Infinitely variable diameter roller
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorsDouglas M. Kedl, John S. Huizinga
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A roller assembly for guiding webs and removing wrinkles includes an outer cylindrical surface that is supported on a shaft about which it can rotate. Portions of the outer diameter of the outer cylindrical surface can expand and contract radially using a radial expander that can move axially along the shaft. The radial expander has an increasing radius from a point closer to a central transverse axis of the roller assembly to a point further from the central transverse axis of the roller assembly so that the closer the radial expander is to the central transverse axis, the greater the radial expansion of the outer cylindrical surface.
Claims12
A roller assembly for guiding webs comprising:
- an outer cylindrical surface rotatably supported on a shaft, wherein the outer cylindrical surface has a central longitudinal axis parallel to the outer cylindrical surface and comprises a first portion having an outer diameter and at least a first expanding portion having an outer diameter, wherein the first expanding portion comprises a plurality of strips arranged axially around its outer cylindrical surface;
- a means for enabling the outer cylindrical surface to rotate around the shaft;
- and
- a means for selectively changing the outer diameter of the first expanding portion to enable the first expanding portion to assume an infinite number of different diameters between a smallest diameter and a largest diameter, comprising at least one radial expander disposed in the first expanding portion to move axially on the shaft, wherein the radial expander has an increasing radius from a point closer to the first portion to a point further from the first portion so that the closer the radial expander is to the first portion the greater the radial expansion of the outer diameter of the first expanding portion, wherein the outer diameter of the first expanding portion is independently variable with respect to the outer diameter of the first portion.
A roller assembly for guiding webs comprising:
- at least one bearing assembly mounted on and concentric with a shaft;
- a sleeve support assembly mounted on each bearing assembly;
- an outer cylindrical surface mounted on the sleeve support assembly, wherein the outer cylindrical surface has a central longitudinal axis parallel to the outer cylindrical surface and a central transverse axis perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis and comprises a first portion having an outer diameter and a first expanding portion and a second expanding portion, each having an outer diameter, with the first portion located between the first and second expanding portions, wherein the first and second expanding portions each comprises a plurality of strips arranged axially around the outer cylindrical surface;
- a radial expander that is disposed in each expanding portion to move axially, wherein the radial expander has an increasing radius from a point closer to the central transverse axis of the roller assembly to a point further from the central transverse axis so that when the radial expander is closer to the central transverse axis, the radial expansion of the cylindrical surface is greater in the expanding portion it is disposed in;
- and
- means for moving the radial expander longitudinally along the shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.