JPS629481B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention belongs to the technical field related to conveyor devices.

Conveyors are used in all technical fields to transport articles along a transport path or over a distance. There are two typical types of these conveyors: belt conveyors and roller conveyors. In the first type, the conveyor comprises a continuous belt wrapped around rotatable rollers, which are driven by a motor to move the belt and transport the articles supported on the belt. It is being transferred.
A second type of conveyor has rollers rotatably mounted on a shaft, with the articles to be transported resting directly on the rollers. The rollers may be actively driven by a motor, or may be undriven to move the articles downwardly along the sloping conveyor line due to the force of gravity acting on the articles.

Conveyors are required to support substantial weight. This requirement is particularly strong, for example, in conveyors used in connection with packaging machines. In this case, the conveyor simultaneously transports a large number of filled containers. When the single item being transported is heavy, such as when heavy items or filled boxes are transported by the conveyor, the conveyor is further required to have a substantial load capacity.

The rotatable rollers used in both types of conveyors are generally supported by a shaft extending through the axis of the roller orthogonal to the path along which the articles are transported. Thus, the weight of the article at a given location on the conveyor is supported by its limited number of axles. The weight supported by any one shaft depends on the spacing between adjacent shafts and the length of the shaft (conveyor width).

The need for supports places practical limitations on the usefulness of various conveyor systems. Many continuous belt and rotatable roller conveyors use integrally molded rollers that span the entire width of the conveyor. Roller conveyors with full width rollers are for example Fleischauer
Other patents issued: US Patent No. 3610406:
3627092: Disclosed in 3650375. Because each roller extends across the width of the conveyor line, it is not possible to support the roller midway between its supporting ends. This point is based on the first two points cited above.
The contact with the roller midway between the supporting ends acts as a means to arrest rotation of the roller and therefore movement of the article along the upper surface of the roller. For example, in US Pat. No. 3,610,406, a pivot link is positioned below the roller and one end of the link is secured to the sensing roller assembly. A downward displacement of the sensing roller assembly, and thus a downward displacement of the connecting end of the pivot link, causes a brake body located at the opposite end of the pivot link to move upwardly. This upward movement causes the brake body to engage several other rollers and stop their rotation. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,627,092 discloses a braking mechanism that operates by frictionally engaging a flexible band on the surface of a rotatable roller to prevent rotation of the roller. .

Thus, a roller extending the entire width of the conveyor cannot be supported midway between its ends.
As a result, the weight that can be transferred by this type of conveyor is limited. In order for a conveyor to be able to transport fairly heavy weights, the size and strength of the material used for the shaft or rollers must vary for a given conveyor width.
In this manner, conveyor systems provided to transport heavier weights would generally require substantially greater material and expense. Furthermore, since rotation of these members becomes increasingly difficult as they become larger, the size and strength of the materials used are practically limited. In particular, these components driven by motors require substantially greater driving power, which is hardly efficient.

multiple-roller conveyor
conveyors) utilize a number of rollers mounted on each shaft between the supporting ends of the shaft. Since this type of conveyor does not have strong rollers or even a strong shaft, the intermediate support becomes even more important for composite roller conveyors.

In other words, the rollers in this type of conveyor do not significantly contribute to the load capacity of the conveyor. The basic control over the strength of the support lies in varying the length and strength of the shaft. the result,
It is necessary to provide means for supporting the shaft of this type of conveyor intermediate the supporting ends of the shaft.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,897,953, issued to Namenyi Katz on August 4, 1959, utilizes several mutually parallel axes whose axes lie in the same plane, each of which discloses a conveyor system having multiple cylindrical rollers. The cylindrical rollers are mounted side by side and are mechanically driven by high pressure gas acting on the internal vanes of the rollers. August 22, 1967
U.S. Patent No. 3,337,023, issued to Kohl et al.
No. 2, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 2, No. 1, No. 2, No. 2, No. 2, No. 2, No. 1, No. 1, 2003, 2004, and 2005, similarly discloses a conveyor system having a plurality of rollers mounted on each shaft. However, none of these patents discloses a means for supporting the shaft intermediate the normally supported ends of the shaft without blocking the transport path of the article moving along the top surface of the roller.

Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,053,039 discloses a conveyor having multiple rollers on each shaft. The invention may be used with this and other composite roller conveyors to increase the load capacity for the conveyor.

This invention has a plurality of axes, each axis having its first
and a plurality of rollers projecting upwardly from the shaft, supported in a second position and mounted in series with side faces facing each other on the shaft between the first and second positions; The tangential planes of the tops of the plurality of rollers mounted on the plurality of axes form a transferred article support area, and the articles are held in the transferred article support area intermediate the first and second positions in the conveyor for transferring the articles. a shaft support means for supporting the shaft at a support member connected to the shaft between two adjacent rollers of the plurality of rollers and extending upwardly and lower than the rollers mounted on the shaft; This invention relates to an improvement of a conveyor having a conveyor.

It is an object of this invention to provide a support for a multiple roller conveyor to increase the load capacity of the conveyor.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a conveyor which has the attendant advantages of having a large number of rollers mounted on one shaft and which is further capable of supporting substantially heavier weights. .

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a support means for a composite roller conveyor that can be easily attached to and removed from the conveyor, and that can be easily adapted to conveyors of various sizes and shapes. That's true.

Another object of the invention is to provide a support means that increases the load capacity of a composite roller conveyor and is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conveyor support means that does not interfere with the operation of the conveyor.

Further objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. However, they are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, and changes and modifications to the illustrated apparatus and other applications of the essence of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. It will be understood that this can be done to a certain extent.

The conveyor support means of this invention can be applied to various conveyor systems and is highly effective. The main requirement for a conveyor in which this conveyor support means can be used is that it has a shaft having a plurality of rollers attached to the shaft and extending above the shaft. It is immaterial whether the articles being transported along the conveyor are placed directly on the rollers or on a continuous belt driven by the rollers. It is likewise unimportant whether the shaft on which the rollers are mounted is fixed or rotatable. The operation of this conveyor support means will be described in relation to a particular conveyor system. This conveyor system has a U.S. Patent No.
No. 4053039, fully disclosed by reference. Although the novel structure disclosed and illustrated herein is employed in a particular conveyor system, the invention is not intended to be employable only or limited in use to this conveyor system. That will be understood.

Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a support member 10 according to the present invention. Support member 1
0 has a bottom surface 11 and an upright part 12, and the upright part 1
2 has an upper edge 13 and a slot 14 with a portion of the hole cut out.

The support member 10 has mutually parallel axes 17, 18, 1
9 is attached to the conveyor 16. A plurality of rotatable rollers 20 and the like are attached to each shaft. The tangential plane of the top of the roller forms a transported article support area on which the transported article 36 rests.

Roller 20 includes spacers 21 and 22 which space adjacent rollers and create contact between the rollers over a limited transport article support area so that the individual Provided to reduce motion interference. The inner diameter of the cylindrical roller is larger than the outer diameter of the corresponding cylindrical shaft, allowing the roller to slide relative to the shaft even if the roller jams. Thus, the inner diameter of the roller 20 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft 17 (see FIG. 5).

Each of the shafts 17, 18, 19 is near its ends;
That is, in the first and second positions, the shaft support means 23 and 2
Supported by 4. The support member 10 is supported intermediate the shaft support means 23 and 24 between two rollers on each shaft. Support member 10 (FIG. 3) has rollers 26 and 27 on shaft 17 between rollers 20 and 25.
to the shaft 18 between and to the shaft 19 between the rollers 28 and 29. Upper edge 13 of support member 10
the rollers so as not to obstruct the movement of the goods on the rollers.
It is located below the top of the roller.

The support member 10 has a shaft inserted into the slot 14 (FIG. 2).
It is attached to the shafts 17-19 by being received in the shafts 17-19. For example, shaft 19 is received in slot 14 (FIG. 5), and shafts 17 and 18 are received in similar appropriately spaced holes formed in upright 12. Locking parts 32 and 33
is positioned adjacent the open end of slot 14 such that opening 34 (FIG. 2) is narrower than the diameter of cylindrical shaft 19. As a result, the shaft 19 is anchored in the slot 14 by the locks when the shaft 19 is received within the slot 14 within the locks 32 and 33. The support member 10 has a shaft 19
The shaft 19 is made of an elastic material such that the distance between the locking portions is momentarily expanded so that the shaft 19 can be pushed into the slot 14 so that the shaft 19 can pass between the locking portions 32 and 33. When the shaft 19 is located inside the locks 32 and 33, the opening 34 is restored to its normal size so that the shaft 19 is retained in the slot 14. The shape of the slot illustrated at 14 is intended to allow the support member 10 to be pushed or snapped onto the shaft, with the support member 10 acting as an auxiliary support for the shaft. Similarly, the support members can be easily removed from their respective shafts in a reverse manner. The other slots in support member 10 are identical to slot 14 and function similarly.

The shafts 17-19 are described as having circular cross-sections, and the slot 14 is shown to have the same shape as the shafts. However, the size and shape of the shaft may vary from the circular cross-section shown. The inner bore portion of the lock can be correspondingly varied to have a size and shape capable of receiving and retaining the shaft. The internal shape of the slot is
It is desirable to vary depending on whether the accepted axis rotates or not. When the shaft rotates,
The annular interior preferably does not interfere with the rotational movement of the shaft, while in some situations it may have a non-circular hole to accommodate the rotating cylindrical shaft to minimize the area of contact between the shaft and the hole. is preferred.
The hole should in any case be slightly larger than the shaft when the shaft undergoes rotational movement.

This structure is one of the known means for removably connecting two members, and other known means for releasably connecting two members can also be used in this invention and is within the scope of this invention. Enter Yu. However, the disclosed structure is preferred because it allows a quick snap-on removable connection of the support member to the shaft while allowing the support member to be easily and inexpensively manufactured. Appropriately sized holes and locks allow the support member to be easily attached to and removed from the shaft. In particular, the manufacture of the preferred embodiments disclosed herein allows for easy adaptation to existing conveyors without requiring any modification of the support members or disassembly of the conveyor. Furthermore, this structure can be easily adapted to conveyors having shafts of various sizes and spacings. Inexpensive plastic materials can be used to form the support members of this invention, which have sufficient support strength while having sufficient resiliency to enable this method of attachment. .

Although the support member 10 is shown attached to several parallel axes, the present invention contemplates that the support member 10 may be connected to only one axle or to a number of axes. It is intended to be possible. Preferably, the support member is connected to several shafts, since the support member can be easily attached to and removed from multiple shafts. Additionally, each shaft may require additional support. In such cases, it may be more convenient and faster to attach one support member to several shafts than to attach separate support members to each shaft. In order to attach the support member to multiple axes, the support member 10 is simply made to the appropriate corresponding length and the holes are positioned accordingly. If the axes of the conveyor are not arranged in parallel, the number of axes to which any one support member is actually attached will be reduced. However, the support member can be shaped so that it can be attached to essentially any arrangement of shafts. Although this is impractical, individual support members would be connected to each shaft.

The support member attached to the shaft acts in conjunction with the shaft and the surface located directly below the support member as shaft support means. The bottom surface 11 of the support member 10 is
When the shaft 17 is not supporting any transported article, it is spaced apart from the support surface 35 (fourth
figure). When a moving article rests on shaft 17 or on any other shaft, the weight of the article causes shaft 17 to bow downwardly. When a fairly heavy weight is placed on the shaft 17, the shaft is attached to the support member 1.
The bottom surface 11 of the 0 will curve downward until it contacts the support surface 35. Support member 10 thus prevents further bending of shaft 17. Support member 10
extends below the lower end of the roller, so that contact with the support surface occurs only at the bottom of the support member.
As a result, the curvature of the shaft 17 reaches its limit before the roller contacts the support surface.

Without the support member 10, the shaft would continue to curve downwards. The roller then contacts the support surface and its rotation is stopped. The shaft 17 is easily deformed or destroyed by the weight of the transported article;
Therefore, the transport of goods is stopped. In these or other cases, when excessive loads are applied to the individual shafts, the absence of the support member will prevent the conveyor from operating.

The support member 10 has a bottom surface 11 which forms a larger area of contact with the support surface 35 than the area facing only the uprights 12 . This prevents the support member 10 from rotating diagonally as the shaft bends downward, thereby preventing the support member from preventing further bending of the shaft when it contacts the support surface. Assure. Similarly,
Coupling the support member to one or more axes can reliably prevent rotation about a single axis such that the support member cannot properly contact the support surface when the axle is bent. .

In addition to support member 10, support members 30 and 31 are likewise positioned along axis 17 and other axes (FIG. 4). Support members 30 and 31 are identical to support member 10 and operate similarly. When the shaft 17 bends due to the weight of the support article, the lowermost portion of the shaft is usually located at the center, ie, furthest from the ends of the support. However, depending on the length of the shaft 17 and its strength as well as the distribution of the weight supported, curvature will also occur at locations other than the central portion. For this purpose, it is preferable to provide an additional number of support members, such as additional support members 30 and 31, so as to provide support at locations other than the center of the shaft.

While this invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, it is not intended to be limited to the spirit of the invention, but rather only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described. Needless to say, various modifications and improvements included therein are subject to protection.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a perspective view of the support member of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the support member of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a composite roller equipped with the support member of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the conveyor;
5 is a side view of the conveyor taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a side view of the conveyor taken along line 5--5 of FIG. FIG. 6 shows the operation of the support member when the conveyor shaft is curved, and is otherwise the same as FIG. 4. Explanation of symbols, 10... Support member, 11... Bottom surface, 12... Upright part, 14... Hole, 16... Conveyor, 17, 18, 19... Shaft, 20, 25, 2
6...Roller, 21, 22...Spacer, 3
0, 31... Supporting member, 32, 33... Locking part,
34...opening, 36...transfer article.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Has a plurality of axes, each axis having a first and a second axis.
and further comprising a plurality of rollers mounted in series with sides facing each other between the first and second positions for each of the shafts and cooperating with the shafts. , a tangential surface of the top of the roller mounted on a plurality of axes projects upwardly from the cooperating axes to define a transported article support area extending in a non-vertical direction between the first and second positions. an article transporting conveyor in which the article being transported is held by the application of gravity against the article supporting area, the conveyor supporting the shaft between the first and second positions; a shaft support means for cooperating with and removably coupled to each of the plurality of shafts between two of the plurality of rollers mounted on the cooperating shafts; a support member; and a support surface spaced apart from the support member and positioned to prevent downward displacement of the support member beyond a predetermined distance; Expanding,
a bottom surface located below the tangential plane and positioned to engage the support surface upon downward displacement of the support member by a predetermined distance, the bottom surface engaging the support surface; has a sufficient area to provide stability so that when the shaft of the conveyor bends downward due to the weight of the conveyed articles supported by rollers mounted on the shaft, said A conveyor wherein a support member engages the support surface to support the shaft and the transported article and prevent further bending of the shaft. 2. The support member has a plurality of slots in its upper side, each of the plurality of axes being received and retained in each of the cooperating plurality of slots, each of the slots having a minimum cross-sectional diameter of the cooperating axes. 2. A conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the support member is connected to the shaft at which point the support member is connected to the shaft.