Slat Roller Gap Bridging for Web Guidance Safety

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing devices for controlling the lateral displacement of material webs in the textile industry lack adequate safety measures to prevent injuries from accidental human intervention and object entanglement in the gaps between slats, which can lead to accidents and equipment damage.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating a protective means between the slats that can bridge the gap between the first and second slat areas, which can be shaped to fit within the slats and move along the axis, ensuring the gap is always bridged, thus preventing objects and personnel from entering, and using a nose to limit movement and prevent slippage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If slats are divided into first and second slat areas that are displaceable relative to one another, then the device can guide and displace material webs more effectively, but gaps between the slat areas create safety hazards and allow object entanglement

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveweb guidance and displacement capabilityVSAvoidinjury risk and object entanglement in gaps

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A protective means is introduced as an intermediary element between the first and second slat areas. This protective means bridges the gap formed by the displaceable slat portions, preventing direct access to the hazardous gap while allowing the slats to maintain their displacement functionality for web guidance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If the protective means is allowed to move freely in the axis direction, then it can adapt to slat displacement, but it may slip through the slat and fail to bridge the gap

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptation to slat displacementVSAvoidgap bridging reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A nose element is provided on the protective means that acts as a preliminary constraint. The nose prevents the protective means from moving too far in the axis direction, ensuring it remains positioned to bridge the gap between slat areas while still allowing sufficient movement to adapt to slat displacement

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The protective means is designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing it to move in the axis direction to accommodate slat displacement while the nose provides a limiting constraint. This dynamic design maintains reliable gap bridging while adapting to operational changes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2343259B1Device for regulating the lateral offset of at least one sheet of material with protection means

Publication Date: 2015.08.05 TEXMAG GMBH VERTRIEBS

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AI summary

The device has a roller rotatably mounted around an axis. The roller includes laths (2), which extend towards the axis and are arranged in a circumferential direction of the roller, where each lath is adjustably mounted towards the axis and comprises lath regions (31, 32) towards the axis. The lath regions are adjusted against each other. A protective unit (30) is arranged between the lath regions in an interior of the laths and is provided to bridge a gap (33) between the lath regions towards the axis.