Patent Abstract:
A driving mechanism for a labeling machine aims to drive a transmission assembly thereof from a power source through a linking member such as a belt. The transmission assembly concurrently drives rotation of an axle assembly so that a feeding wheel coupled on an axle can draw and convey a roll of film. A belt with teeth formed on two sides serves as a transmission member of the transmission assembly to transmit rotation to two axle wheels. The transmission assembly can transmit rotation accurately, rapidly and concurrently. The structure of the transmission assembly is simplified. Wearing can be reduced. Repair and maintenance also are easier.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a driving mechanism for labeling machine that uses belts as transmission members in a transmission assembly to perform high speed transmission and offers easy maintenance. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The driving mechanism of a conventional labeling machine, referring to  FIG. 1 , has a transmission assembly  1   a  consisting of a plurality of pulleys  12   a  coupled with linking bars  11   a  and belts  13   a,  and axles  14   a  with an adjustable width to mate a center guide post holding label films of varying dimensions. 
         [0003]    The conventional labeling machine also has a linking belt  15   a  to link a driving wheel  10   a  and a linking pulley  16   a.  A pulley shaft  17   a  is provided to connect to the pulley  12   a  on the linking bars  11   a.  The pulleys  12   a  at two ends of the linking bars  11   a  are transmitted by the belts  13   a.  The pulleys  12   a  on the neighboring linking bars  11   a  are coupled on the pulley shaft  17   a.  Thus the linking bars  11   a  and the belts  13   a  are linked in a selected order. During repair and maintenance, the belts  13   a  cannot be removed and displaced individually. All the belts  13   a  at the front end and rear end have to be disassembled, then assembled and installed again in the selected order. It takes a great deal of time. Moreover, the belts  13   a  between the linking bars  11   a  of the transmission assembly  1   a  have to be wound in a staggered manner to prevent mutual friction. Hence a greater space is needed. As the tension of the belts  13   a  varies, transmission speed also is uneven and transmission quality is affected. Furthermore, the adjustment mechanism comprising the linking bars  11   a  can only be anchored on the junction of the linking pulley  16   a  and the axle  14   a,  and the rest elements are suspended. Hence shaking frequently occurs on the linking bars  11   a  that further impacts transmission effect of the belts  13   a.  This results in a shortened life span of the elements. There are still rooms for improvement. 
         [0004]    In short, the driving mechanism of the conventional labeling machine still has many drawbacks in practice, notably: 
         [0005]    1. A greater number of belts are needed. Replacement of the belts is tedious and wastes a lot of manpower and time. 
         [0006]    2. The transmission elements occupy a great deal of space and result in difficult space configuration. 
         [0007]    3. The belts are numerous and their tension is difficult to control, and result in uneven speed. 
         [0008]    4. The transmission elements have many moving hinges. Shaking takes place and steadiness suffers. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The primary object of the present invention is to overcome the problems of the driving mechanism of the conventional labeling machine such as difficulty of maintenance and replacement of belts. The present invention provides a single transmission member to couple and transmit two axle wheels of a transmission assembly located on a base of a labeling machine. A linking member may be a belt to concurrently transmit a plurality of transmission assemblies. Each transmission assembly requires only one transmission member and one linking member. Assembly and repair and maintenance are easier. 
         [0010]    To achieve the foregoing object, the present invention provides a driving mechanism for labeling machine that has a linking assembly driven by a driving wheel connected to a power source to drive a transmission wheel of a transmission assembly, and a transmission member engaged with the transmission wheel so that two axle wheels are rotated concurrently in opposite direction. A pushing wheel is provided adjacent to the axle wheels to form close engagement between the linking member and the axle wheels. In addition, the two axle wheels and pushing wheel are respectively installed on two sliders of a base. The sliders can keep the axle wheels steady without wobbling during rotation. With two sets of axles firmly mounted on the axle wheels, the distance between the two axles can be adjusted through an axle adjustment assembly. Therefore, the distance between two feeding wheels also can be adjusted. 
         [0011]    The invention provides three main features: first, through the two slidable sliders, the distance between the two sliders can be adjusted without changing the location of the transmission member, thus it can be incorporated with center posts of varying dimensions. Second, coupling of multiple transmission assemblies can be done by linking the linking wheels thereof through a linking member so that the transmission assemblies can be driven concurrently. Third, each element is independently installed. If replacing one element is required, it can be accomplished by merely unfastening the transmission member. The moving elements need only lubrication by dispensing lube oil regularly. Life span of the elements and machine can be enhanced. In short, the invention provides many benefits, notably: 
         [0012]    1. Linking structure is simpler and can be incorporated with the center posts of varying dimensions. 
         [0013]    2. The transmission wheels, driven wheels, axle wheels and pushing wheels of the transmission assembly are coupled and transmitted through the transmission members. Operation is steadier and quieter with less shaking or vibration. 
         [0014]    3. Multiple sets of transmission assemblies can be coupled in series according to requirements. And the transmission members and linking members are independent and can be replaced easily. 
         [0015]    The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the driving mechanism of a conventional labeling machine. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the labeling machine of the invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a rear view of the labeling machine of the invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the driving mechanism of the labeling machine of the invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a rear perspective view of the driving mechanism of the labeling machine of the invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a front view of the driving mechanism of the labeling machine of the invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  is a rear view of the driving mechanism of the labeling machine of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0023]    Please refer to  FIGS. 2 through 5 , the driving mechanism for labeling machine according to the invention is connected to a power source such as an electric motor and includes a driving wheel  3  formed with teeth, a base  4 , a linking assembly  5 , a transmission assembly  6 , an axle assembly  7  and an adjustment assembly  8 . 
         [0024]    Also referring to  FIGS. 3 and 6 , the base  4  is fastened to a chassis  2  of a labeling machine  1  through an angular post  21  and has at least one sliding track  41  holding two sets of sliders  42  corresponding to each other. An anchor dock  421  is mounted onto the sliders  42 . 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the linking assembly  5  runs through the base  4  and is anchored thereon. It includes an actuation shaft  51 , an actuation wheel  52 , a linking wheel  53 , a linking member  54  and an idler pulley  55 . The actuation shaft  51  runs through the base  4 . The actuation wheel  52  and the linking wheel  53  have teeth formed on the perimeters thereof, and are located on a back side of the base  4  and coupled on one end of the actuation shaft  51 . The linking member  54  may be a belt and is annular with teeth formed on an inner side. The idler pulley  55  is located on the base  4  and has the perimeter engaging with the linking member  54  to push the linking member  54  to adjust the tension thereof. 
         [0026]    The driving wheel  3  is connected to the power source such as the electric motor and the linking assembly  5  by engaging with the actuation wheel  52  thereof through the teeth formed thereon. 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIGS. 4 ,  5  and  6 , the transmission assembly  6  is mounted onto the base  4  and connected to the linking assembly  5 . It includes a transmission wheel  61 , a transmission member  62 , a driven wheel  63 , two sets of axle wheels  64  and two sets of pushing wheels  65 . The transmission wheel  61  has teeth formed on the perimeter and is coupled on another end of the actuation shaft  51  run through the front side of the base  4 , and rotates concurrently with the actuation wheel  52  and the linking wheel  53 . The transmission member  62  may be an annular belt with teeth formed on two sides to couple and engage with the teeth of the transmission wheel  61 . The driven wheel  63  is mounted onto the base  4  and engages with the transmission member  62 . The two sets of axle wheels  64  and pushing wheels  65  have teeth formed on the perimeters, and are located respectively on the anchor dock  421  of the two sliders  42 . The axle wheels  64  and pushing wheels  65  are spaced from each other to form a desired gap between them to allow the transmission member  62  to pass through. The pushing wheels  65  provide pressing to make the transmission member  62  in close contact with the axle wheel  64 . The teeth on one side of the transmission member  62  engage with the teeth of the axle wheels  64  and the teeth on another side thereof engage with the teeth of the pushing wheels  65 . The transmission wheel  61  can drive the two sets of axle wheels  64  to move concurrently through the transmission member  62 . 
         [0028]    The axle assembly  7  includes two sets of axles  71 , a set of axle adjustment member  72  and two sets of feeding wheels  73 . The two axles  71  are respectively coupled with the two axle wheels  64  on the axes thereof. The axle adjustment member  72  is located on a middle portion of the axle  71 . By moving the axles  71 , the distance between them can be adjusted. Each feeding wheel  73  is mounted on a distal end of each axle  71 . 
         [0029]    The adjustment assembly  8  includes an adjustment dock  81  and an idler pulley  82 . The adjustment assembly  8  is located on the base  4  and engages with the transmission member  62  of the transmission assembly  6 . The idler pulley  82  also engages with the transmission member  62 . The position of the idler pulley  82  can be adjusted through the adjustment dock  81  to push the transmission member  62  to adjust the tension thereof. 
         [0030]    Referring to  FIGS. 2 ,  6  and  7 , when the driving wheel  3  is driven by the power source, the motion is transmitted to the actuation wheel  52  through the linking member  54 . Through the actuation shaft  51 , the transmission wheel  61  of the transmission assembly  6  is rotated concurrently to drive the transmission member  62 ; hence the two sets of axle wheels  64  engaged with the transmission member  62  also are driven to rotate in opposite direction at the same time. 
         [0031]    When the linking wheel  53  is removed from the actuation shaft  51 , the driving wheel  3  is connected to the actuation wheel  52  merely through the linking member  54  and drives only one transmission assembly  6 , hence the two axle wheels  64  are driven through a single driving fashion. 
         [0032]    When two sets of the driving mechanisms of the invention are installed, the labeling machine  1  can be driven through a dual driving fashion. In such a circumstance, an extra idler pulley  55  is installed on the base  4 , and the linking member  54   a  on the second linking assembly  5   a  is adjusted. No adjustment is required for the first set of the linking assembly. The linking member  54  is connected to one actuation wheel  52  and the driving wheel  3 . The linking member  54   a  of the second linking assembly  5   a  is connected to the linking wheel  53  of the first linking assembly  5  and the linking wheel  53   a  of the second linking assembly  5   a.  And the linking member  54   a  of the second linking assembly  5   a  is pushed by the idler pulley  55  to keep the linking member  54   a  at a desired tension. Then the two sets of linking assemblies  5  and  5   a  can be driven concurrently by the driving wheel  3 . As previously discussed, when the two sets of linking wheels  53  and  53   a  of the two linking assemblies  5  and  5   a  rotate, a dual driving fashion is formed to drive concurrently the two transmission assemblies  6  and  6   a.    
         [0033]    To do repair and maintenance of the transmission member  62  of the transmission assembly  6 , only the transmission member  62  needs to be removed from the base  4 , and a replacing transmission member  62  can be coupled between the transmission wheel  61  and driven wheel  63 . Then the transmission member  62  can respectively pass through the gap between the axle wheel  64  and pushing wheel  65  on the two sliders  42  with the teeth of the transmission member  62  respectively engaging with the teeth of the axle wheels  64  on the two sliders  42 . Then the idler pulley  82  of the adjustment assembly  8  can be adjusted to control the tension of the transmission member  62  to finish the replacement process. Replacement of the linking member  54  can be accomplished by removing merely the linking member  54  from the actuation wheel  52  or linking wheel  53  and mounting a replacing linking member  54 .

Technology Classification (CPC): 1