CN1097007C - A method and an apparatus for regulating the width between two support railings along a straight conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for adjusting the width between two support fences (13) along a straight conveyor belt (14). The device comprises a first locking element (2) which engages in a form-locking manner in the counter element (11) and fixes the locking support rail (13) in a position. The position of the support fence (13) is changed due to the second locking member (4) being turned a quarter turn and releasing the first locking member (2). The first locking part (2) can now be moved to a new position on the counter part (11). The support fence (13) attached to a certain part of the equipment is thus also moved. The new position is fixed due to the reversal of the second locking member (4) through a quarter turn, adjustment or adjustment of each support rail (13) can be achieved quickly, precisely and completely without tools. The upper end of the first locking piece (2) has a raised portion (6) to cooperate with a curved bottom surface of the second locking piece (4) to open or lock the device.

Description

Method and apparatus for adjusting the width between two support rails along a straight conveyor belt

technical field

The invention relates to a method of adjusting the width between two support rails along a straight conveying path, wherein a first locking member engages in a pair of supporting members and thereby locks the support rails in a fixed position. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out this method.

Background technique

After a product has been manufactured, it is almost always desirable to move the product, regardless of its identity and properties, to a location for packaging or for further processing. The most common method of moving products in this way is to use a conveyor belt or a conveyor belt system. These conveyor belts are often provided with support fences along their entire length on either side of the conveying path in order to support the product so that it does not tip over during the movement of the conveyor belt.

Conveyor belts can also be used in the production of single-use disposable packages for liquid food products, which after filling and sealing in filling machines are often equipped with drinking straws or combined to form delivery units. The packaging (often parallelepiped-shaped) may be relatively tall relative to the area of its base. They must therefore be supported on both sides throughout the entire conveying journey on the conveyor belt in order not to tip over and stop the operation. Such outages can also lead to damage to the packaging itself.

One of the most common ways of deploying the conveyor belts after eg a filling machine is to form a permanent arrangement in which the support rails are welded in place and in which it is not possible to make any adjustments or adjustments to these rails. Due to the growing interest in the market for filling machines that are substantially adjustable to accommodate different volumes, it is possible to adjust the width between two support fences along a conveyor belt so that each fence can be adjusted for each new product volume at its The need for efficient support during transport has increased. The turning of the filling machine to suit the product volume can be effected relatively quickly, for which reason it must also be possible to adjust or adjust the width between the support rails within a corresponding time.

The existing solutions in the prior art for adjusting the width between two support rails along a conveyor belt, such as the device described in patent specification FR 2544292, are trivial and mean that tools must be used to loosen and reassemble the brackets supporting the rails so that the rails can be moved relative to each other.

Contents of the invention

The object of the present invention is to realize a method for adjusting the width between two support rails along a straight conveyor belt, which can be carried out quickly and without any tools. Secondly, the method according to the invention should be reliable so that the support rails can be easily locked in a new desired position distributed throughout the entire length of the conveyor belt.

According to the invention there is proposed a method for adjusting the width between two support rails along a straight conveyor belt, wherein the first locking element engages in the counter element and thereby locks the support rail in a fixed position, the characteristic of which is that the second The second locking member can be released from the first locking member by turning the second locking member a quarter turn, after which the first locking member can be moved to a new position on the opposing member.

The invention also proposes a device for adjusting the width between two support rails along a straight conveyor belt, comprising a first locking element which engages in an opposing element arranged in such a way that it is mounted on the opposing element or The support fence mounted on the first locking element has a fixed position, characterized in that the second locking element has a common axis with the first locking element and is arranged to be rotatable by a quarter turn relative to the first locking element , in order to open the device, wherein the first locking member has a raised portion at its upper end, and the second locking member has a curved bottom surface, its lowest and highest positions are set so that when the highest position is in registration with the raised portion, the device is open, and when the lowest position is in registration with the raised portion, the device is locked.

In addition, a locking plate is placed on the lower end of the shaft and has a hole in its surface through which the rod extends. locked therein; each slot has a chamfered surface on each side.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been further given the distinguishing features set out in the appended dependent claims.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Description of drawings

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of the invention in an open position;

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention in an open position; and

Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the invention in a locked position.

FIG. 1 shows a device 1 according to the invention comprising a first locking element 2 interconnected with a common shaft 3 to a second locking element 4 by means of a screw 5 . A raised portion 6 is provided on the upper end of the first locking member 2 . The lower end of the second locking member 4 is made into a curved surface so that it has a lowest position at two places and a highest position 8 at two places. In FIGS. 1 and 2 , the second locking member 4 is represented, the highest point 8 of which is in registration with the raised portion 6 of the first locking member 2 . This means that the two locking parts 2 , 4 are open relative to each other. In FIG. 3 , the second locking member 4 is shown with its lowest point 7 in registration with the raised portion 6 on the second locking member 2 , while the two locking members 2 , 4 are locked to each other in this position.

The bottom surface of the first locking member 2 presents a plurality of concavo-convex surfaces with protrusions 9 and depressions 10 . The bottom surface of the first locking part 2 turns to face a pair of counter parts 11, and this part presents on its upper end a corresponding concave-convex surface with each protrusion 9 and each recess 10, which is formed by the bottom surface of the first locking part 2. presented the same. The first locking part 2 and the opposite part 11 are arranged to be able to engage with each other, so that a protrusion 9 on the concave-convex surface on one of the members 2, 11 is respectively positioned and registered with a concave-convex surface on the other member 2, 11. pit.

As shown in FIG. 2, the counter piece 11 is also designed so as to form part of a frame 12 for supporting fences 13 arranged to extend along the entire length of the conveyor 14 on which the device 1 is placed. The conveyor 14 may basically consist of an endless endless belt, at its upper position or portion 15 forming the appropriate loading conveyor and at its lower portion 16 forming the return run of the endless belt. In FIG. 1 , the bracket 12 of each fence 13 is connected to the first locking member 2 .

In its second embodiment ( FIGS. 2 and 3 ), the shaft member 3 through the first and second locking members 2 and 4 respectively extends so that it passes through the counter member 11 . An oblong hole 17 is provided on the opposing part 11, and the length of this hole corresponds in principle to the area of the concave-convex surface of the opposing part 11 with the protrusions 9 and the pits. On its lower end, the shaft 3 is also provided with a locking plate 18 which has a hole 19 on its surface into which a rod 20 is inserted. Rod 20 is preferably of circular cross-section, but may also be of oval or square cross-section. The rod 20 exhibits on its peripheral surface notches 21 arranged at regular intervals from each other, which may have chamfered surfaces 22 as shown in FIG. 2 . The rods 20 may form part of the apparatus 1 on each side of the conveyor belt 14 or, alternatively, the rods 20 may be through so as to form part of the apparatus 1 on both sides of the conveyor belt 14 . The shaft 3 can also be configured with a spring 25 as shown in FIG. 2 , which is properly placed at the nearest place of the fixing screw 5 .

In this second embodiment of the invention, the device 1 as a whole is fixed on either side of the conveyor belt 14 on bars 20 which themselves are fixed on the frame 23 of the conveyor belt. In a first embodiment of the invention (FIG. 1), the device 1 is fixed directly on the frame 23 of the conveyor belt.

1 and 2 show the device 1 in the open state, ie the uppermost position 8 of the second locking member 4 is arranged in registration with the raised portion 6 of the first locking member 2 . In this position, the counter part 11 can be moved relative to the first locking part 2 in order to find a new desired position. When the opposite part 11 and the first locking part 2 are moved relative to each other, the brackets 12 of the respective support rails 13 will thus adopt a new position and thus be able to increase or decrease depending on what packaging volume should be fed on the conveyor belt 14. The distance between the two support fences 13 is reduced.

In FIG. 1 , only the opposing part 11 and the first locking part 2 move relative to each other. The length of this movement is limited by the extension of the concave-convex surface on the counter piece 11 . Numeral 26 or an appropriate symbol designates counter element 11, and it can be easily seen that the distance moved is exactly the desired distance. The number 26 or the appropriate symbol is consistent for all devices 1 in the pair 25 and when the entire device 1 can be moved along the rod 20 . In Fig. 2, a corresponding movement is also obtained. When the two locking members 2 and 4 are in the open position, the locking plate 18 is also in a position allowing the rod to pass freely through the hole 19 of the locking plate 18 . At this point, the entire device 1 can be pushed along the rod 20 , by means of which a considerable movement of the supporting rails 13 will be obtained. The length of movement is limited by the free length of the rod 20 . The device is moved until the desired cutout 21 on the outer peripheral surface of the rod 20 is reached. Chamfers 22 on either side of the slot 21 facilitate this movement.

Once the device 1 or the opposing part 11 has been moved to a new position relative to the first locking part 2, respectively, the second locking part 4 is locked to the first locking part again, when the second locking part 4 is rotated. A quarter of a turn is passed until the highest position 8 of the second locking element 4 is set in registration with the raised portion 6 of the first locking element 2 . When locking, the locking parts 2 and 4 are pushed against each other so that the respective protrusions 9 and recesses 10 on the two concave-convex surfaces on the first locking part 2 and the opposing part 11 engage with each other. In the second embodiment of the invention, the locking plate 18 is then pulled upwards and caught in the slot 21 on the rod 20 during the locking action. A spring 25 runs through the shaft 3, which facilitates the locking of the locking plate 18 in place. As a result, the device 1 and the brackets 12 supporting the rails 13 are now fixed in their new desired position.

In order to make the locking parts 2 and 4 easy to open and lock, the second locking part 4 is equipped with a holding device 24 . This holding device can be designed as an ear handle, a handle or the like, so that the operator quickly and easily obtains a reliable grip, so that the second locking member 4 can be turned as needed for opening or locking the device 1. a quarter turn.

It has been evident from the foregoing description that it is possible to quickly and easily change the two sides of a conveyor belt 14 or a group of conveyor belts by arranging evenly spaced devices 1 according to the invention on both sides of a conveyor belt 14 or a group of conveyor belts. Width between support fences 13 . The adjustment or adjustment of the width can be done completely without tools and thanks to the scale 26 on the counter piece 11 an independent and secure placement of the individual rails will be obtained.

The invention is not to be considered as limited by what has been described above and shown in the drawings, and many modifications are conceivable without departing from the appended claims.

Claims (4)

1. an adjustment is along the method for width between the two support railings (13) of straight belt conveyor (14), wherein, first locking piece (2) is engaged among the contraposition part (11) and locks support railings (13) thus on a fixed position, it is characterized in that, second locking piece (4) can enclose first locking piece (2) that gets loose by being turned over 1/4th, then, first locking piece (2) can be moved on the new position on the contraposition part (11).

2. an adjustment is along the equipment (1) of width between the two support railings (13) of straight belt conveyor (14), comprise first locking piece (2), it is engaged among the contraposition part (11), contraposition part (11) is provided with like this, has a fixing position so that be contained in contraposition part (11) support railings (13) last or that be contained on first locking piece (2), it is characterized in that, second locking piece (4) has with the common axle (3) of first locking piece (2) and is set to and can rotates 1/4th circles with respect to first locking piece (2), so that opening device (1)

Wherein first locking piece (2) has bossing (6) in the top, and second locking piece (4) has a curved bottom surface, its extreme lower position (7) and extreme higher position (8) are set are in registration when bossing (6) with convenient extreme higher position (8), equipment (1) is opened, and being in registration when bossing (6) when extreme lower position (7), equipment locks.

3. according to the described equipment of claim 2, it is characterized in that, one lockplate (18) is placed in the lower end of axle (3), and there is bar (20) to pass the hole (19) of extension in its surface, bar (20) has grooving (21) on its peripheral surface, lockplate is arranged on wherein, when being positioned at its latched position with convenient equipment (1) it is locked in wherein.

4. according to the described equipment of claim 3, it is characterized in that each grooving (21) has chamfer surface (22) on every side.

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