AU620285B1

AU620285B1 - Idler roller support assembly

Info

Publication number: AU620285B1
Application number: AU81145/91A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Brian Francis Knuckey
Original assignee: PROK GROUP Ltd
Current assignee: PROK GROUP Ltd
Priority date: 1991-05-10
Filing date: 1991-07-18
Publication date: 1992-02-13
Anticipated expiration: 2011-07-18

Description

i ir _i i Illl- lll- -rrr~~ i 620285

AUSTRALI'

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION For a Standard Patent

ORIGINAL

TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT o or or r 000 o 0 £1 0e 0 a 0 0 Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s); Address for Service: PROK GROUP LIMITED BRIAN FRANCIS KNUCKEY WRAY ASSOCIATES, Primary Industry House, Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, 6000.

239 Adelaide Attorney code: WR alto r at 00 0 00 Inventio 7itle: "Idler Roller Support Assembly" Details of Associated Provisional Application: No: PK6086 0 00 0 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us:- -2- THIS INVENTION relates to conveyors and in particular the mounting of conveyor idler rollers.

In conventional conveyor systems the idler rollers which are used to support the conveyor belt along its length are themselves supported from a support assembly which is located transversely below the conveyor.

The difficulty with such support arrangements however arises from the circumstances that the idler rollers qre located above the support assembly. In the event that an idler roller becomes dislodged from the support assembly while the conveyor belt is moving the conveyor belt is then caused to engage the support assembly and is in direct contact with it. In accordance with the conventional practice the uppermost portions of the support assembly 0 g 15 comprise support brackets for supporting the idler rollers 0,n& oeo and on the moving conveyor belt becoming in contact with o00n. those support brackets considerable damage can be caused to 0 0 o the conveyor belt as it slides over the support brackets.

o40oo.0 o 0 Furthermore this damage may not be noticed until a 00 20 considerable portion of the length if not the whole of the conveyor belt has been damaged.

It is an object of this invention to minimise the damage to a conveyor belt which may be caused by the support assembly 04 o in the event that an idler roller becomes dislodged from 0 25 its mounting.

J In one form the invention resides in a conveyor belt idler 0:0o roller support assembly comprising an elongate support °member adapted to be located to extend transversely below cao o othe conveyor belt, at least one idler roller being supported from the support member, the idler roller being supported from the support member by set of supports, said 3 supports extending laterally from the support member such that the roller is located beside the support member in substantially perpendicular relationship to the direction of travel of the conveyor belt and where the upper surface of the idler roller is located above the upper surface of the support member which is located above the upper surface of the supports.

According to a preferred feature of the invention the rollers are located to each side of the support member.

According to a preferred feature of the invention said roller is located rearwardly of the support member relative to the direction of movement of the conveyor.

0 00 000 0 000 0 000000 o 15 0000 0 0 0 000000 The intended result of the invention is such that if an idler roller should become dislodged from the support assembly the conveyor belt would then be supported from the upper surface of the support member.

Q o0 0 0o 0 00 Q? 00 000000 0 o o000 0 0 0 00 0 00 00 o 000 0 00 00 0 0 00 oo0ooo o o The invention will be more fully understood in the light of the following description of two specific embodiments. The description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:- Figure 1 is a schematic elevation of an idler roller support assembly according to the first embodiment; Figure 2 is a schematic cross sectional view on line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an isometric view of a support assembly according to the second embodiment.

The embodiment is directed to a conveyor belt idler roller support assembly which comprises a pair of side members 11 and 12 which are adapted to be supported from a support L -4 frame for the conveyor. Side members 11, 12 are supported from each other by a pair of elongate support members 13 and 14 which are located one above the other. The support members 13 and 14 are curved downwardly from their mounting to each side member however the curvature of the upper support member 13 is greater than that of the lower support member 14. Each support member 13 and 14 supports a set of idler rollers 16 and 17. Since it is usual that the upper run of the conveyor belt supports the load which is to be carried by the conveyor a greater number of idler rollers 16 are supported from the upper support member 13 than are supported from the lower support member 14.

In use the upper run of the conveyor belt is supported by the uppermost surfaces of the idler roller 16 which are 15 supported from the upper support member, while the return 0 0 ooo 00. run of the conveyor belt is supported from the upper 00 surfaces of the idler roller 17 supported by the lower ooo o support element 14.

o 0 0 Each of the idler rollers 16 and 17 are supported from the 0 00 0a 0 0 20 respective support members 13 and 14 by a pair of supports which extend laterally from the support members and which are provided at their outer ends with appropriate journals o and/or bearings for receiving axles 19 of the respective o0o0 idler rollers. Alternatively the axles may be stationary 000 oo O 25 and the rollers are rotatably supported on the axles by appropriate bearings. The supports 18 extend rearwardly 00 from the respective support member relative to the direction of movement of the conveyor belt over the 0 respective set of idler rollers. In addition the upper o00 30 surface of the supports 18 is located below the upper surface of the support members.

0ooo0 o surface of the support members.

5 The effect of the mounting arrangement of the idler rollers with respect to the support members by virtue of the laterally extending supports 18 is to ensure that there are no protrusions provided on the upper surface of the support members 13 and 14 which will be engaged by a conveyor belt in the event that one or more of the idler rollers becomes dislodged from the supports. In the event of such dislodgement the conveyor belt will be supported by the upper surface of the support member which is a substantially smooth surface which serves to reduce the likelihood of undue damage being caused to the conveyor belt. This arrangement ensures that in the event of the dislodgement of an idler roller the conveyor belt will not be damaged by the supports which are provided on the support member for the idler rollers and therefore there is a degree of tolerance to ensure that the conveyor belt is S not damaged during the period of time between an idler roller becoming dislodged and such dislodgement being discovered.

In addition with the idler roller located rearwardly of the support member and on the idler roller becoming dislodged it will be easier for the roller to be moved away and clear of the support member The second embodiment which is illustrated at Figure 3 relates to a support member 113 which can be used as an upper support member as described in relation to the first embodiment. The support member 113 is elongate and has a downwardly curved profile. Each end of the support member is provided with a bracket 120 which is used to fix the 30 support assembly to a support frame (not shown) for the lit4 C I t 4 conveyor. A similar support assembly may be used as the lower support for the conveyor although in such a case the _IC_1_ sl-au 6 curvature of the support member may vary and the number of idler rollers supported by the support assembly may vary.

In the second embodiment the idler rollers 116 are supported from both sides of the support member 113 such that adjacent rollers are to opposite sides of the support member and their ends may slightly overlap. Each roller 116 is supported from the support member 113 by a pair of laterally extending supports 118 which are adapted to receive the axles 119 of the rollers through appropriate journals and or bearings (not shown). Alternatively the axles may be stationary and the rollers are rotatably supported on the axles by appropriate bearings.

It should be appreciated that the scope of the present invention need not be limited to the particular scope of 0 0 0o o° 15 the embodiment described above.

0000 0009 0 9 00 Do 0 Go 0 0 0 0G o 00 00 0 0 000 G 0 0 0 f

Claims

2. A conveyor belt roller assembly as claimed at claim 1 o o 000 wherein the support member is curved downwardly between its 0000 o ends. 0000.~ oaoo 9 9
3. A conveyor belt roller assemrbly as claimed at claim 1 S.or 2 wherein the rollers are located to each side of the o 0o Vsupport member.
4. A conveyor belt roller assembly as claimed 1 or 2 wherein the roller is located rearwardly of the support member relative to the direction of movement of the owu 0o o conveyor. 9o
5. A conveyor ilt roller assembly comprising a pair of roller assemblies of the form claimed at any one of claims 91 to 4 where roller assemblies are located one above the o other to support both runs of a conveyor belt. 9 006999o 9 ~111~ r~_O 8
6. A conveying arrangement having conveyor belt roller assemblies of the form as claimed at any one of the preceding claims.
7. A conveyor belt roller assembly substantially as herein described. DATED this EIGHTEENTH day of JULY 1991 PROK GROUP LIMITED Applicant. WRAY ASSOCIATES, Perth, Western Australia, Patent Attorneys for the Applicant. 00 0 0 0 o o00 0o 0 o 0 0 000tl' 0 0 0 00 o0o o 0 00 900 Q000 o 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 4 00 0 00 0 0 03 0 0 0 *t