Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor having impinging fluid to feed – shift or discharge... – Having cleaning means
Patent
1996-06-19
1998-07-14
Bidwell, James R.
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor having impinging fluid to feed, shift or discharge...
Having cleaning means
B65G 4518
Patent
active
057790248
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a cleaning device for an endless conveyor, said conveyor being of the type comprising an endless belt or the like having an upper conveyor run and a lower return run which are guided over drive/driven rollers at each end of the conveyor, and usually also via one or more intermediate idler rollers.
For convenience hereinafter an endless conveyor of the above type will be referred to as a "conveyor belt".
Conveyor belt cleaning devices are used on most conveying systems to remove unwanted or redundant materials. They can also be employed to transfer material from the conveyor belt to a specific location along the length of the conveyor.
Most conveyor belt cleaning devices are of an automatic scraper-edge design. These rely upon the linear motion of a conveyor belt passing over a stationary wiper blade, which subsequently removes or diverts the materials as required.
More effective cleaning devices have also been designed which comprise a rotating cylindrical element, generally of a brush type of construction, and which is rotated at speed and in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the conveyor belt.
However, these brush type of cleaning devices are relatively expensive, since they are required to be rotated either via an electro-mechanical transmission or from some other form of prime mover.
A third type of cleaning device is known which sweeps a brush element laterally across the conveyor belt, i.e. at 90.degree. to the plane of the conveyor, but this system is restrictive in its mode of operation, speed and size. The brushing action is not uniform over the conveyor belt width, and its speed is, at best, only a direct 1:1 ratio of the conveyor belt speed. The design requires the rotating element to be off-set with respect to the centre line of the conveyor belt, which in turn produces a cleaning device of greater diameter than the actual belt width.
The invention seeks to provide a cleaner device which derives its power input from the motion energy of the endless belt which is to be cleaned, and which desirably is able to exert a self-adjusting cleaning engagement with the underside of the return run of the endless belt. The self-adjusting engagement may allow the cleaning device a) to compensate for wear and/or b) to adjust its position to suit particular cleaning loads and conditions.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a cleaning device for an endless conveyor of the type comprising an endless belt having an upper conveyor run and a lower return run which are guided over rollers at each end of the conveyor, said cleaning device being arranged to exert a cleaning action on the underside of the return run of the conveyor belt and to be driven directly by the linear motion of the conveyor belt, and in which the cleaning device comprises: the return run of the endless belt; with the upper surface of the return run to be rotated by the linear motion of the belt; having cleaning elements extending outwardly of the axis of rotation of the cleaner and to be engageable with the lower surface of the return run; operative to rotate the cleaner in a direction such that the tips of the cleaning elements move in an opposite direction to the linear movement of the return run as the elements carry out a cleaning operation; and pivot axis to urge the cylindrical cleaner upwardly and thereby press the tips of the cleaning elements into engagement with the lower surface of the return run.
Preferably, the axis of the drive roller coincides substantially with the pivot axis of the cradle.
The biasing means may comprise any suitable arrangement, including tension or compression springs, but preferably comprises a counterweight mounted on the cradle at an opposite side of the pivot axis of the cradle to the cleaner. The counterweight may be adjustably mounted on the cradle to permit variation in the biasing moment applied to the cradle. This may be achieved preferably by mounting the counterweight in slides provided on the cradle, and which allow the counterweight
REFERENCES:
patent: 766013 (1904-07-01), Baldwin
patent: 1431770 (1922-10-01), Ayres
patent: 2083864 (1937-06-01), Puckett
patent: 2652920 (1953-09-01), Bowman et al.
patent: 3957155 (1976-05-01), Enchelmaier
patent: 4960200 (1990-10-01), Pierce
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