Flexible-belt conveyor and methods of conveying

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10118765-B2
Application number	US-201715601312-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2017
Priority date	Dec 9, 2014
Publication date	Nov 6, 2018
Grant date	Nov 6, 2018

Abstract

A trough-belt conveyor with adjustable bearing support wings and methods for operating the conveyor to sort or destack articles. The conveyor includes a flexible conveyor belt supported in a series of support beds. Adjustable support beds have a base bearing member flanked by a pair of bearing wings. One or both of the wings are adjustable to raise or lower the sides of the belt above and below the plane of the center of the belt supported atop the base member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A conveyor comprising:
a flexible conveyor belt;
a plurality of support beds spaced apart in a conveying direction along a carryway run to support the flexible conveyor belt;
wherein at least one of the support beds includes:
a first bearing segment in contact with a first portion of the flexible conveyor belt;
a second bearing segment in contact with a second portion of the flexible conveyor belt;
wherein the first bearing segment forms an angle with the second bearing segment viewed in the conveying direction;
an actuator coupled to at least one of the first and second bearing segments to adjust the angle;
wherein the angle is adjustable over a range of angles that includes negative angles at which the second bearing segment is angled downward from the first bearing segment.

2. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein the first bearing segment supports the first portion of the flexible conveyor belt in a horizontal plane.

3. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein the at least one of the support beds further includes a third bearing segment in contact with a third portion of the flexible conveyor belt on the opposite side of the first bearing segment from the second bearing segment.

4. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein the first and second bearing segments include rollers in contact with the flexible conveyor belt.

5. An adjustable support bed for a flexible conveyor belt, comprising:
a first bearing segment having a bearing surface;
a second bearing segment having a bearing surface;
wherein the bearing surface of the first bearing segment forms an angle with the bearing surface of the second bearing segment;
an actuator coupled to at least one of the first and second bearing segments to adjust the angle;
wherein the angle is adjustable over a range of angles that includes negative angles at which the second bearing segment is angled downward from the first bearing segment.

6. An adjustable support bed as in claim 5 further including a third bearing segment having a bearing surface on the opposite side of the first bearing segment from the second bearing segment.

7. An adjustable support bed as in claim 5 wherein the first and second bearing segments include rollers forming the bearing surfaces.

8. A conveyor comprising:
a flexible conveyor belt;
a plurality of spaced apart support beds supporting the flexible conveyor belt along a carryway run;
wherein each of the support beds includes:
a base bearing member extending laterally across the carryway run from a first end to a second end and defining a base axis;
a first bearing wing flanking the base bearing member at the first end of the base bearing member;
a second bearing wing flanking the base bearing member at the second end of the base bearing member;
wherein the first bearing wing has an axis defining a first wing angle with the base axis and the second bearing wing has an axis defining a second wing angle with the base axis to define a support-bed geometry;
wherein the flexible conveyor belt is supported atop the base bearing member and the first and second bearing wings and conforms to the support-bed geometry;
a first actuator coupled to the first bearing wing to adjust the first wing angle;
wherein the first wing angle is adjustable over a range of angles from a positive first wing angle at which the first bearing wing is angled upward away from the base bearing member to a negative first wing angle at which the first bearing wing is angled downward away from the base bearing member.

9. A conveyor as in claim 8 wherein one or more of the base bearing member, the first bearing wing, and second bearing wings are rollers.

10. A conveyor as in claim 8 wherein the conveyor belt includes an underside having spaced apart drive teeth and wherein one or more of the base bearing members, the first bearing wings, or the second bearing wings are rollers powered to rotate and include peripheral drive members engaging the drive teeth to drive the flexible conveyor belt.

11. A conveyor as in claim 8 further comprising a second actuator coupled to the second bearing wing to adjust the second wing angle.

12. A method for transferring articles off the side of a conveyor belt, comprising:
(a) transporting articles on a flexible conveyor belt having first and second sides advancing atop a series of support beds that each include a base bearing member flanked by a first bearing wing supporting the first side of the flexible conveyor belt;
(b) lowering the first bearing wing to a position angled downward away from the base bearing member so that the first side of the flexible conveyor belt is tilted downward by the weight of the articles between the base bearing member and the first bearing wing to allow them to slide off the first side of the flexible conveyor belt.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising lowering a second bearing wing supporting the second side of the conveyor belt to a position angled downward away from the base bearing member so that the second side of the flexible conveyor belt is tilted downward by the weight of the articles between the base bearing member and the second bearing wing to allow them to slide off the second side of the flexible conveyor belt.

Assignees

• Laitram Llc

Inventors

• Ragan Bryant G
• Landrum John F
• Rosen Robert L

Classifications

• B65G15/64

  for automatically maintaining the position of the belts · CPC title

• B65G39/125

  for selectively adjusting troughing of the conveying belt · CPC title

• B65G39/00

  Rollers, e.g. drive rollers, or arrangements thereof incorporated in roller-ways or other types of mechanical conveyors  (driving gear for rollers of roller-ways B65G13/06) · CPC title

• B65G39/10

  Arrangements of rollers (on a single axle B65G39/04) · CPC title

• B65G15/60 Primary

  Arrangements for supporting or guiding belts, e.g. by fluid jets · CPC title