Magnetic Coupling Closure Head for Tool-Free Torque Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closure apparatuses for containers with magnetic couplings face challenges in adjusting the maximum closing torque efficiently and accurately, leading to potential damage and increased error risk during product changeovers.
Innovation Solution
A closure head with a magnetic coupling featuring an adjusting device that includes a holding component, connecting component, and locking component, allowing for tool-free adjustment of the closing torque through a spring-loaded mechanism, enabling precise control of the torque without the need for manual screw tightening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional screw elements are used for adjusting magnetic coupling, then torque adjustment is possible, but the adjustment process is time-consuming and complex requiring tools and manual tightening
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional mechanical screw adjustment system with a magnetic adjustment mechanism. The adjusting component interacts with the magnetic coupling through magnetic fields rather than mechanical contact, allowing torque adjustment without physical screw tightening. This substitution eliminates the need for tools and reduces adjustment time significantly.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjusting component is designed to be self-adjusting through magnetic interaction. By moving the adjusting component axially, the operator directly influences the magnetic coupling strength without needing to perform separate tightening operations. The system serves itself by converting axial movement into torque adjustment automatically.
2Reliability
If conventional screw elements are used for adjusting magnetic coupling, then torque can be adjusted, but the process is prone to errors and damage to ball bearings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates mechanical screw elements that contact and potentially damage ball bearings. Instead, the adjusting component uses magnetic fields to influence the magnetic coupling, creating a non-contact adjustment mechanism. This substitution removes the source of mechanical damage while improving reliability through consistent magnetic interaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The magnetic field acts as an intermediary between the adjusting component and the magnetic coupling. Rather than direct mechanical contact that could damage bearings, the adjustment is transmitted through the magnetic field, which mediates the interaction smoothly and without harmful mechanical stresses.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple closure heads are adjusted manually, then each head can be tuned, but the process is cumbersome and inconsistent across heads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the adjustment mechanism into modular components: a drive element with magnetic coupling, multiple closure heads with identical adjusting components, and a standardized holding component. Each closure head is a segmented, independent unit with the same adjustment capability, allowing consistent tuning across multiple heads without complex centralized control.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjusting component is designed as a universal element that can be applied to all closure heads identically. The same component design, holding component structure, and magnetic coupling mechanism work across multiple heads, providing consistent adjustment capability without requiring different mechanisms for each head, thus reducing overall system complexity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If conventional adjustment mechanisms are used, then torque can be changed, but the mechanism is complex and difficult to clean
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the adjusting component as a separate, removable element from the closure head assembly. This extracted component can be easily removed for cleaning and maintenance without disassembling the entire closure head. The magnetic coupling and adjusting mechanism are separated from the main body, allowing simple extraction and cleaning operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjusting component is designed with dynamic, movable parts that can be easily repositioned or removed. The axial movement capability allows the component to be accessed and removed for cleaning without fixed mechanical constraints. This dynamic design facilitates easy maintenance while maintaining torque adaptability during operation.
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
The solution simplifies and enhances the adjustment of closing torque, reducing errors and machine downtime, ensuring consistent torque application across multiple closure heads, and facilitating easy cleaning without disassembly.
Implementation Method 1
The closure head (10) has a magnetic coupling (16) having a first, preferably outer, magnetic ring (hysteresis ring) (18) and a second, preferably inner, magnetic ring (20), which interact magnetically with one another for transmitting a torque
Implementation Method 2
Such magnetic clutches can be based on the hysteresis clutch principle
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates, inter alia, to a closure head having a magnetic coupling and an adjusting device having a holding component, an adjusting component, a connecting component and a locking component. The adjusting component carries a first magnetic ring of the magnetic coupling. The connecting component holds the adjusting component adjustably on the holding component for adjusting the first magnetic ring relative to a second magnetic ring of the magnetic coupling for adapting a maximum closing torque. The connecting component is elastically pretensioned for assuming a holding position, in which the connecting component connects the adjusting component to the holding component in a rotationally fixed manner. The locking component is elastically pretensioned for assuming a locked position, in which the locking component blocks the connecting component in the holding position.