Conveyor arrangement with integrated sensor function unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11767175-B2
Application number	US-201917312010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2019
Priority date	Dec 21, 2018
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

The invention relates to a conveyor arrangement ( 1 ) for conveying a conveyed material, comprising a motor-driven conveyor roller ( 100 ), comprising a roller body ( 10 ) mounted so as to be able to rotate about a roller axis (A), a drive unit ( 20 ) arranged inside the roller body ( 10 ), coupled mechanically to the roller body ( 10 ) and an axle element ( 16 ) and designed to generate a torque between the axle element ( 16 ) and the roller body ( 10 ), a sensor function unit ( 40 ) arranged inside the roller body ( 10 ) and designed to sense a conveyed material to be conveyed by the motor-driven conveyor roller ( 100 ), and a control unit ( 30 ) that is connected to the sensor function unit ( 40 ) in order to transmit signals, wherein the control unit ( 30 ) is designed to receive a sensor signal from the sensor function unit and to transmit a control signal to the drive unit ( 20 ) depending on the sensor signal, wherein the control signal contains data for driving the motor-driven conveyor roller, in a conveyor mode, with a characteristic profile that is predefined by the control signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Conveying arrangement ( 1 ) for conveying a conveyed material, comprising
a motor-operated conveying roller ( 100 ), comprising
an axle element ( 16 ),
a roller body ( 10 ) mounted rotatably about a roller axis (A),
a drive unit ( 20 ) which is arranged within the roller body ( 10 ) and which is mechanically coupled to the roller body ( 10 ) and to the axle element ( 16 ) and which is designed to generate a torque between the axle element ( 16 ) and the roller body ( 10 ),

a sensor function unit ( 40 ) which is arranged within the roller body ( 10 ) and which is designed to detect a conveyed material for conveying by means of the motor-operated conveying roller ( 100 ), and
a control unit ( 30 ) which is connected, for the transmission of signals, to the sensor function unit ( 40 ), wherein the control unit ( 30 ) is designed to receive a sensor signal from the sensor function unit and to transmit a control signal to the drive unit ( 20 ) in a manner dependent on the sensor signal, wherein the control signal comprises data for the drive of the motor-operated conveying roller with a characteristic profile, which is predetermined by the control signal, in a conveying operating mode, wherein the control unit ( 30 ), arranged within the roller body ( 10 ), is designed to switch the drive unit ( 20 ) back and forth between a standby operating mode and a conveying operating mode in a manner dependent on a sensor signal and/or a control signal.

2. Conveying arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the sensor function unit ( 40 ) provides an analogue signal as sensor signal.

3. Conveying arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that
the drive unit ( 20 ) comprises or is the sensor function unit ( 40 ), and/or
the sensor function unit ( 40 ) comprises or is a sensor separate from the drive unit.

4. Conveying arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , comprising an analogue-digital converter unit ( 31 ) which is designed to convert the sensor signal into a digital signal, wherein
the control unit ( 30 ) comprises the analogue-digital converter unit ( 31 ), and/or
the sensor function unit ( 40 ) comprises the analogue-digital converter unit ( 31 ).

5. Conveying arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the control unit ( 30 ),
for transmitting the sensor signal, is connected directly to the sensor function unit ( 40 ) by means of a signal line ( 41 ), and/or,
for activating the drive unit ( 20 ), is connected to the latter via a control line ( 42 ), and/or,
for receiving the control signals and/or for transmitting operating data of the conveying arrangement ( 1 ), is connected to a bus line ( 43 ).

6. Conveying arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , comprising a power interface for receiving a power supply in the form of a voltage supply with a voltage.

7. Conveying arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the drive unit ( 20 ) comprises a brushless electric motor ( 21 ), and the control unit ( 30 ) comprises commutation electronics for activating the electric motor ( 21 ).

8. Conveying arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , comprising a conveying roller ( 101 ) and a belt drive ( 102 ), wherein, for the drive of the conveying roller ( 101 ), the motor-operated conveying roller ( 100 ) is connected to the passively driven conveying roller ( 101 ) by means of the belt drive.

9. Conveying device ( 2 ) for conveying a conveyed material, comprising one or more conveying arrangements ( 1 ) according to claim 1 .

10. Conveying arrangement ( 1 ) for conveying a conveyed material, comprising
a motor-operated conveying roller ( 100 ), comprising
an axle element ( 16 ),
a roller body ( 10 ) mounted rotatably about a roller axis (A),
a drive unit ( 20 ) which is arranged within the roller body ( 10 ) and which is mechanically coupled to the roller body ( 10 ) and to the axle element ( 16 ) and which is designed to generate a torque between the axle element ( 16 ) and the roller body ( 10 ),

a sensor function unit ( 40 ) which is arranged within the roller body ( 10 ) and which is designed to detect a conveyed material for conveying by means of the motor-operated conveying roller ( 100 ), and
a control unit ( 30 ) arranged within the roller body ( 10 ); said control unit being connected, for the transmission of signals, to the sensor function unit ( 40 ), wherein the control unit ( 30 ) is designed to receive a sensor signal from the sensor function unit and to transmit a control signal to the drive unit ( 20 ) in a manner dependent on the sensor signal, wherein the control signal comprises data for the drive of the motor-operated conveying roller with a characteristic profile, which is predetermined by the control signal, in a conveying operating mode, wherein
the drive unit ( 20 ) switches from the standby operating mode to the conveying operating mode if the sensor signal signals a change from a free space to an occupied space or from an occupied space to a free space in a conveying direction (F), and/or

the drive unit ( 20 ) switches from the conveying operating mode to the standby operating mode if the sensor signal signals a change from a free space to an occupied space or from an occupied space to a free space in the conveying direction (F).

Assignees

• Interroll Holding Ag

Inventors

• Hampe Andreas
• Henze Herbert
• Chabrié Carsten

Classifications

• B65G43/08 Primary

  Control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged {(and controlling the discharging devices B65G47/42)} · CPC title

• B65G13/06

  Roller driving means · CPC title

• B65G23/08

  with self-contained driving mechanisms, e.g. motors and associated gearing · CPC title

• B65G2203/0233

  Position of the article · CPC title

• B65G2203/0291

  Speed of the load carrier · CPC title