GB2098566A

GB2098566A - Driving roller conveyors

Info

Publication number: GB2098566A
Application number: GB8213294A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: WH Dunn and Son Ltd
Current assignee: WH Dunn and Son Ltd
Priority date: 1981-05-14
Filing date: 1982-05-07
Publication date: 1982-11-24

Abstract

A roller conveyor has certain rollers 14 thereof driven by individually controlled electric motors mounted within the rollers, the non- driven rollers 30 being driven by the rollers 14 through a variety of alternative transmissions. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in conveyors The present invention concerns improvements in or relating to conveyors especially roller conveyors.

According to the present invention there is provided a roller conveyor including a frame having two spaced parallel members between which are rotatably mounted a plurality of rollers, at least one of said rollers being individually rotated by an electric motor located within the said roller.

In a conveyor where only some of the rollers are powered, at least some of the remaining rollers can be driven by a mechanical connection between them and a powered roller.

The mechanical connection may be an idler wheel between a powered roller and an unpowered roller or a flexible drive, that is a chain, rope or belt drive.

The rollers may be cylindrical or tapered.

Preferably the power supply to a motor within a roller is led through the non-rotatable spindle of the roller. Conveniently the power supply line to the motor may have removable connection means at its free end for engagement with a main power supply line running along one of the said members of the conveyorframe. The power supply lines may be enclosed by a casing and may include a microswitch which disconnects the supply when the casing is removed.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation through a conveyor; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one form of the conveyor; Fig. 3 is partial elevation of another form of conveyor; Fig. 4 is a partial plan of the conveyor shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a partial side elevation of another form of conveyor; Fig. 6 is a partial plan of the conveyor of Fig. 5 and Fig. 7 is a plan of a further form of conveyor.

A conveyor comprises a pair of parallel spaced channel section frame members 10 having mounting means for the non-rotatable spindle 12 of a conveyor roller 14, the roller being rotatably mounted on the spindle 1 2 by means of bearings (not shown). An electric motor (not shown) and drive arrangement within the roller is attached to the roller 14 so that on energising the motor the roller is caused to rotate, thereby moving a commodity 1 6 supported thereon. Conveniently the electrical supply line for the electric motor is led through the spindle 12 and terminates at the outer end of the spindle with one part of a plug and socket connection 1 7 the other part of which is electrically connected to a supply line 1 8 leading to a trunking 20 for a ring main electric supply or buzz bar.

For safety the channel 10 is closed off by a hinged lid 22 normally fixed in position by a screw 24 engaging a flanged bracket 26 fixed to the base of the channel and microswitch 28 is located in the channel and incorporated in the electrical supply such that if the cover 22 is opened the supply is disconnected.

Fig. 2 shows an elevation of a conveyor section in which a plurality of rollers of the type described with reference to Fig. 1 are arranged in side by side relationship. In Fig. 3 however it can be seen that only every third roller 14 includes a motor, the intermediate rollers 30 being freely rotatably mounted on the frame member 10 but being mechanically connected to the powered rollers 14 by means of idler discs 32 rotatably mounted on the frame below the rollers 14, 30 and being in friction engagement therewith.

A further arrangement similar to that shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is shown in Figs. 5 and 6. In this case, however, no idler rollers are required and the freely rotatable rollers 30 are driven by belts or chains 34 extending between the driven and free rollers.

A further arrangement is shown in Fig. 7 in which the rollers are tapered such that a curved section of conveyor can be provided. It will be realised that with a curved track any of the driving arrangements shown in Figs. 2 to 6 may be employed.

It will be realised further that the freely rotatable rollers between the powered rollers need not be driven in any way and that the ratio of powered to unpowered rollers is dependent upon the operating conditions required from the particular conveyor section.

Conveniently the power supply means to each or groups of the driven rollers is independently controllable so that any section of a conveyor system can be moved faster or slower than other sections or can be unpowered so that commodities may be accumulated thereon.

Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, for example a gear box may be incorporated between the electric motor and the roller. It is envisaged that in most situations a gear box will be required.

In a further modification the rollers and framework could be arranged to provide a junction between two conveyor tracks. The motor may be arranged around a central stator fixed to the spindle, the rotor surrounding the stator being attached to the roller.

Means may also be provided for reversing the direction of rotation of the motors.

The proposed system is advantageous when compared with a comparable system where a single external motor is provided to drive the rollers of conveyor section by means of mechanical connections. It will be clear that the individual control of the driven rollers possible with the system of the present invention is far superior to that of a mechanical system employing clutches, gear boxes, etc. In addition it is less expensive and more reliable. In the event of any breakdown, however, it is more advantageous than the conventional system in that the fault will arise in an individual component, for example a motor failure in one roller. This can readily be replaced by a fully operational roller simply by disconnecting the electrical supply to its spindle, moving the roller which is preferably spring mounted in the frame-work and immediately replacing it with a new roller, the faulty roller then being either refurbished to totally replaced.

In addition, the conveyor described above lends itself to use in a computerised system where the control of the movement of the commodities on the conveyor can be automatically monitored and governed.

Claims

t. A, roller conveyor including a frame having two spaced parallel members between which are rotatably mounted a plurality of rollers, at least one of said rollers being individually rotated by an electric motor located within the said roller.
2. A conveyor as claimed in claim 1, in which only some of the rollers are powered, at least some of the remaining rollers being driven by a mechanical connection between them and a powered roller.
3. A conveyor as claimed in claim 2, in which the mechanical connection is an idler wheel between a powered roller and an unpowered roller.
4. A conveyor as claimed in claim 3, in which the mechanical connection between a powered roller and an unpowered roller is a flexible drive.
5. A conveyor as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the rollers are cylindrical.
6. A conveyor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the rollers are tapered.
7. A conveyor as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the power supply to a motor within a roller is led through the nonrotatable spindle of the roller.
8. A conveyor as claimed in claim 7, in which the power supply line to the motor has removable connection means at its free end for engagement with a main power supply line running along one of the said members of the conveyor frame.
9. A conveyor as claimed in claim 8, in which the power supply lines are enclosed by a casing and include a microswitch which disconnects the supply when the casing is removed.
10. A conveyor as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which control means are provided for controlling individually each motor.
11. A roller conveyor substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1 or Fig. 2, or Figs. 3 and 4, or Figs. 5 and 6 or Fig. 7 of the accompanying drawings.