Bearing, Traction or Drive Element Made of an Elastomer Material Having Embedded Electronic Components

Abstract

A band or belt designed as an elongate bearing, traction or drive element running around rollers or pulleys and made of an elastomer material, and preferably provided with embedded reinforcing elements or tension members extending in the longitudinal direction of the band or belt, having the following features: the band or the belt has one or more elongate tubular receptacles embedded in the elastomer material, in the cavity of which electronic components are arranged, preferably sensors, signal processing or control devices and/or transmission devices, the tubular receptacles are embedded in the elastomer material in such a way that their longitudinal axis or the direction of their greatest extent is oriented substantially transversely to the main bending direction of the band or belt.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A band designed running around rollers or pulleys and made of an elastomer material, the band comprising: embedded reinforcing elements or tension members extending in a longitudinal direction; one or more elongate tubular receptacles embedded in the elastomer material, the one or more elongate tubular receptacles having a plurality of electronic components; and wherein the tubular receptacles have a longitudinal axis oriented substantially transversely to a bending direction of the band.

12. The band as claimed in claim 11, wherein the electronic components are surrounded and fixed within a cavity by a synthetic casting resin.

13. The band as claimed in claim 12, wherein the electronic components are surrounded within the cavity by shock absorbing material and the tubular receptacle is provided at the end/s with a closure or plug.

14. The band as claimed in claim 11, wherein the electronic components are surrounded within a cavity by thermally conductive material.

15. The band as claimed in claim 11, wherein the tubular receptacle is a plastic tube comprised of polyamide (PA) or polyphenylene sulfide (PPS).

16. The band as claimed in claim 11, wherein the tubular receptacle is connected to a longitudinal side of the band and a cavity is accessible from there.

17. The band as claimed in claim 11, where the band is a toothed belt or wide V-belt.

18. A method for producing a drive belt, the method comprising: build up an elastomer top ply in one or more layers on a belt building drum to build a drive belt blank; winding one or more strengthening members on the elastomer top ply; applying a fabric ply over the one or more strengthening members; inserting the drive belt blank having the applied fabric ply into a vulcanization mold, where the vulcanization mold has a slightly greater diameter than the drive belt blank; introducing tubular hollow bodies between layers of the drive belt blank after inserting into the vulcanization mold; and heating the drive belt blank from an inside to an outside and compressing the drive belt blank to generate a vulcanized drive belt having tubular receptacles associated with the tubular hollow bodies.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein inserting the drive belt blank into the vulcanization mold further comprises that the base faces toward a inner side, provided with a negative of the ribbed profile, of the vulcanization mold.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the tubular hollow bodies are comprised of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS).

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the hollow bodies are vulcanized to be incorporated in an elastomer matrix.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising removing a tension means from the vulcanized drive belt.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising inserting one or more sensors into the tubular receptacles.

24. The band as claimed in claim 11, wherein the plurality of electronic components comprise a plurality of sensors.

Description

[0039] The invention is to be explained in more detail by means of an exemplary embodiment in the form of a drive belt, in which:

[0040] FIG. 1 shows a section of a drive belt according to the invention designed as a wide V-belt,

[0041] FIG. 2 shows a segment of the wound blank on the belt building drum with a surrounding profiled heating sleeve at a point in time during production before vulcanization,

[0042] FIG. 3 shows, in principle, the state of the drive belt blank while it is still on the belt building drum after vulcanization, in a perspective overall view,

[0043] FIG. 4 shows a section of another embodiment of a drive belt according to the invention designed as a wide V-belt.

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a section of a drive belt 1, designed as a wide V-belt, made from a rubber blend, on which the flank angles, i.e. the bevels of the sides, are not yet present but which is otherwise fully vulcanized and finished. FIG. 4 shows a drive belt 8 of the same kind, on which the flank angle 9 has already been formed, e.g. by a grinding process.

[0045] The wide V-belt has a top ply 2 and a base 4 provided with the toothed profile 3. In the region between the top ply and the base it is possible to see cords 5 as reinforcing elements and tension members, which are embedded in the rubber matrix and extend in the longitudinal direction 6 of the belt.

[0046] The drive belt has two elongate tubular receptacles 7, which are embedded in the elastomeric rubber material and in the internal cavity of which electronic components 10 are arranged. For greater clarity, an electronic component 10 of this kind is illustrated once again in isolation at the bottom right next to the drive belt section.

[0047] Here, the electronic component 10 comprises a temperature sensor, an acceleration sensor and a strain sensor as well as a central processor and radio communication unit and two antennas 11. Here, the sensors and the processor unit are not illustrated specifically and comprise conventional electronic elements.

[0048] With the aid of such sensors, the temperature loading of the drive belt, the running speed, the tensile force and the irreversible strains which occur during operation can be measured and can be read out in a contactless manner by means of the radio communication unit and the antennas. In this way, it is possible, in the context of a damage accumulation analysis for example, to estimate the loads on the belt and the corresponding service life thereof. This enables the belt to be replaced at the optimum point in time.

[0049] Here, the tubular receptacles 7 are small tubes with a diameter of about 2.5 to 5 mm and are embedded in the elastomer material in such a way that their longitudinal axis or the direction of their greatest extent 12 is oriented transversely to the main bending direction 13 of the drive belt, which generally means, e.g. in the case of the endless drive belt under consideration here, that they are also formed transversely to the running direction or longitudinal direction 6.

[0050] The electronic components within the cavity are surrounded and fixed by a curing synthetic casting resin.

[0051] In the center, FIG. 2 shows a segment of a wound blank 14 having an inserted tubular receptacle 7, in this case likewise a small tube, wherein the wound blank is laid on the assembly drum/belt building drum 15 and a surrounding heating sleeve 16 having the profile negative has already been moved up for vulcanization. While in this case all the parts, that is to say also the assembly drum and the heating sleeve, are illustrated in the form of sections, FIG. 3 shows, in principle, the state after vulcanization in a perspective overall view, i.e. after the heating sleeve 16 has been fed in and the blank has been molded and fully vulcanized to give the finished loop. The tubular receptacles 7 inserted in segments can also be seen here. Matched to the length of these “individual small tubes”, the corresponding wide V-belts can now be produced in the form of sections.

[0052] After the cut individual belts have been vulcanized and turned inside out, the state illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4 is then obtained.

[0053] Here, FIG. 4 shows a design in which the tubular receptacle 7 is provided at the ends with closure plugs 17 after the insertion of the electronic component 10.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(Part of the Description)

[0054] 1 Drive belt [0055] 2 Top ply [0056] 3 Toothed profile [0057] 4 Base [0058] 5 Cord/tension member [0059] 6 Longitudinal direction of the belt [0060] 7 Tubular receptacle [0061] 8 Drive belt [0062] 9 Flank angle [0063] 10 Electronic component [0064] 11 Antenna [0065] 12 Direction of the greatest extent of the tubular receptacle [0066] 13 Main bending direction of the drive belt [0067] 14 Wound blank [0068] 15 Belt building drum [0069] 16 Heating sleeve [0070] 17 Closure plug