Conveyor belt module with shaped bottom surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016176642-A1
Application number	US-201414575019-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 18, 2014
Priority date	Dec 18, 2014
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A conveyor belt module has a conveying surface and a shaped bottom surface. The shaped bottom surface includes a concave lateral channel in the shape of a bell curve, designed to accommodate a nosebar, so that a conveyor belt formed of the modules can smoothly navigate the nosebar. The module includes hinge elements having elongated, slotted openings that are offset from the vertical center of the module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A conveyor belt module comprising:
a module body having a top conveying surface; a first set of hinge elements spaced apart across first gaps along a first end of the module body, the first set of hinge elements including elongated hinge openings, the elongated hinge openings elongated in a direction of belt travel; a second set of hinge elements spaced apart across second gaps along a second end of the module body; and a bottom surface having a concave channel extending laterally across at least a portion of the bottom surface and at least one convex curve, the bottom surface of the module defined by the bottom surface of the module body, and the bottom surfaces of the first and second sets of hinge elements,

2 . The conveyor belt module of claim 1 , wherein the concave channel as a bell-shaped profile.

3 . The conveyor belt module of claim 1 , wherein the concave channel has a peak that is below the bottoms of the elongated hinge openings.

4 . The conveyor belt module of claim 1 , wherein the concave channel includes a first convex surface below the first set of hinge elements having a radius of curvature centered within the elongated hinge openings.

5 . The conveyor belt module of claim 4 , wherein the concave channel includes a second convex surface below the second set of hinge elements having a radius of curvature centered within hinge openings in the second set of hinge elements.

6 . The conveyor belt module of claim 5 , wherein the concave channel includes a concave surface between the first and second convex surfaces.

7 . The conveyor belt module of claim 6 , wherein the concave channel has a radius of curvature that is less than the radii of curvature of the first and second convex surface.

8 . The conveyor belt module of claim 6 , wherein the bottom surface further comprises flat end surfaces extending longitudinally outwards from each convex surface.

9 . A conveyor belt module, comprising:
a module body having a top conveying surface; a first set of hinge elements spaced apart across first gaps along a first end of the module body, a second set of hinge elements spaced apart across second gaps along a second end of the module body; and a shaped bottom surface, the shaped bottom surface including a first convex curve converging with a central concave curve and a second convex curve converging with the central concave curve, wherein the radius of curvature of the first convex curve is greater than the radius of curvature of the central concave curve.

10 . The conveyor belt module of claim 9 , wherein the radius of curvature of the second convex curve is equal to the radius of curvature of the first convex curve.

11 . The conveyor belt module of claim 9 , wherein the first hinge elements include elongated hinge openings.

12 . The conveyor belt module of claim 9 , wherein the shaped bottom surface includes a first flat surface between a first longitudinal end of the module and the first convex curve and a second flat surface between a second longitudinal end of the module and the second convex curve.

13 . The conveyor belt module of claim 9 , wherein the first set of hinge elements includes aligned hinge openings and the peak of the central concave curve is below the hinge openings.

14 . A conveyor belt module, comprising:
a module body having a top conveying surface; a first set of hinge elements spaced apart across first gaps along a first end of the module body a first set of aligned hinge openings in the first set of hinge elements; a second set of hinge elements spaced apart across second gaps along a second the module body; and a shaped bottom surface, the shaped bottom surface including a first convex curve, a central concave curve and a second convex curve, wherein the peak of the central concave curve is below the first set of hinge openings.

15 . The conveyor belt module of claim 14 , wherein the first set of aligned hinge openings are elongated in a longitudinal direction.

16 . The conveyor belt module of claim 14 , wherein the central concave curve has a radius of curvature that is less than a radius of curvature of the first convex curve.

17 . A conveyor belt module, comprising:
a module body having a top conveying surface; a first set of hinge elements spaced apart across first gaps along a first end of the module body a first set of aligned hinge openings in the first set of hinge elements, each opening bounded at an outer end by a curved bearing surface; a second set of hinge elements spaced apart across second gaps along a second end of the module body; and a shaped bottom surface, the shaped bottom surface including a first convex curve, a central concave curve and a second convex curve, wherein the first convex curve has a center of curvature that also forms a center of curvature of a curved bearing surface in a corresponding hinge opening.

18 . The conveyor belt module of claim 17 , wherein the hinge openings in the first set are elongated in a direction of belt travel.

19 . The conveyor belt module of claim 17 , wherein the concave curve has a radius of curvature that is smaller than the radius of curvature of the first convex curve.

20 . A conveyor belt module comprising:
an upper portion, the upper portion including a central body extending from a first side to a second side and a plurality of hinge elements extending from first and second ends of the central body, the hinge elements having hinge openings vertically centered in the upper portion; and a lower portion below the upper portion, wherein the lower portion tapers in thickness from a first thickness near a first and second ends of the module to a thickness of approximately zero in a longitudinal center of the module, the solid lower portion including a convex curve on a bottom surface thereof.

21 . The conveyor belt module of claim 20 , wherein the bottom surface of the solid lower portion has a bell curve profile.

22 . The conveyor belt module of claim 20 , wherein least one hinge opening is elongated in a direction of belt travel.

23 . The conveyor belt nodule of claim 20 , wherein the convex curve on the bottom surface has a center of curvature that aligns with a center of a hinge opening.

24 . A conveyor comprising:
a carryway; a radius conveyor belt having an upper span extending over the carryway, the radius conveyor belt formed of a plurality of hingedly connected modules, each conveyor belt module including at least one slotted hinge opening for hingedly connecting the module to another module in the belt; a nosebar at the end of the carryway for guiding the conveyor belt off the carryway and into a returnway, wherein the conveyor belt has a pitch that is larger than the diameter of the nosebar.

25 . The conveyor of claim 24 , wherein each module includes a concave channel on a bottom surface thereof.

26 . The conveyor of claim 25 , wherein the concave channel includes a concave curve having a radius of curvature approximately equal to the radius of the nosebar.

27 . The conveyor of claim 26 , herein the concave channel includes convex curves on each side of the concave curve.

Assignees

• Laitram Llc

Inventors

• Maclachlan Gilbert J

Classifications

• B65G17/08 Primary

  the surface being formed by the traction element · CPC title