Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor section – Endless conveyor
Patent
1996-08-09
1997-11-04
Dayoan, D. Glenn
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor section
Endless conveyor
198838, B65G 1502
Patent
active
056829752
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
This invention is concerned with improvements relating to conveyors, and in particular to corner units for conveyors.
Where it is necessary for a conveyor to change direction (e.g. on a bend) a corner unit is provided to transfer the conveying action from one straight run to another.
A conventional conveyor corner unit comprises a frame on which a plurality of frusto-conical rollers are mounted, with a conveyor belt entrained around the rollers. Tension is applied to the belt by separative movement of the rollers, and to restrain the belt against movement in a direction inwardly of the corner, restraining means is utilised.
A conventional construction of restraining means comprises a plurality of roller assemblies secured around the outer edge of the belt, each roller assembly comprising one roller member disposed above and one roller member disposed below the belt. In the operation of the conveyor corner unit, tension applied to the belt by the frusto-conical rollers pulls the roller assemblies against a split trackway, to restrain the belt against movement in a direction inwardly of the corner unit.
Because corner units are more complicated in their construction than straight conveyor units, they are more prone to failure, and in need of more frequency maintenance, the most common form of maintenance requiring removal of the belt from the frusto-conical rollers. In many circumstances the time over which a conveyor is out of commission for repair or maintenance can cause great difficulties, e.g., in use as part of an automated production line, or as part of a baggage handling system at an airport, and it is one of the various objects of this invention to provide a conveyor corner unit having a construction which lends itself to speedy repair.
According to this invention there is provided a conveyor corner unit of the kind having a conveyor belt entrained around frusto-conical rollers, the belt being restrained against movement in a direction inwardly of the corner by roller members secured to an outer region of the belt acting against a trackway disposed inwardly of said outer region, wherein the trackway comprises separable parts to enable the conveyor belt and the roller members thereof to be moved inwardly between said separable parts.
Preferably the trackway parts are separable generally in a plane extending at right angles of operation to the plane of operation of the conveyor. Thus if the belt operates in a generally horizontal plane, preferably said parts are separable generally vertically. In this manner when the conveyor corner unit is in need of repair, by effecting such separation of the trackway parts, the conveyor belt may be moved inwardly of the corner unit from the rollers thereof, and repair, maintenance or replacement effected relatively quickly.
Preferably the belt is so constrained against movement in both directions of its reach--i.e. upper and lower reaches of a conveyor operating in the horizontal plane, and preferably two trackways are provided for engagement with the roller means of the belt.
Preferably both trackways comprise separable parts, and preferably means is provided, such as over centre device, to facilitate such separation.
Preferably separation is effected simultaneously, and conveniently one part of one of said trackways is mounted for movement with one part of the other trackway. Preferably the other part of each trackway is fixedly secured to a frame of the conveyor corner unit.
There will now be given a detailed description, to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, of a conveyor corner unit which is the preferred embodiment of this invention, having been selected for the purposes of illustrating the invention by way of example.
In the accompanying drawings:
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a conveyor of which the preferred embodiments form a part; and
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1.
The conveyor corner unit 6 which is the preferred embodiment of the invention is used as part of a conveyor 4 (FI
REFERENCES:
patent: 3951256 (1976-04-01), Gurewitz
patent: 4202443 (1980-05-01), Buhrer
patent: 4846338 (1989-07-01), Widmer
patent: 5038925 (1991-08-01), Chrysler
patent: 5332082 (1994-07-01), Sommerfield
patent: 5332083 (1994-07-01), Axmann
Dayoan D. Glenn
Gramac (Mechanical Handling) Limited
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