Pipe Machining Carriage With Moving Chain and Synchronized Wheels

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pipe machining carriages face challenges in maintaining accuracy and stability due to irregular pipe shapes and diameters, leading to carriage deviation and slipping issues, particularly when using chains to guide movement along the pipe's outer surface.

Innovation Solution

A carriage design featuring a roller chain that wraps around the pipe, with adjustable front and rear wheels mounted on the same shaft to rotate simultaneously, ensuring stable positioning and preventing slipping, and a machining tool aligned with the pipe's center, allowing for precise machining regardless of pipe diameter or shape.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a fixed chain is mounted to guide carriage movement, then the carriage can be guided along the pipe, but the carriage cannot smoothly rotate and accurately guide itself, causing machining at wrong positions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecarriage guidanceVSAvoidmachining position accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the chain movable rather than fixed. The chain is configured to move together with the carriage along the pipe's outer circumferential surface, allowing the carriage to smoothly rotate and maintain accurate positioning. This dynamic configuration resolves the contradiction by enabling both easy guidance and precise machining positions simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Stability of the object's composition

If the distance between wheels is fixed for large diameter pipes, then the carriage is stable on large pipes, but the carriage cannot be stably positioned on small diameter pipes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecarriage stabilityVSAvoidadaptability to different pipe diameters
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the distance between the front and rear wheels adjustable. The wheels can be positioned at different distances from each other, allowing the carriage to adapt to pipes of various diameters while maintaining stable positioning. This resolves the contradiction by enabling both stability and adaptability across different pipe sizes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Ease of operation

If front and rear wheels are rotated by separate motors, then the wheels can be independently controlled, but the wheels do not rotate simultaneously, causing carriage slipping

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewheel controlVSAvoidcarriage movement uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the merging principle by connecting the front and rear wheels to the same shaft, so that a single motor rotates both wheels simultaneously. This ensures uniform carriage movement and prevents slipping, while still allowing for precise control through the shared rotational mechanism. The contradiction is resolved by merging the control systems while maintaining operational effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Reliability

If a motor is mounted to precisely control wheels to rotate simultaneously, then the wheels rotate simultaneously preventing slipping, but the structure becomes complicated and costly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewheel rotation synchronizationVSAvoidmotor control system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the merging principle by connecting both wheels to the same shaft, so that a single motor simultaneously rotates both wheels. This eliminates the need for separate motors and complex control systems, while still achieving precise synchronization and preventing carriage slipping. The contradiction is resolved by simplifying the system through merging rather than adding complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 enables high-accuracy machining by maintaining the carriage's position and preventing slipping, ensuring stable operation on pipes of varying diameters and shapes, while reducing the need for complex and costly motor control systems.

Implementation Method 1

a roller chain coupled to both ends of the traveling unit to wrap around the outer circumferential surface of the pipe... a roller mounted in each of the unit roller chains to rotate on the outer circumferential surface of the pipe

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Data Source

PatentEP3791994B1Carriage for pipe machining
Publication Date: 2024.03.27 DCSENG CO LTD
  • EP3791994B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3791994B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP3791994B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a carriage for pipe machining, including a carriage configured to travel along an outer circumferential surface of a pipe, and a chain coupled to both ends of the carriage to wrap around the outer circumferential surface of the pipe, wherein the carriage and the chain precisely move along the outer circumferential surface of the pipe. The present disclosure may provide a carriage that is capable of performing machining with high accuracy by preventing the carriage from deviating from the original mounted position by moving the chain along with movement of the carriage. In addition, the present disclosure may provide a carriage that is stably mounted on the outer circumferential surface of the pipe to machine the pipe, regardless of a diameter of the pipe, by adjusting a distance between drive wheels that drive the carriage. Furthermore, the present disclosure may prevent the carriage from slipping by mounting a front wheel and a rear wheel to the same drive shaft such that the front wheel and the rear wheel rotate simultaneously in response to operation of a motor.