Positively-driven, low tension transfer conveyor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9242801-B2
Application number	US-201314061968-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2013
Priority date	Oct 26, 2012
Publication date	Jan 26, 2016
Grant date	Jan 26, 2016

Abstract

Components of a conveyor system designed to facilitate tight transfer of products onto and off a positively-driven, low tension conveyor belt. The conveyor system includes a tension amplifier in a returnway of a conveyor belt circuit for selectively increasing tension in the conveyor belt prior to infeed without increasing the low tension in the returnway prior to the tension amplifier.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A conveyor system, comprising:
a positively-driven, low tension conveyor belt trained around belt-guiding members to form a circuit having a carryway, an outfeed and a returnway; and
a tension amplifier located in the returnway for increasing tension in a first section of the circuit between the tension amplifier and the carryway, while the returnway of the conveyor belt between the outfeed and the tension amplifier remains substantially untensioned.

2. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the tension amplifier comprises a brake connected to a sprocket in the returnway of the circuit.

3. The conveyor system of claim 1 , further comprising a passive toothed nosebar at the infeed of the circuit.

4. The conveyor system of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor for monitoring tension in the conveyor belt after the tension amplifier and a controller for adjusting the tension amplifier based on the monitored tension.

5. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the tension amplifier comprises a rail adjacent to a conveying surface of the conveying belt and an opposing plate or rail adjacent to a drive surface of the conveyor belt for adding drag to the conveyor belt.

6. The conveyor system of claim 5 , wherein the rail adjacent to the conveying surface is v-shaped.

7. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the tension amplifier comprises a plurality of belt-wrapping members disposed in the returnway and perpendicular to the circuit.

8. The conveyor system of claim 7 , wherein the conveyor belt wraps around the belt-wrapping members to induce drag in the conveyor belt.

9. The conveyor system of claim 7 , further comprising a frame for mounting the belt-wrapping members.

10. The conveyor system of claim 9 , wherein the frame includes a plurality of slots for adjusting the position of at least one of the belt-wrapping members.

11. The conveyor system of claim 7 , wherein the belt-wrapping members are substantially resistant to rotational movement.

12. The conveyor system of claim 11 , wherein the belt-wrapping members are fixed to prevent rotational movement.

13. The conveyor system of claim 11 , further comprising a brake for causing the belt-wrapping members to resist rotational movement.

14. The conveyor system of claim 13 , wherein the brake functions as a safety clutch that enables the belt-wrapping members to rotate when the tension required to conform the conveyor belt to an infeed member is exceeded.

15. A method of conforming a positively-driven, low tension conveyor belt to an infeed member that is smaller than a natural arc of the conveyor belt, comprising the steps of:
running the conveyor belt through a circuit comprising a carryway having an infeed and an outfeed, and a returnway below the carryway; and
increasing tension in the conveyor belt along a first section of the circuit using a tension amplifier in the returnway without increasing tension along the returnway of the circuit prior to the tension amplifier; and
releasing the tension added by the tension amplifier at the outfeed, so that a second section of the circuit between the outfeed and the tension amplifier remains substantially untensioned.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the tension amplifier comprises a brake connected to a shaft upon which driven sprockets are mounted in the returnway.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising the steps of:
monitoring the tension in the first section; and
adjusting the tension amplifier based on the step of monitoring.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the tension amplifier comprises a rail system in the returnway.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the tension amplifier comprises a series of belt-wrapping members disposed in the returnway and perpendicular to the circuit.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the belt-wrapping members are substantially resistant to rotational movement.

21. The method of claim 19 , further comprising the step of braking the belt-wrapping members to resist rotational movement.

22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising the step of allowing the belt-wrapping members to rotate when the tension in the conveyor belt exceeds a select amount.

23. A conveyor system, comprising:
a positively-driven, low tension conveyor belt trained around an infeed belt-guiding member and an outfeed belt-guiding member to form a circuit having an infeed, a carryway, an outfeed and a returnway below the carryway; and
a tension amplifier disposed in the returnway for dynamically increasing tension in a first section of the circuit between the tension amplifier and the infeed without adding static tension to the conveyor belt, while the returnway of the conveyor belt between the tension amplifier and the outfeed remains substantially untensioned.

24. The conveyor system of claim 23 , wherein the infeed belt-guiding member has a diameter that is less than the arc of natural curvature of the conveyor belt.

Assignees

• Laitram Llc

Inventors

• Degroot Michael Hendrik
• Hendrickson Daniel Robert
• Honeycutt Jr James R
• Trapani Brian A
• Pertuit Jr Wayne A
• St Pierre Paul E

Classifications

• B65G15/60 Primary

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

• B65G23/26 Primary

  Applications of clutches or brakes · CPC title

• B65G23/44

  Belt or chain tensioning arrangements · CPC title