Conveying apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9989354-B2
Application number	US-201715666615-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2017
Priority date	Aug 4, 2016
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

A conveying apparatus for transporting and for measuring an object includes a sensor having a light transmitter arranged at a conveyor belt and transmits first light beams in the direction of the conveyor belt. The sensor also has a light receiver that is arranged at the conveyor belt and that receives second light beams. The sensor further has an evaluation device for determining a dimension of the object by evaluating the received second light beams. The conveyor belt is an endless conveyor belt that is driven by at least one drive unit and that moves in a main conveying direction. At least one gap is provided in the endless conveyor belt free of interruption, through which gap the first light beams pass, and the first light beams form a scan plane in the at least one gap transversely to the main conveying direction of the conveyor belt.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A conveying apparatus for transporting and for measuring an object, the conveying apparatus comprising
a sensor having a light transmitter that is arranged at a conveyor belt and that transmits first light beams in the direction of the conveyor belt,
a light receiver that is arranged at the conveyor belt and that receives second light beams, and
an evaluation device for determining a dimension of the object by evaluating the received second light beams,
 wherein the conveyor belt is an endless conveyor belt that is driven by at least one drive unit and that moves in a main conveying direction,
 wherein at least one gap is provided in the endless conveyor belt free of interruption, through which at least one gap the first light beams pass, and wherein the first light beams forms a scan plane in this at least one gap transversely to the main conveying direction of the conveyor belt,
 wherein at least one deflection device is provided that deflects the endless conveyor belt out of its main conveying direction free of interruption such that the at least one gap is formed transversely to the main conveying direction of the conveyor belt,
 wherein the deflection device comprises at least three deflection rollers that are arranged in the form of a triangle with respect to one another and with one side of the triangle being in parallel with the main conveying direction of the conveyor belt,
 wherein a first roller and a second roller are disposed opposite one another and are arranged forming the at least one gap between each other; and wherein a third roller is arranged, with respect to the first and second rollers, beneath the gap and beneath the first and second rollers,
 wherein the third roller of the deflection device serves as a reference remission for the sensor,
 and wherein reference marks are provided at the third roller that can be read by the sensor for a calibration of the conveying apparatus, for a teaching of parameters for a determining of a speed and/or of a direction of rotation of the conveyor belt or of conveyor belt elements.

2. The conveying apparatus in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the first and second rollers are arranged on a lower side of the conveyor belt and the third roller is arranged on an oppositely disposed upper side of the conveyor belt.

3. The conveying apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the reference marks are reflection marks.

4. The conveying apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the deflection device is provided for tensioning the conveyor belt.

5. A conveying apparatus for transporting and for measuring an object, the conveying apparatus comprising
a sensor having a light transmitter that is arranged at a conveyor belt and that transmits first light beams in the direction of the conveyor belt,
a light receiver that is arranged at the conveyor belt and that receives second light beams, and
an evaluation device for determining a dimension of the object by evaluating the received second light beams,
 wherein the conveyor belt is an endless conveyor belt that is driven by at least one drive unit and that moves in a main conveying direction,
 wherein at least one gap is provided in the endless conveyor belt free of interruption through which at least one gap the first light beams pass, and wherein the first light beams forms a scan plane in this at least one gap transversely to the main conveying direction of the conveyor belt,
 wherein a light-permeable conveyor element is arranged in the at least one gap between the deflected conveyor belt,
 and wherein the light-permeable conveyor element is designed such that it collects contaminants from the conveyor belt and disposes of them transversely to the main conveying direction of the conveyor belt.

6. A conveying apparatus for transporting and for measuring an object, the conveying apparatus comprising
a sensor having a light transmitter that is arranged at a conveyor belt and that transmits first light beams in the direction of the conveyor belt,
a light receiver that is arranged at the conveyor belt and that receives second light beams, and
an evaluation device for determining a dimension of the object by evaluating the received second light beams,
 wherein the conveyor belt is an endless conveyor belt that is driven by at least one drive unit and that moves in a main conveying direction,
 wherein at least one gap is provided in the endless conveyor belt free of interruption, through which at least one gap the first light beams pass, and wherein the first light beams forms a scan plane in this at least one gap transversely to the main conveying direction of the conveyor belt,
 wherein at least one deflection device is provided that deflects the endless conveyor belt out of its main conveying direction free of interruption such that the at least one gap is formed transversely to the main conveying direction of the conveyor belt,
 wherein the deflection device comprises at least three deflection rollers that are arranged in the form of a triangle with respect to one another and with one side of the triangle being in parallel with the main conveying direction of the conveyor belt,
 wherein a first roller and a second roller are disposed opposite one another and are arranged forming the at least one gap between each other; and wherein a third roller is arranged, with respect to the first and second rollers, beneath the gap and beneath the first and second rollers,
 wherein a hollow space that is bounded by the conveyor belt is present between the at least one gap and the third roller,
 and wherein a reflector of a light barrier comprising the light transmitter and the light receiver or the light receiver or the light transmitter of a light grid pair is arranged in the hollow space.

7. A conveying apparatus for transporting and for measuring an object, the conveying apparatus comprising
a sensor having a light transmitter that is arranged at a conveyor belt and that transmits first light beams in the direction of the conveyor belt,
a light receiver that is arranged at the conveyor belt and that receives second light beams, and
an evaluation device for determining a dimension of the object by evaluating the received second light beams,
 wherein the conveyor belt is an endless conveyor belt that is driven by at least one drive unit and that moves in a main conveying direction,
 and wherein at least one gap is provided in the endless conveyor belt free of interruption, through which at least one gap the first light beams pass, and wherein the first light beams forms a scan plane in this at least one gap transversely to the main conveying direction of the conveyor belt,
 wherein the endless conveyor belt comprises a plurality of bands having a predefined spacing between the bands; and wherein the predefined spacing between the bands defines the gaps through which the first light beams pass.

8. The conveying apparatus in accordance with claim 7 ,
wherein the evaluation device evaluates the second light beams at positions of the gaps between the bands and evaluates the second light beams at positions of the bands while taking account of the evaluation of the second light beams at the positions of the gaps.

Assignees

• Sick Ag

Inventors

• Paske Ralf
• Wehrle Klemens

Classifications

• B65G2203/0291

  Speed of the load carrier · CPC title

• B65G15/28

  Conveyors with a load-conveying surface formed by a single flat belt, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B65G23/44

  Belt or chain tensioning arrangements · CPC title

• G01B11/043 Primary

  for measuring length · CPC title

• B65G2812/02168

  Belts provided with guiding means, e.g. rollers · CPC title