Rotary device and spherical receiving device for receiving at least one rotational mold

Abstract

The invention relates to a spherical receiving device for receiving at least one rotational mold, which is configured and intended to be driven to rotate in a rotational device by means of a drive wheel rolling on the outer side of the spherical receiving device. The spherical receiving device is distinguished by the fact that it has at least one guiding device which causes a drive wheel rolling on the outer side of the spherical receiving device to follow a predetermined rolling path on the outer side of the spherical receiving device. The invention also relates to a rotational device which has such a spherical receiving device and a drive wheel which is driven by means of a drive motor, said drive wheel rolling on the outer side of the spherical receiving device and driving the spherical receiving device to rotate.

Claims

1. A spherical receiving device (1) for receiving at least one rotational mold, which is configured and intended to be driven to rotate in a rotational device by means of a drive wheel (7) rolling on the outer side (2) of the spherical receiving device (1), wherein the receiving device (1) has at least one guiding device (3) which causes the drive wheel (7) rolling on the outer side (2) of the spherical receiving device (1) to follow a predetermined rolling path on the outer side (2) of the spherical receiving device (1).

2. The spherical receiving device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guiding device (3) has a guiding slot (16) arranged on the outer side (2) of the spherical receiving device (1), said guiding slot (16) extending along or parallel to the rolling path.

3. The spherical receiving device (1) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the guiding slot (16) is formed by two guide ribs (4) arranged on the outer side (2) of the spherical receiving device (1).

4. The spherical receiving device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guiding device (3) has a guide rail arranged on the outer side (2) of the spherical receiving device (1), said guide rail extending along the rolling path or parallel to the rolling path.

5. The spherical receiving device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guiding device (3) has openings (8), extending along the rolling path, in the outer side (2) of the spherical receiving device (1), said openings (8) being configured to cooperate with a toothing (9) on the drive wheel (7).

6. The spherical receiving device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guiding device (3) has, on the outer side (2), a toothing extending along the rolling path, said toothing being configured to cooperate with a counterpart toothing on the drive wheel (7).

7. The spherical receiving device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spherical receiving device (1) has two electrically conductive segments (12, 13) which are electrically insulated from one another along the rolling path by the guiding device (3).

8. The spherical receiving device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spherical receiving device (1) is assembled from several hollow sphere sections which have different portions of the guiding device (3).

9. A rotational device which has a spherical receiving device (1) as claimed in claim 1 and a drive wheel (7) which is driven by means of a drive motor (5), said drive wheel (7) rolling on the outer side (2) of the spherical receiving device (1) and driving the spherical receiving device (1) to rotate.

10. The rotational device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the drive wheel (7) has a counterpart guiding device or is configured as a counterpart guiding device which cooperates with the guiding device (3) of the spherical receiving device (1).

11. The rotational device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the drive wheel (7) is mounted so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation that is oriented tangentially relative to the spherical receiving device (1).

12. The rotational device as claimed in claim 9, wherein a sensor is provided which measures the rotary position and/or a number of revolutions of the drive wheel (7) or of a driveshaft (6) of the drive motor (5) or of a rotation transmission component by way of which rotation is transmitted from the driveshaft (6) to the drive wheel (7).

13. The rotational device as claimed in claim 9, wherein only one drive wheel (7) is provided, which rolls on the outer side (2) of the spherical receiving device (1) and drives the spherical receiving device (1) to rotate.

14. The rotational device as claimed in claim 9, wherein at least that part of the drive wheel (7) that is in direct contact with the spherical receiving device (1) engages in a guiding slot (16) arranged on the outer side (2) of the spherical receiving device (1), said guiding slot (16) extending along or parallel to the rolling path.

15. The rotational device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the drive wheel (7) has an encircling guiding slot in which a guide rail arranged on the outer side (2) of the spherical receiving device (1) engages, said guide rail extending along the rolling path or parallel to the rolling path.

16. The rotational device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the drive wheel (7) has openings in which the teeth of a toothing, arranged along the rolling path, of the spherical receiving device (1) engage.

17. The rotational device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the drive wheel (7) has a toothing (9), the teeth (10) of which engage in openings (8), extending along the rolling path, in the outer side (2) of the spherical receiving device (1).

18. The rotational device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the teeth (10) of the toothing (9) are configured in a conical or frustoconical manner.

19. The rotational device as claimed in claim 16, wherein a. the external dimensions of the teeth (10) at the tooth root are identical to the internal dimensions of the openings (8), and/or wherein b. the outside diameter of the teeth (10) at the tooth root corresponds to the inside diameter of the openings (8).

20. The rotational device as claimed in claim 16, wherein at least two teeth (10) of the toothing (9) are always in engagement while the drive wheel (7) rolls.

21. The rotational device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the spherical receiving device (1) has a toothing extending along the rolling path, said toothing meshing with a counterpart toothing of the drive wheel (7).

22. The rotational device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the drive wheel (7) is configured as an electrical contact element for transmitting electric current to the spherical receiving device (1).

23. The rotational device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the drive wheel (7) has at least one contact element, configured as a contact roller (14, 15), for transmitting electric current to the spherical receiving device (1).

24. The rotational device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the spherical receiving device (1) has two segments (12, 13) that are electrically insulated from one another by the guiding device (3), along the rolling path, and wherein two contact elements are arranged on the drive wheel (7), of which one is in electrically conducting contact with one of the segments (12, 13) and the other is in electrically conducting contact with the other of the segments (12, 13).

25. The rotational device as claimed in claim 24, wherein the contact elements are configured as contact rollers (14, 15) which roll on the outer side (2) of the spherical receiving device (1).

26. The rotational device as claimed in claim 24, wherein the contact elements are configured as sliding contacts which slide along the outer side (2) of the spherical receiving device (1).

Description

(1) The subject matter of the invention is illustrated by way of example and schematically in the drawing and is described in the following text with reference to the figures, wherein identical or identically acting elements are usually provided with the same reference signs even in different exemplary embodiments. In the figures:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic exemplary embodiment of a spherical receiving device according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a detail view of a first exemplary embodiment of a rotational device according to the invention,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a detail view of a second exemplary embodiment of a rotational device according to the invention, and

(5) FIG. 4 shows a third exemplary embodiment of a rotational device according to the invention.

(6) FIG. 1 shows a spherical receiving device 1 for receiving at least one rotational mold, which is configured and intended to be driven to rotate in a rotational device by means of a drive wheel rolling on the outer side 2 of the spherical receiving device 1. The spherical receiving device 1 has a guiding device 3 which causes a drive wheel rolling on the outer side of the spherical receiving device 1 to follow a predetermined rolling path on the outer side 2 of the spherical receiving device 1.

(7) FIG. 2 shows a detail view of a first exemplary embodiment of a rotational molding device according to the invention, which contains a spherical receiving device 1 according to the invention with a guiding device 3. The guiding device 3 has a guiding slot 16 arranged on the outer side of the spherical receiving device 1, said guiding slot 16 extending along the rolling path. The guiding slot 16 is formed by two guide ribs 4 arranged on the outer side of the spherical receiving device 1.

(8) The rotational device also has a drive wheel 7 driven by means of a drive motor 5 via a driveshaft 6, said drive wheel 7 rolling on the outer side 2 of the spherical receiving device 1 and driving the spherical receiving device 1 to rotate.

(9) Lateral play exists between that part of the drive wheel 7 that engages in the guiding slot 16 and the guide ribs 4, such that a curved course (in addition to the curvature necessary in any case on account of the spherical shape of the spherical receiving device) of the guiding device is allowed on the outer side of the spherical receiving device 1. The drive wheel can advantageously be provided on its outer circumferential side with a friction increasing coating, for example with a rubber coating, in order to be able to reliably transmit a torque to the spherical receiving device 1.

(10) FIG. 3 shows a detail view of a second exemplary embodiment of a rotational device according to the invention. In this exemplary embodiment, the guiding device 3 has openings 8 arranged along the rolling path, said openings 8 being configured to cooperate with a toothing 9 of the drive wheel 7. In this exemplary embodiment, too, the drive wheel 7 is driven to rotate by means of a drive motor 5.

(11) The teeth 10 of the toothing 9 are configured in a frustoconical manner. The outside diameter of the teeth 10 at the tooth root corresponds to the inside diameter of the openings 8. In the direction away from the axis of rotation 11 about which the drive wheel 7 rotates, the diameter of the teeth 10 decreases. This allows the course of the openings 8 on the outer side of the spherical receiving device 1 to extend in a curved manner (deviating from a great circle or a small circle).

(12) FIG. 4 shows a detail view of a third exemplary embodiment of a rotational device according to the invention. In this exemplary embodiment, the guiding device has a band 11, provided with openings 8, made of an electrically insulating material. The band 11 extends along the rolling path. Furthermore, the band 11 serves as electrical insulation between a first electrically conductive segment 12 and a second electrically conductive segment 13 of the spherical receiving device 1.

(13) On the drive wheel 7, a first contact roller 14 and a second contact roller 15 are arranged such that the first contact roller always rolls on the outer surface of the first conductive segment 12 and the second contact roller 15 always rolls on the outer surface of the second electrically conductive segment 13. The contact rollers 14, 15 are arranged coaxially with the drive wheel 7. The contact rollers 14, 15 are at different electrical potential levels in order to be able to transmit electric current into the interior of the spherical receiving device 1 via the electrically conductive segments 12 and 13. This is the case for example in order for it to be possible to electrically heat or electrically cool a rotational mold (not illustrated) arranged in the interior of the spherical receiving device 1.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(14) 1 Spherical receiving device

(15) 2 Outer side

(16) 3 Guiding device

(17) 4 Guide rib

(18) 5 Drive motor

(19) 6 Driveshaft

(20) 7 Drive wheel

(21) 8 Openings

(22) 9 Toothing

(23) 10 Teeth

(24) 11 Axis of rotation

(25) 12 First electrically conductive segment

(26) 13 Second electrically conductive segment

(27) 14 First contact roller

(28) 15 Second contact roller

(29) 16 Guiding slot