Transport System Runner With Pivotable Guide Rollers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing transport systems face challenges in maintaining high-precision, low-wear, and tolerance-free guidance of runners, especially when transporting heavier loads, due to increased wear in non-linear sections of the transport route, such as curves, which affects mechanical stability and precision.

Innovation Solution

The design of a runner with a base body featuring permanent magnets and strategically arranged management and storage facilities with swiveling joint axes, allowing the rotary axes of the rollers to align with the center of non-linear sections, minimizing slip and wear by adapting to the guide rail geometry, and utilizing additional rollers for enhanced load-bearing capacity and precision.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If roller arrangements are clamped to guide surfaces to ensure precise guidance, then mechanical stability is improved, but wear on rollers increases significantly in curved sections

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemechanical stabilityVSAvoidroller wear
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The guide and bearing devices are made pivotable about joint axes, allowing the rotational axes of the rollers to dynamically align with the center of curvature in non-linear sections. This dynamic adaptation eliminates sliding wear by ensuring pure rolling motion, while maintaining mechanical stability through the pivotable connection to the base body.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The orientation parameter of the rollers is changed from fixed to variable, allowing the rotational axis to pivot and align with the guide rail geometry in curved sections. This parameter change enables the system to adapt to different path geometries, reducing wear while maintaining guidance precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Manufacturing precision

If zero-backlash guide is used to achieve high-precision guidance, then guidance precision is improved, but wear on rollers increases and precision decreases with service life

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguidance precisionVSAvoidguidance precision over time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The pivotable guide and bearing devices allow the system to dynamically adapt to curved sections, eliminating the sliding that causes wear in fixed zero-backlash guides. This dynamic alignment maintains guidance precision over time by ensuring pure rolling contact throughout the service life.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Strength

If additional rollers are added to increase load-bearing capacity, then mechanical stability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveload-bearing capacityVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The guide and bearing devices serve multiple functions: they provide guidance, support loads, and dynamically align with curved sections. By making the existing roller arrangements pivotable, the system achieves enhanced load-bearing capacity without proportionally increasing complexity, as the same structural elements perform multiple functions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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 enables high-precision, low-wear, and almost tolerance-free guidance of the runner, even when transporting heavier objects, by minimizing slip and wear, and improving the accuracy and reliability of the guidance system.

Implementation Method 1

The rotor (3) has at least one permanent magnet (8) which, together with the electromagnetic drive (4), enables the rotor (3) to be moved along a transport path (TS)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic force: Lorentz Force

Data Source

PatentEP4506285A1Runner for a transport system and transport system
Publication Date: 2025.02.12 TAKTOMAT KURVENGESTEUERTE ANTRIEBSSYST
  • EP4506285A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4506285A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4506285A1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The invention relates to providing a transport system for conveying objects along a transport path, comprising at least a stationary guide rail and at least one runner movable along the guide rail for conveying the objects along the transport path, further comprising an electromagnetic drive for driving the at least one runner by means of electromagnetic forces, wherein the electromagnetic drive has a plurality of stationary coil elements and at least one permanent magnet. The stationary coil elements are located on the stationary guide rail and the at least one permanent magnet is located on the at least one runner. The invention also relates to a runner for use in such a transport system, which has several guide and bearing devices pivotable about respective pivot axes.