Drum Motor Flexible Coupling Noise Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conveyor devices, such as drum motors and roller drives, face challenges in reducing noise emissions due to angular misalignments and radial forces, which lead to increased wear and noise, and existing solutions like encapsulation are costly and impractical for access to conveyed items.

Innovation Solution

The use of flexible couplings between the torque support and axle, and between the drive output shaft and drum body, decouples the drive unit from transverse forces, allowing it to operate without angular displacement and reducing lateral forces, thereby reducing noise and wear.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-generated harmful factors

If rigid connections are used between drive unit components, then torque transmission is efficient, but noise increases due to angular misalignments and radial forces

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenoise emissionsVSAvoidwear resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces flexible couplings as intermediary elements between the drive output shaft and drum body, and between the torque support and axle. These couplings act as mediators that decouple the drive unit from transverse forces and angular misalignments, reducing noise while maintaining reliable torque transmission through their flexibility and damping properties.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the mechanical parameters of the connection system by replacing rigid connections with flexible couplings that have specific elasticity and damping characteristics. This parameter change allows the system to accommodate angular misalignments and radial forces without generating excessive noise or wear, optimizing both noise reduction and reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-generated harmful factors

If flexible couplings are used to reduce noise, then noise emissions decrease, but torque transmission efficiency is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenoise emissionsVSAvoidtorque transmission
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The flexible couplings are designed with optimized elasticity parameters that allow them to transmit torque effectively while accommodating misalignments. The coupling elements are dimensioned and material-selected to maintain sufficient torsional stiffness for power transmission while providing enough flexibility for noise reduction, thus resolving the contradiction between torque transmission efficiency and noise emissions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 design effectively reduces noise emissions by mitigating the effects of angular offsets and radial forces, ensuring the drive unit operates quietly and extends the service life of conveyor devices.

Implementation Method 1

The use of flexible couplings between the torque support and axle, and between the drive output shaft and drum body, decouples the drive unit from transverse forces, allowing it to operate without angular displacement and reducing lateral forces

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2902345B1Drum motor for noise-sensitive environment
Publication Date: 2023.03.01 INTERROLL HLDG
  • EP2902345B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2902345B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The invention relates to a conveying device comprising an axis extending along a longitudinal axis, a drum body (80) rotatably mounted on the axis about the longitudinal axis, a drive unit with an electric drive motor arranged inside the drum body and comprising a rotor (41b) and a stator (41a), wherein one of the rotor and stator is torque-tightly coupled to a drive output shaft rotatably mounted about a drive axis and the other of the rotor and stator forms a torque support and is torque-tightly coupled to the axis, and a connecting element (22) arranged inside the drum body and torque-tightly coupled to the drum body and the drive output shaft of the drive motor.According to the invention, a first flexible coupling (30) is inserted between the torque support and the axle, and a second flexible coupling (70) is inserted between the drive output shaft and the drum body.