Continuous Rotary Wire Tie Assembly Gear Train
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional bulk-material baling machines experience energy wastage and component wear due to the need for reversing drive elements and clutch mechanisms in wire tying systems, which are inefficient and require frequent replacements.
Innovation Solution
A continuous rotary wire tie assembly with a gear-train that allows continuous one-directional operation, featuring a main-drive gear, idler gear, and twister pinion gear that dwell relative to each other, eliminating the need for reverse direction driving and incorporating cam mechanisms for secondary functions like wire cutting and ejection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If an extending and retracting drive element is used to drive the wire tying system, then the wire can be tied during extension, but energy is wasted and components experience unnecessary wear during retraction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by eliminating the retraction phase entirely. Instead of extending and retracting a drive element, the system uses a continuously rotating drive shaft that maintains constant motion in one direction. The wire tying functions are achieved through dwell positions in the gear train rather than reverse motion, thereby eliminating energy wastage and component wear associated with retraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive shaft rotates continuously in one direction without reversal, maintaining constant useful action. The gear train incorporates dwell positions where specific gears temporarily stop relative to the drive shaft to perform wire tying functions, but the drive shaft itself never stops or reverses, ensuring continuous useful action and eliminating idle retraction cycles.
2Reliability
If clutch mechanisms are used to engage and disengage gears from the power transmission, then the wire twister can be stopped during portions of the tying cycle, but additional wear parts are added that must be replaced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the clutch mechanisms from the system. Instead of using clutches to engage and disengage gears, the design uses a gear train with dwell portions that naturally allow certain gears to remain stationary relative to the drive shaft during specific phases of the tying cycle. This removes the wear-prone clutch components while maintaining the necessary control over the wire twister.
Solution Approach 2:
The dwell portions of the gears act as intermediaries between the continuous rotation of the drive shaft and the intermittent motion requirements of the wire tying functions. These dwell portions allow the gear train to translate continuous rotational motion into controlled stopping and starting of specific gears without requiring clutch mechanisms.
3Productivity
If the drive element must be retracted to reset the tying system, then the wire can be tied during extension, but time is lost during the reset phase
Solution Approach 1:
The drive shaft maintains continuous rotation without interruption for resetting. The gear train's dwell portions allow wire tying functions to be performed during specific phases of the continuous rotation, eliminating the need to stop or reverse the drive element for resetting. This continuous operation maximizes productivity by eliminating reset time.
Solution Approach 2:
The gear train incorporates periodic dwell positions that occur at regular intervals during the continuous rotation of the drive shaft. These periodic dwells correspond to the wire tying cycle phases, allowing the system to perform tying functions rhythmically without interrupting the overall continuous motion, thereby maintaining high productivity.
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 reduces energy wastage and component wear by allowing continuous operation without reversing, enhancing the efficiency and longevity of the wire tying process in baling machines.
Implementation Method 1
an idler gear having a first dwell portion and a second dwell portion. The idler gear may be configured to mesh with the main-drive gear during a portion of the wire-tying cycle
Implementation Method 2
The gear-train may include a main-drive gear configured to be continuously driven in a first direction throughout the duration of a wire tying cycle
Implementation Method 3
one or more cam pins coupled to the idler gear and configured to actuate one or more cam followers associated with secondary functions
Data Source
AI summary
A wire tie assembly and method of tying a wire using the wire tie assembly is provided. Embodiments of the wire tie assembly comprise a gear-train having a main-drive gear continuously driven by a motor, an idler gear having a first and second dwell portions, the idler gear being configured to mesh with the main-drive gear during a portion of the wire-tying cycle and to dwell relative to the main-drive gear during a portion of the wire-tying cycle, and a twister pinion gear having a wire receiving channel and configured to be in mesh with the idler gear during a portion of the wire tying cycle and to dwell relative to the idler gear during a portion of the wire tying cycle. Some embodiments include cam pins coupled to the idler gear and cam followers that engage the cam pins to actuate secondary functions of the wire tying cycle.