JPH0474243B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a conveyor belt and its constituent modules, and more particularly to a modular conveyor belt comprising interconnected modules having the same unitary construction.

are rotatably coupled to each other, each preferably having:
Modular conveyor belts are known which consist of modules molded as a single unit made of plastic. This kind of conveyor belt is
For example, as disclosed in US Pat. No. 3,870,141 and US Pat. No. 4,051,949. For certain applications, such as the food industry, it is desirable to easily inspect and maintain cleanliness of the conveyor. Government and industrial regulations also specify inspection and hygiene standards for equipment used to process consumer goods. A conveyor belt that is easy to inspect is known from US Pat. No. 4,159,763.

According to the present invention, a plurality of first connecting ends each having a flat conveying surface and spaced apart along the width of the main body are disposed at the front end of the main body; A conveyor belt is provided that is comprised of integrally molded modules having a plurality of second connecting ends disposed at the rear end of the body. Each connecting end has a respective pivot hole aligned with a pivot axis across the width of the module and covers a pivot bar on the top of the module or on the transport side to provide a substantially flat and clean transport side. and includes an engageable segment that operates to expose the pivot rod substantially to the right or opposite side for easy inspection and cleaning.
The pivot rods are exposed to ambient temperature and can be heated or cooled more easily than concealed pivot rods, resulting in more uniform temperature cycling, thermal expansion and contraction of the modules and interconnecting rods. On the outside of the module, terminating at the connecting end, longitudinal ribs are provided, which ribs have closed end portions circumscribing an opening centered on the pivot axis. The horizontal ribs extend across the width of the module, and the vertical ribs are spaced apart between the horizontal ribs. When the interconnected modules are placed in a straight path, the connecting ends are hidden so that the belt forms a substantially continuous conveying surface. On the other hand, if the conveying path is curved, the connecting end is exposed along it, making it easier to inspect and clean.

The opposing surfaces of the transverse ribs provide a sprocket recess midway between the pivots of each module. These engage corresponding sprocket teeth on the associated chain wheel to collectively drive the module, thereby minimizing chording and rubbing between the relative surfaces of the module and chain wheel.

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the module 10
are interconnected with like modules to form a modular interlocking conveyor belt in accordance with the present invention, and are formed as a one-piece plastic structure by injection molding or other molding techniques well known in the art. Each module has a plurality of first connecting ends 1
4, and a substantially rectangular plate-like body 12 having a plurality of second connecting ends 16. A pair of horizontal ribs 18 extend across both sides of the main body width, and a plurality of vertical ribs 20 as first vertical ribs extend along both sides of the width of the main body.
They are separated by 8. Similarly, a plurality of second
A longitudinal rib 22 as a longitudinal rib extends from each transverse rib 18 and terminates at each connecting end. The lattice structure formed by the transverse ribs 18 and the longitudinal ribs 20, 22 strengthens the module and prevents excessive curvature of the module about the longitudinal or transverse axes.
Each connecting end 14, 16 is connected to the upper conveying surface 2 of the main body 12.
6, a coplanar top surface 24 (see FIG. 3), and an end 28 extending downwardly from the surface to define a partially cylindrical segment. The partially cylindrical segments of each connecting end are aligned about a common transverse axis that is the pivot of adjacent connecting ends. The longitudinal ribs 22 terminating at each connecting end have closed ends 30 defining pivot holes 31 that are aligned with the pivot axis and allow interconnection with the opposing connecting ends by passing the pivot rod 32 therethrough. It is equipped with Both ends of the pivot rod 32 are typically indexed or deformed and held in the axial direction of the module.

Each end 28 is a partially cylindrical member that abuts a pivot rod 32 to provide a bearing area sufficient to accommodate the tensile forces created by driving the interconnect module over a conveying path under load. A shaped surface or hole 33 is provided. The module edge 34 facing the connecting end 28 of the opposing module is brought into close contact with the circular edge of the connecting end 28 to reduce the gap between the opposing connecting portions, thereby ensuring that the opposing connecting portions are straight as shown in FIG. It is chamfered to maintain a substantially continuous conveying surface when disposed along the path. Preferably, the modules have a connecting end configuration that allows them to be reversed end-to-end, ie, either end of one module can be opposed to either end of another module.

Each relative module continues along a straight path, substantially coplanar with the conveying surface of an adjacent connection, thereby leaving only a slight line of separation between adjacent modules to substantially connect the cleaning surfaces. It has a conveyance top surface 26 that forms a conveyance surface that is easy to move. The pivot rods 32 that join adjacent modules are covered by the ends 28, but are substantially exposed inside the connections, as shown in FIG. We conduct inspections and cleaning as required by food industry and other industries and government regulations. The connecting ends and edges of each module are similarly exposed to facilitate inspection as the belt is fed along a circular path around its associated sprocket, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 8. I have to.

The opposing sloped surfaces 40 of the transverse ribs 18 define recesses between the module pivots that serve as sprocket grooves. These sprocket grooves engage corresponding sprocket teeth 42 of the associated chain wheel 44, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 8.
The chain wheel 44 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 has teeth 42 with parallel sides 46 and sloped front and rear surfaces 48 shaped to engage corresponding surfaces of the sprocket groove. The chain wheel 44 also has a hub 50 fixed to the square shaft. As shown in FIG. 1, by providing a sufficient number of chain wheels in the width direction of the module, a desired supporting driving force can be obtained. Collectively driven sprocket grooves have the advantage of minimizing chording and rubbing between the relative surfaces of the module and chain wheel.

In pending US patent application Ser. No. 179,523, a centrally located sprocket groove is part of a differently shaped module. Additionally, pending U.S. patent application no.
In No. 228154, the sprocket grooves can be viewed as the inverse of the central sprocket tooth. By arranging the sprocket groove midway between the pivot shafts and driving the module at this intermediate position instead of at the pivot position as in the past, the conveyor belt can be driven at a substantially constant speed and the distance between the sprocket and the belt can be reduced. Not only is wear virtually eliminated, but by minimizing string action and rubbing, a belt can be created that can run at higher speeds than previously possible. Also, the opposing slopes of the intermediate groove not only serve to provide a large surface area for the jets of water and/or jets above and below the module that clean the belt, but also allow for easy visual inspection of the belt.

The modules are preferably formed to have a width that is a multiple of the minimum module width, so that a conveyor belt of a desired width can be formed by arranging them in a brick-laying manner. The belt shown in FIG. 7 includes a narrow module 10a and a module 1 three times as wide as the module 10a.
It consists of 0b. Since the modules are arranged in parallel as shown in the figure, the belt can be locked and connected in the lateral direction by supporting the laterally adjacent modules with one module. Since the modules can be easily cut to any intermediate width, belts of any width can be manufactured from a single standard section.

The module is manufactured as a one-piece structure by injection molding a plastic material such as polyethylene. By determining the specific plastic according to the desired properties, it can be tailored to the specific work environment. The pivot rods are usually identically shaped and interchangeable plastics.

Although the details of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be modified and modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of the novel conveyor belt and associated sprocket drive. FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the connected modules. FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the connected modules. FIG. 4 is a partial bottom view of the module. FIG. 5 is a partial end view of the module. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6--6 in FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a top view of the modules connected in a bricklaying manner. FIG. 8 is a fragmented side view showing the state of engagement between the connection module and the chain wheel. FIG. 9 is an elevational view of a chain wheel used with a coupling module. and FIG.
It is a sectional view of the chain wheel shown in the figure. 10...Module, 12...Module main body, 14, 16...Connection end, 18...Horizontal rib, 2
0, 22... Vertical rib, 28... Vertical rib end, 32
... Pivotal support rod, 33 ... Vertical rib cylindrical surface, 34 ... Module edge, 40 ... Horizontal rib inclined surface, 44 ...
Chain wheel.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A modular conveyor belt consisting of substantially identical injection molded modules, each module having a flat conveying surface and a plurality of conveyor belts spaced apart along the width of the body. one connecting end disposed at the front end of the main body, and a plurality of second connecting ends spaced apart along the width of the main body disposed at the rear end of the main body. each connecting end being pivotally connected to the connecting end of an adjacent module by a pivot rod that faces the connecting end of an adjacent module and extends across the width of the joined modules; Furthermore, the connecting end is a first structural part integral with the main body,
a second structure, cooperating with the first structure, which acts to substantially surround the pivot rod on the transport side of the module; operative to expose substantially the entire length of the pivot rod, said portion of the pivot rod being attached to a second structure for inspection and cleaning and uniform temperature circulation. the second structure is thus unenclosed and is characterized in that it acts to enclose within the bottom of the module the small portion of the exposed pivot rod to provide the pivot race. conveyor belt. 2. Each connecting end comprises a bearing surface that abuts the pivot rod and forms a bearing surface area sufficient to accommodate the tensile forces generated by driving the interconnecting module along the transport path. Conveyor belts as described in Section. 3. A conveyor belt consisting of a plurality of similar modules rotatably connected to each other by pivot rods, each module having a flat conveying surface and spaced apart along the width of the main body. a plurality of first connecting ends disposed at the front end of the main body;
an integral body having a plurality of second connecting ends spaced apart along the width of the body and disposed at a rear end of the body, extending across the width of the body;
a plurality of horizontal ribs disposed outward from the inside of the main body; a plurality of first vertical ribs spaced apart between the horizontal ribs; and a pivot shaft extending from each horizontal rib toward each connecting end; a plurality of second longitudinal ribs each having a closed end circumscribing the pivot hole aligned with the connecting end, each connecting end having an upper surface coplanar with the conveying surface and extending downwardly from the conveying surface; a portion defining a partially cylindrical segment aligned with the pivot axis across the width of the body, said segment operative to surround a pivot bar on the module transport side, said pivot bar comprising: It is substantially exposed inside the module over its entire length, allowing access to the pivot rods and connecting ends, making service cleaning easier and temperature circulation more uniform. A conveyor belt, characterized in that the body has a chamfered edge between the connecting ends of the coupling modules and the adjacent connecting ends. 4. The conveyor belt of claim 3, wherein the interconnecting modules located along the straight path define a substantially continuous conveying surface. 5. The conveyor belt according to claim 3, wherein the conveyance surface is a surface of a plate-like portion of the integral body. 6. Connecting ends and chamfered edges of interconnected modules are concealed when the module is located along a straight path, but exposed when the module is located along a curved path to facilitate inspection and cleaning. A conveyor belt according to claim 3. 7. Said transverse ribs extend across the width of the body and have a pair of opposing sloped surfaces located intermediate between the module pivots and defining a sprocket groove for engaging the sprocket teeth of the associated chain wheel. The conveyor belt according to claim 3, which is a transverse rib. 8. The conveyor belt according to claim 7, wherein the inclined surface is formed at an angle from the conveying surface toward each connecting end. 9 each cylindrical segment of the coupling end abuts a pivot rod to retain the coupling module and provides sufficient bearing surface area to accommodate the tensile forces generated by driving the interconnection module along the transport path; 4. A conveyor belt according to claim 3, comprising a cylindrical surface.