Conveyor apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10689198-B2
Application number	US-201716313523-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2017
Priority date	Jul 1, 2016
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

A conveyor apparatus includes an endless conveyor belt wound around outgoing path side guide pulleys in turn along a helical conveyance path in a bent state where the belt is folded in two in a width direction such that an upper edge portion thereof is supported by the outgoing path side guide pulleys, and wound around returning path side guide pulleys in turn along the helical conveyance path in the bent state where the belt is folded in two in the width direction such that the upper edge portion is supported by the returning path side guide pulleys, and folded back at each turning positions of a horizontal conveyance unit located at an upper side and a horizontal conveyance unit located at a lower side of the support frame and being in an expanded state where the belt expanded in the width direction in a vicinity of the turning position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A conveyor apparatus comprising:
a plurality of outgoing path side guide pulleys and a plurality of returning path side guide pulleys disposed along a helical conveyance path extending in a vertical direction and arranged at positions where inflection points of the helical conveyance path are formed such that the plurality of outgoing path side guide pulleys and the plurality of returning path side guide pulleys form the inflection points;
an endless conveyor belt wound around the plurality of outgoing path side guide pulleys in turn along the helical conveyance path in a bent state where the endless conveyor belt is folded in two in a width direction in such a manner that an upper edge portion of the endless conveyor belt is supported by the plurality of outgoing path side guide pulleys, the endless conveyor belt being wound around the plurality of returning path side guide pulleys in turn along the helical conveyance path in the bent state where the endless conveyor belt is folded in two in the width direction in such a manner that the upper edge portion is supported by the plurality of returning path side guide pulleys, and further, the endless conveyor belt being folded back at turning positions of an upper side and a lower side of the helical conveyance path and being in an expanded state where the endless conveyor belt is expanded in the width direction in a vicinity of each of the turning positions;
a pair of an upper side turning pulley and a lower side turning pulley configured to support and guide the endless conveyor belt to stretch at the respective turning positions; and
drive motors configured to drive pulleys among some or all of the plurality of outgoing path side guide pulleys, the plurality of returning path side guide pulleys, the upper side turning pulley, and the lower side turning pulley,
wherein the drive motors are provided in a dispersed manner at some positions among positions of the plurality of outgoing path side guide pulleys forming the inflection points, the plurality of returning path side guide pulleys forming the inflection points, the upper side turning pulley, and the lower side turning pulley,
on each of outer circumference surfaces of the plurality of outgoing path side guide pulleys and the plurality of returning path side guide pulleys, a first recessed portion and a second recessed portion each having a trapezoidal cross sectional shape are formed endlessly in a circumferential direction, the second recessed portion being formed on the lower side of the first recessed portion, one end portion on one side of the endless conveyor belt being formed into a trapezoidal cross sectional shape and fitted into the first recessed portion, and another end portion of another side of the endless conveyor belt being formed into a trapezoidal cross sectional shape and fitted into the second recessed portion,
the position where the inflection points are formed are set at corner portions of a support frame having an axis extending in a vertical direction and having a polygonal shape when viewed from above,
the upper edge portion of the endless conveyor belt in the bent state where the endless conveyor belt is folded in two in the width direction include: the one end portion of the endless conveyor belt disposed at an upper side; and the another end portion of the endless conveyor belt having an inclined lower surface, the another end portion being vertically arranged at a lower side with respect to the one end portion, and is supported by a supported by a plurality of conveyor belt support mechanisms.

2. The conveyor apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the conveyor belt support mechanisms includes:
a roller support plate attached on each of a plurality of support shafts located between the corner portions of the support frame to protrude outwardly;
an outer side support roller attached to a position at an outer side spaced apart from a support shaft of the roller support plate; and
an inner side support roller attached to a position at an inner side with respect to the outer side support roller of the roller support plate,
wherein the outer side support roller comes in contact with an outer surface of the one end portion of the endless conveyor belt,
the inner side support roller is formed in a truncated cone shape and comes in contact with the inclined lower surface of the another end portion of the endless conveyor belt disposed at the lower side with respect to the one end portion, and
the outer side support roller and the inner side support roller sandwich and support, from outside and inside, the upper edge portion of the endless conveyor belt in the bent state where the endless conveyor belt is folded in two in the width direction.

3. The conveyor apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the support frame includes the plurality of support shafts disposed in such a manner that an axis extends in a vertical direction, and the plurality of support shafts are disposed such that the plurality of support shafts form a polygonal shape transverse section, and
the plurality of outgoing path side guide pulleys and the plurality of returning path side guide pulleys are respectively disposed on the plurality of support shafts located at the corner portions of the support frame set at the positions where the inflection points are formed.

4. The conveyor apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the support frame includes a plurality of support shafts disposed in such a manner that an axis extends in a vertical direction, and the plurality of support shafts are disposed such that the plurality of support shafts form a polygonal shape transverse section, and
the plurality of outgoing path side guide pulleys and the plurality of returning path side guide pulleys are respectively disposed on the plurality of support shafts located at the corner portions of the support frame set at the positions where the inflection points are formed.

Assignees

• Furukawa Ind Machinery Systems Co Ltd
• Bando Chemical Ind

Inventors

• Katamata Hiromi
• KITAZAWA Tsuyoshi
• YOKOMAKU Ayumu
• FUJIKAKE Akihisa
• Fujita Atsushi

Classifications

• B65G15/08 Primary

  the load-carrying surface being formed by a concave or tubular belt, e.g. a belt forming a trough · CPC title

• B65G39/12

  mounted on framework · CPC title

• B65G21/18

  in three-dimensionally curved paths · CPC title

• B65G2812/02148

  Driving means for the belts · CPC title

• B65G15/02 Primary

  for conveying in a circular arc · CPC title