Apparatus and method for tracking conveyor belts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9884730-B2
Application number	US-201615349435-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2016
Priority date	Nov 12, 2015
Publication date	Feb 6, 2018
Grant date	Feb 6, 2018

Abstract

A tracking apparatus and method for urging a mistracking conveyor belt towards a correct travel path are disclosed. The apparatus and method utilize downstream shifting of an end portion of an idler roller due to mistracking of the conveyor belt for steering the belt back toward its correct travel path and a reaction force from the belt due to the steering thereof for energizing a tilting action of the idler roller to raise the downstream end portion thereof. The idler roller is mounted to the conveyor structure via a frame assembly including a tilt device mounted internally within the idler roller. The roller is rotatably mounted to an inner tube, and the inner tube member is pivotally mounted to the tilt device, which in combination allow the idler roller to pivot, shift, and tilt to steer a mistracking conveyor belt in relative proportion to degree of mistracking of the belt.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tracking apparatus for urging a mistracking conveyor belt back toward a correct travel path, the tracking apparatus comprising:
an idler roller for engaging a surface of the conveyor belt, the idler roller having opposite end portions and a neutral position when the conveyor belt is traveling along the correct travel path;
a central support shaft configured to operatively mount the idler roller to a conveyor structure with the central support shaft extending along a longitudinal axis transverse to the correct travel path of the conveyor belt;
a tilt coupling operably connected between the central support shaft and the idler roller with the tilt coupling disposed entirely within the idler roller, the tilt coupling being configured to allow the idler roller to pivot with respect to the central support shaft when the conveyor belt is mistracking so that one of the end portions of the idler roller is further downstream from the neutral position thereof and further downstream than the other end portion of the idler roller for directing the conveyor belt back toward the correct travel path, and to allow the idler roller to use a reaction force from the conveyor belt as the conveyor belt is being directed by the pivoted idler roller to actuate the idler roller to be tilted so that the one end portion of the idler roller is shifted in a direction transverse to the surface of the conveyor belt so as to increase the force exerted by the idler roller end portion on the conveyor belt surface for urging the conveyor belt back toward the correct travel path.

2. The tracking apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tilt coupling allows the idler roller to tilt only as a result of the pivoting of the idler roller away from the neutral position thereof.

3. The tracking apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tilt coupling is configured for shifting of the idler roller along the longitudinal axis of the central support shaft.

4. The tracking apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the tilt coupling causes the idler roller to tilt when the idler roller is shifted along the longitudinal axis of the central support shaft.

5. The tracking apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tilt coupling has a central throughopening and the central support shaft extends through the central throughopening with the tilt coupling mounted thereto.

6. The tracking apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tilt coupling is shiftably mounted to the central support shaft via one or more rollers.

7. The tracking apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the idler roller is configured to urge the mistracking conveyor belt back toward a correct travel path without the use of sensor or edge rollers.

8. The tracking apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the idler roller is operably connected to the tilt coupling via a pivot connection having a pivot axis extending through the tilt coupling about which the idler roller rotates.

9. The tracking apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the idler roller is connected to the tilt coupling via an inner tube member that is pivotally connected to the tilt coupling via the pivot connection, and the idler roller is rotatably mounted about the inner tube member such that the idler roller is configured for simultaneous rotation and pivoting about the tilt coupling.

10. The tracking apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the idler roller is configured to urge the mistracking conveyor belt back toward a correct travel path regardless of whether the conveyor belt is traveling in one direction or an opposite direction.

11. The tracking apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the opposite end portions of the idler roller taper down toward a reduced diameter end thereof to cause the idler roller to pivot relative to the central support shaft so that one end portion of the idler roller is further downstream than the other end portion when the conveyor belt mistracks toward the one end for steering the conveyor belt back toward the correct travel path.

12. A bi-directional, self-energizing tracking apparatus capable of redirecting a mistracking conveyor belt back toward a correct travel path whether the conveyor belt is traveling in one direction or in an opposite direction, the tracking apparatus comprising:
an idler roller that engages a surface of the conveyor belt;
a frame assembly for operatively mounting the idler roller to conveyor structure;
a shiftable connection of the frame assembly for operably connecting the idler roller to the frame assembly and being internal to the idler roller for shifting the idler roller relative to the frame assembly in response to the mistracking conveyor belt, the shiftable connection being configured to allow the idler roller to pivot about a pivot axis such that an end of the idler roller is shifted downstream relative to a neutral position thereof corresponding to the conveyor belt traveling along a correct travel path, and allow the idler roller to tilt such that the downstream end of the idler roller is shifted in a direction transverse to the surface of the conveyor belt so as to increase the force exerted by the idler roller end on the conveyor belt surface for guiding the mistracking conveyor belt back toward a correct travel path.

13. The tracking apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the shiftable connection is configured to allow the idler roller to translate along a translation axis transverse to the one conveyor belt direction.

14. The tracking apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the shiftable connection is configured to tilt the idler roller when the idler roller translates along the translation axis.

15. The tracking apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the shiftable connection is configured to pivot the idler roller about the pivot axis prior to tilting the idler roller such that in operation the idler roller only tilts when the idler roller is pivoted.

16. The tracking apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the shiftable connection includes a tilt coupling that is shiftably mounted about a central support shaft of the frame assembly for allowing the idler roller to tilt with respect to the central support shaft.

17. The tracking apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the shiftable connection includes an inner tube member that is pivotally mounted to the tilt coupling, and wherein the idler roller is rotatably mounted about the inner tube member such that the idler roller is configured to simultaneously rotate and pivot about the tilt coupling.

18. The tracking apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the tilt coupling is configured to translate laterally along the central support shaft and the tilt coupling and the central support shaft have stops therebetween to limit lateral translation and tilting of tilt coupling relative to the central support shaft by a predetermined amount.

19. The tracking apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising sealing members at either end of the idler roller for keeping debris or foreign materials from fouling the shiftable connection disposed within the idler roller.

20. A method for urging a mistracking conveyor belt back toward a correct travel path, the method comprising;
mounting an idler roller disposed about a central support shaft extending through the idler roller to conveyor structure such that the idler roller is operably supported by the central support shaft and is configured to rotate about the central support shaft, as well as pivot and tilt with respect thereto, the idler roller having outer end portions adjacent outer side surface portions of the conveyor belt;
pivoting the idler roller with respect to the central support shaft so t

Assignees

• Flexible Steel Lacing Co

Inventors

• Devries Brett E

Classifications

• B65G39/16 Primary

  for aligning belts or chains · CPC title

• B65G15/64

  for automatically maintaining the position of the belts · CPC title

• B65G39/071

  for aligning belts or sheets · CPC title