GB2531256A

GB2531256A - Conveying apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2531256A
Application number: GB1418054.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard James Pether
Original assignee: ROTECH MACHINES Ltd
Current assignee: ROTECH MACHINES Ltd
Priority date: 2014-10-13
Filing date: 2014-10-13
Publication date: 2016-04-20
Also published as: GB201418054D0

Abstract

A conveyor arrangement (10, fig.1) features a lower and upper conveyor 14,16, driven via a single motor 15, and with a system of pulleys B-F such that the conveyors 14,16 are driven in the opposite direction to each other, and also such that the upper conveyor 16 is vertically displaceable relative to the lower conveyor 14. For opposite drive, a motor 15 drives pulley D and the bottom conveyor 14, and pulleys C and E reverse the direction of the drive to pulley B which drives the upper conveyor 16. For vertical displacement of the upper conveyor 16, pulleys B and F move together on a moveable mounting plate 18, without the distance between them changing, maintaining the same overall tension in drive chain 20. The vertical adjustability may be for the passage of variable sizes or heights of product 12, passing through the conveyor arrangement (10, fig. 1).

Description

DESCRIPTION

CONVEYING APPARATUS

This invention relates to apparatus for conveying a product.

It is common in factories that are manufacturing, packaging or otherwise handling products that conveying apparatus are used. The simplest such apparatus comprise horizontal endless belts that are run around wheels at either end and are driven by a motor. Many other more complex machines also include conveying components that will allow goods or packages to enter and exit machines and be transferred from one location within a machine to another location within the machine. Again, the use of endless belts is a very common arrangement to move goods and packages around in an effective and well-controlled manner.

Many machines have multiple conveying elements, which are usually driven by individual motors or require gearing and so on to be driven off the same motor. Timing issues are always present if there is more than one conveying element used in a machine, since the conveyors will need to be in synchronisation at the correct timing pace, to ensure that products are moved around the machine correctly. The provision of good conveying solutions within a machine is often very important in terms of manufacturing simplicity and the cost and operability of the machine in question.

It is therefore an object of the invention to improve upon the known art.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided apparatus for conveying a product comprising a horizontal lower conveyor, a vertically adjustable horizontal upper conveyor arranged above the lower conveyor, a first pulley connected to and driving the lower conveyor, a motor connected to and driving the first pulley, a vertically adjustable mounting plate, a second pulley connected to and driving the upper conveyor and mounted by the mounting plate, a third pulley mounted by the mounting plate and spaced apart from the second pulley, and a timing belt taken around the first, second and third pulleys.

Owing to the invention, it is possible to provide apparatus for conveying a product that is capable of transporting a product gripped between lower and upper conveyors, where the conveyors are driven synchronously from a single drive source via a timing belt. The timing belt can be controlled to reverse the direction of the upper and lower conveyors. The invention removes the requirement to drive the upper and lower conveyor by separate motors which then have to be synchronised. The invention also allows vertical adjustment of the upper conveyor in order to accommodate different pack heights while maintaining the synchronous drive and maintaining the tension in the drive belt. The invention further enables a method for keeping the mechanical drive inboard of the conveyor ends allowing un-obstructed access to for both feeding the product on and off the conveyor system.

Preferably, the lower conveyor comprises two outer conveyors and an inner conveyor between the two outer conveyors, the inner conveyor being longer than the two outer conveyors. In this preferable configuration, the two outer conveyors are the same length and the two outer conveyors and the inner conveyor (at one end only) terminate at the same point and are connected together via a shaft at that one end. The first pulley is connected to and drives the lower conveyor via the end of the outer conveyors opposite to the one end where the outer conveyors and the inner conveyor are connected together.

This configuration of the lower conveyor, being formed of three sub-conveyors, all parallel to each other and in the same horizontal plane, is such that the single inner conveyor is longer than the two outer conveyors. The three sub-conveyors are aligned such that at the one end they all terminate at the same point and the centre conveyor extends beyond the other two sub-conveyors at its other end. The three sub-conveyors are driven by driving the two outer conveyors from their end that does not match the end of the inner conveyor, with the drive being provided to the inner conveyor by their connection at the end where all three sub-conveyors terminate at the same point.

This arrangement has a number of advantages. All three of the sub-conveyors that make up the fixed lower conveyor are driven from a drive shaft that is in the middle of the lower conveyor, which means that both ends are clear of any machinery such as gears or motors that are needed to drive the conveyor. Any operators that are using the machine can very easily access the area around the ends of the lower conveyor and goods that are transferred by the machine will be easily accessible as they enter or exit the lower conveyor.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figure 1 is a side view of apparatus for conveying a product, Figure 2 is a top plan view of a conveyor of the apparatus, and Figures 3 to 5 are alternative arrangements of drive pulleys within the apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 1 shows a machine 10 which is for conveying a product 12 and the machine 10 comprises a horizontal lower conveyor 14 and a vertically adjustable horizontal upper conveyor 16 which is arranged above the lower conveyor 14. The lower conveyor 14 is fixed in position and the upper conveyor 16 can be moved so that its vertical spacing from the lower conveyor 14 is adjusted, all the while remaining horizontal and parallel to the lower conveyor 14. The adjustment provided by the vertical flexibility of the upper conveyor 16 is to enable the machine 10 to handle different sized products 12, so that the upper conveyor 16 is located to suit the height of the product 12.

The two conveyors 14 and 16 are both driven by the same internal motor, so there is no need to provide separate motors that have to be synchronised to drive the conveyors 14 and 16. This reduces the amount of components required in the machine 10, thereby lowering the cost of construction and maintenance of the machine 10. However, in order to provide the height flexibility for the upper conveyor 16 an internal arrangement of pulleys and a timing belt is needed! which is described in more detail below.

Essentially some pulleys are mounted on a mounting plate that is vertically adjustable, the mounting plate also mounting the upper conveyor 16.

The arrangement of pulleys and a timing belt drives the two conveyors 14 and 16 in opposite directions. This is required in order to move the product 12 in the same direction, since the upper surface of the lower conveyor 14 engages the product 12 and the lower surface of the upper conveyor 16 engages the product 12, so in order for these surfaces to be moving in the same direction the endless belts that form the conveyors 14 and 16 must be moving in opposite directions. This drive reversal can be achieved in a number of different ways, but a two-sided timing belt can be used in conjunction with the specific arrangement of pulleys.

Figure 2 shows a top plan view of the lower conveyor 14, which is comprised of three sub-conveyors arranged in parallel. The conveyor 14 comprises two outer conveyors 14a and 14c and an inner conveyor 14b which is positioned between the outer conveyors 14a and 14c, the inner conveyor 14b being longer than the two outer conveyors 14a and 14c. The two outer conveyors 14a and 14c are the same length and the two outer conveyors 14a and 14c and the inner conveyor 14a (at one end) terminate at the same point and are connected together at that one end. In this preferred arrangement, the inner conveyor 1 4b is twice the length of the two outer conveyors 1 4a and 1 4c.

The lower conveyor 14 is driven by a drive shaft 22, which is equidistant from the two ends of the longer inner conveyor 14b. The shaft 22 is connected to and drives the lower conveyor 14 via the end of the outer conveyors 1 4a and 14c opposite to the one end where the outer conveyors 14a and 14c and the inner conveyor 14b are connected together. Essentially, the inner longer conveyor 14b is driven from its connection to the outer conveyors 14a and 14c at the one end where they are connected together. The drive shaft 22 is only connected directly to the outer conveyors 14a and 14c, passing through the space between the endless belt that forms the inner conveyor 14b.

This arrangement has a number of advantages. All three of the sub-conveyors 14a to 14c that make up the fixed lower conveyor 14 are driven from a drive shaft 22 that is in the middle of the conveyor 14, which means that both ends are clear of any machinery such as gears or motors that need to drive the conveyor 14. Any operators that are using the machine 10 can very easily access the area around the ends of the conveyor 14 and goods that are transferred by the machine 10 will be easily accessible as they enter or exit the conveyor 14.

Figure 3 shows a first arrangement of the pulley and timing belt configuration mentioned above. A first pulley D is connected to and drives the lower conveyor 14 and a motor 15 is connected to and drives the first pulley D. A vertically adjustable mounting plate 18 is provided, with a second pulley B connected to and driving the upper conveyor 16 which is mounted by the mounting plate 18 and a third pulley F which is also mounted by the mounting plate 18 and spaced apart from the second pulley B. A timing belt 20 is taken around the first, second and third pulleys D, B and F. The three pulleys D, B and F all have the same radial size.

The configuration shown in Figure 3 achieves a number of engineering objectives. Firstly, the provision of additional pulleys C and E mean that the two-sided timing belt 20 works on the pulleys B and D so that they rotate in opposite directions. This provides the necessary opposite drives to the conveyors 14 and 16, because, as discussed above, they need to rotate in opposite directions in order that they will move the product 12 in the same direction. The belt 20 is under constant tension and since the pulleys B and D are the same radial size they will rotate at the same speed. This provides a very simple synchronisation of the conveyors 14 and 16.

The second main objective of the configuration of Figure 3 is that the two conveyors 14 and 16 are driven by a single motor 15, while still providing the necessary vertical adjustment of the upper conveyor 16. The mounting plate 18 mounts the upper conveyor 16 and the pulleys B and F. This mounting plate 18 can be moved up and down to change the vertical displacement between the two conveyors 14 and 16. The provision of the third pulley F ensures that the tension in the timing belt 20 is maintained at all times, even as the mounting plate 18 (and hence the upper conveyor 16) are moved up and down.

There are a number of different design methods by which the drive reversal and height adjustment can be achieved. The first of these is shown in Figure 3. In the first drive reversal method, timing pulley D is driven in an anti-clockwise direction by a rotating drive source such as an electric motor. Timing pulley D drives, either directly or through a drive train, the lower, fixed, height conveyor 14 in an anti-clockwise direction. Timing pulley B, which has the same number of teeth as pulley D, drives the upper, adjustable height, conveyor 16.

The double sided timing belt 20 is taken around the series of timing pulleys, E, C, F, to transmit the drive from pulley D to pulley B. From pulley D the route around the pulleys means that the side of the belt 20 which is in contact with the pulleys changes from the inside' at pulley D to the outside' at pulley B. In doing so the drive direction of pulley B is reversed such that it rotates in a clockwise direction. Using this method the face of the upper and lower conveyor belts 16 and 14 which would be in contact with the product 12 will both be driving in the same direction, thereby conveying the product 12.

A further requirement of the upper conveyor 16 is that its height in relation to the fixed position lower conveyor 14 has to be adjustable to accommodate different sizes of product 12. To achieve this, a further mechanism is incorporated into the machine 10 that maintains the same tension on the timing belt 20 but allows the upper conveyor 16 to have vertical adjustment. The shaft on which pulley B rotates is inserted through a bearing mounted into the mounting plate 18. Timing pulley F, which has the same number of teeth as timing pulley F is mounted on a separate shaft but on the same horizontal centre line as timing pulley B. The vertical distance between timing pulleys B and F will depend on the amount of adjustment that is required to cover the product height range, but is a fixed distance. The horizontal axis of the mounting plate 18 is so arranged that the pitch circle radius of the timing pulleys B and F are aligned with the pitch circle radius of timing pulleys C. Timing pulleys C, D and E are fixed in their relative positions and remain static if the drive source to timing pulley D is not rotating. If the mounting plate 18 is moved vertically up or down the timing belt 20 which is wrapped around pulleys C, D and E remains stationary.

As the centre distance between timing pulleys B and F is fixed, the movement of the mounting plate 18, up or down, will cause the two pulleys B and F to rotate in the same direction, driven by the fixed timing belt adjacent to pulleys C. Since there is no change in the centre distance between pulleys B and F and the pitch line of the timing belt 20 remains vertical, the upper conveyor 16 can be adjusted for height while still using the same power source/drive mechanism used for reversing its direction. Only a single motor is required to drive both of the conveyors 14 and 16.

In this way, the configuration of pulleys, timing belt 20 and mounting plate 18 provide a way of driving both conveyors 14 and 16 synchronously from a single motor while also allowing the height of the upper conveyor 16 to be adjusted relative to the lower conveyor 14. The two pulleys B and F are both mounted on the mounting plate 18, as is the upper conveyor 16. The timing belt 20 is kept under tension around the pulleys as the mounting plate 18 is moved up and down. This allows the position of the upper conveyor 16 to be adjusted to suit the size of the product 12 being conveyed, without the need for separate motors for each conveyor.

In some design instances it may not be possible to achieve a completely vertical pitch line between pulleys B and F. Drive reversal method two, shown in Figure 4, and drive reversal method three, shown in Figure 5, are different methods of achieving the same reverse of conveyor direction and adjustable vertical position of the upper conveyor 16 using a single power source. Due to the tangential change in angles at which the timing belt will enter/leave timing pulleys B and F from timing pulley C, as the mounting plate 18 is moved vertically up or down the tension on the timing belt 20 will vary. To overcome the variation in the tension of the belt it will be necessary to have vertical adjustment of timing pulley F. This adjustment can be made manually or automatically by having timing pulley F spring loaded to accommodate the difference in belt tension.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Apparatus (10) for conveying a product (12) comprising: * a horizontal lower conveyor (14), * a vertically adjustable horizontal upper conveyor (16) arranged above the lower conveyor (14), * a first pulley (D) connected to and driving the lower conveyor (14), * a motor (15) connected to and driving the first pulley (D), * a vertically adjustable mounting plate (18), * a second pulley (B) connected to and driving the upper conveyor (16) and mounted by the mounting plate (18), * a third pulley (F) mounted by the mounting plate (18) and spaced apart from the second pulley (B), and Is * a timing belt (20) taken around the first, second and third pulleys (D, B, F).
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower conveyor (14) comprises two outer conveyors (14a, 14c) and an inner conveyor (14b) between the two outer conveyors (14a, 14c), the inner conveyor (14b) being longer than the two outer conveyors (1 4a, 1 4c).
3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the two outer conveyors (14a, 14c) are the same length.
4. Apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the two outer conveyors (14a, 14c) and the inner conveyor (14a) at one end terminate at the same point and are connected together at the one end.
5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first pulley (D) is connected to and drives the lower conveyor (14) via the end of the outer conveyors (14a, 14c) opposite to the one end where the outer conveyors (14a, 14c) and the inner conveyor (14b) are connected together.
6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the first, second and third pulleys (D, B, F) are all the same radial size.
7. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the second and third pulleys (B, F) are mounted on the mounting plate (18) such that their centres lie on the same vertical axis.
8. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein in the upper conveyor (16) is mounted by the mounting plate (18).
9. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the timing belt (20) is routed so that the first pulley (D) rotates in the opposite direction to the second pulley (B).