubular sheath, then the bead maintains flexibility for winding/unwinding, but mechanical stability decreases and puckering occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The bead structure incorporates localized fixation where the core is attached to the tubular sheath at specific points. This local quality change provides structural stability and prevents puckering in the fixed regions while maintaining flexibility in other areas of the bead, allowing smooth winding and unwinding operations.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a device (1) for covering a surface (3), comprising: (a) a cover (10), each longitudinal edge of which is provided with a roll (12) formed by a core (12c) contained in a tubular sheath (12t) provided with a strip (12b) along the length thereof, said strip being attached to at least one surface of the cover; (b) a rotatably mounted drum (2) that can wind or unwind the cover (10), said drum (2) being mounted on a longitudinal translation mechanism comprising rails (6) arranged either side of said surface (3); and (c) a system for continuously locking the roll (12) of the longitudinal edges of the cover (10) in the rails (5), and unlocking said roll from same, during the translation of the drum, characterized in that the core (12c) of the roll is attached to the tubular sheath (12t) in such a way as to prevent it from sliding along the sheath.