Planetary Gear Dosing Pump for Uniform Multi-Thread Wetting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing devices for wetting multiple threads suffer from fluid residue-induced outgassing due to dead spaces in dosing pumps, particularly when using oil-water emulsions, leading to inconsistent and inefficient fluid distribution.

Innovation Solution

The device minimizes dead volume by eliminating journal guidance for planet gears and utilizing passage openings in the planet gears for fluid flow, ensuring constant flushing and precise dosing of low flow rates through a planetary gear set connected to a stepper motor, with multiple housing bores and distribution grooves for axial fluid feeding and plug-in connectors for pump outlets.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If journal guidance is used for planet gears in a dosing pump, then the planetary gear set is mechanically supported, but dead spaces are created at the housing plates leading to fluid residue and outgassing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemechanical support of planet gearsVSAvoidfluid residue and outgassing

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the journal guidance elements from the housing plates, extracting the source of dead spaces. The planet gears are instead supported directly by the housing plate surfaces without additional journal structures, eliminating the dead spaces where fluid would otherwise accumulate and cause outgassing problems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The housing plate surfaces are specifically designed with localized support features that provide mechanical guidance for planet gears without creating enclosed dead spaces. The support is provided at the exact locations where planet gears contact the housing, ensuring reliable mechanical support while maintaining open fluid flow paths.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Productivity

If multiple planetary gear sets are used to wet multiple threads in parallel, then dosing capacity is increased, but the complexity of the dosing pump increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of threads wetted in parallelVSAvoidcomplexity of dosing pump

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The dosing pump is divided into multiple independent planetary gear sets, each capable of dosing fluid to a separate thread. This segmentation allows each gear set to be optimized for simple, reliable operation while the collective system achieves high productivity by processing multiple threads simultaneously through parallel operation of the segmented units.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Object-generated harmful factors

If dead spaces are minimized in the dosing pump, then outgassing is prevented, but the mechanical support for planet gears becomes more difficult to implement

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoutgassing preventionVSAvoidmechanical support structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-generated harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The functions of mechanical support and dead space elimination are merged into a single integrated design. The housing plate surfaces serve dual purposes: providing direct mechanical support for the planet gears while simultaneously eliminating dead spaces by avoiding additional journal guidance structures. This integration achieves both outgassing prevention and reliable mechanical support without increasing overall device 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

This design enables uniform and continuous dosing of fluid to multiple threads with extremely low dosing flow rates, preventing outgassing and ensuring high dosing accuracy and long-term fluid stability, making it suitable for large numbers of threads.

Implementation Method 1

The conveying means are formed by toothed gear pairings of a planetary gear set, wherein multiple planetary gear sets are held between housing plates

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGear mechanism: Gear

Implementation Method 2

the invention utilizes a passage opening formed in the planet gears to feed the fluid to the respective toothed gear pairing. Constant flushing around the planet gears is thus realized, which prevents a deposition of fluid in the axial gaps of the planetary gear set

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFluid flow through passages:

Implementation Method 3

extremely low dosing flow rates in the range from 0.05 ml/min to 5 ml/min to be realized for wetting a thread

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectStepper motor actuation:

Data Source

PatentUS11221006B2Device for wetting a plurality of threads, and metering pump for such a device

Publication Date: 2022.01.11 OERLIKON TEXTILE GMBH & CO KG

AI summary

Particular techniques involve a device for wetting multiple threads with a fluid, and a dosing pump which is connected to the wetting means by multiple conveying lines. The dosing pump has multiple conveying means for generating multiple dosing flows of the fluid and has multiple pump outlets, to which the delivery lines are connected. The conveying means are formed by at least one planetary gear set arranged between housing plates. To achieve, as far as possible, a uniform throughflow without a significant dead space volume, multiple planet gears of the planetary gear set are guided freely by a centering plate between adjacent housing plates. The planet gears of the planetary gear set have in each case one passage opening, which are connected by a channel system to a central pump inlet. It is thus possible to realize close fits and flushing of gaps.