Direct Drive Carrier Rotation for Beverage Handling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional rotary machines used in the beverage industry, such as blow molding and filling machines, suffer from high noise emissions, complex and costly gear or belt transmissions, efficiency losses due to transmission friction, and limited dynamic control behavior, particularly during braking.

Innovation Solution

A direct drive system is implemented, where a drive motor is mounted on a non-rotatable carrier with a driven wheel that interacts directly with the drive wheel, eliminating intermediate gear or belt stages and using a torque motor for efficient and dynamic control, allowing for synchronous braking and reduced noise.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If intermediate gear or belt stages are used to drive the carousel, then the motor can be positioned at a collision-free location, but noise emissions increase and efficiency decreases due to transmission friction

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemotor positioningVSAvoidnoise emissions
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the intermediate gear or belt transmission stages from the drive system, eliminating the source of noise emissions and efficiency losses while maintaining the ability to position the motor appropriately through direct coupling to the carousel

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Ease of manufacture

If intermediate gear or belt stages are used to drive the carousel, then the motor can be positioned at a collision-free location, but efficiency is reduced due to transmission friction

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemotor positioningVSAvoidtransmission friction
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent eliminates intermediate transmission stages that cause energy loss through friction, achieving direct power transmission from the motor to the carousel while still allowing proper motor positioning through the direct drive configuration

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of manufacture

If geared motors are used to drive the carousel, then the motor can be positioned away from the carousel, but maintenance costs increase and reliability decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemotor positioningVSAvoidtransmission failure
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the intermediate transmission components (gears, belts) that are prone to failure and require maintenance, implementing a direct drive system that eliminates these reliability issues while maintaining flexible motor positioning

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The direct drive system requires no intermediate transmission components that need maintenance, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating routine maintenance requirements for transmission parts

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

4Ease of manufacture

If geared motors with intermediate transmission stages are used, then the motor can be positioned at a collision-free location, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemotor positioningVSAvoidtransmission stages
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent eliminates the complex intermediate transmission stages (gears, belts, intermediate wheels) from the drive system, implementing a simple direct drive configuration that maintains motor positioning flexibility while dramatically reducing device complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

5Strength

If additional mechanical brakes are used for synchronous braking, then the high mass moments of inertia can be controlled, but dynamic control behavior is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebraking capabilityVSAvoiddynamic control behavior
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical brake system with an electrical braking system that uses the motor's electromagnetic fields to provide synchronous braking, eliminating the need for additional mechanical brakes and significantly improving dynamic control behavior

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This solution reduces noise emissions, increases efficiency, minimizes maintenance costs, and enhances dynamic control behavior, enabling faster acceleration and deceleration, especially in blocked machines, while avoiding the complexities and failures associated with traditional geared motors.

Implementation Method 1

drive motor (14) having an output shaft (22), on which an output wheel (18) is arranged

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic interaction: Electromagnetic Induction

Data Source

PatentEP2226274B1Device for handling containers with directly actuated transport wheel
Publication Date: 2016.02.10 KRONES AG
  • EP2226274B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2226274B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5

AI summary

The invention relates to a device for treating containers with a plurality of treatment units, which treat the containers in a predetermined manner. These treatment units are arranged on a carrier (4), the carrier (4) being rotatable, and a drive unit is provided which drives a drive wheel (12) fixed to the carrier (4) for rotating the carrier (4), and this drive unit comprises a drive motor (14). According to the invention, the drive unit has an output wheel (18) arranged on an output shaft of the drive motor (14), and this output wheel (18) interacts directly with the drive wheel (12) to rotate the carrier (4).