Systems and Methods for Diverting Objects

• US 20070221472A1
• Filed: 01/25/2007
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Laitram LLC
• Original Assignee: Materials Handling Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Fourney, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 7,461,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 198/370.30
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 17/24 comprising a series of rollers which are moved , e.g. over a supporting surface, by the traction element to effect conveyance of loads or load-carriers

Abstract

In one embodiment, a conveyor system includes a conveyor belt having a plurality of conveyor belt rollers configured to divert objects on the conveyor belt, and a drive mechanism that engages the conveyor belt rollers, the drive mechanism being configured to drive the conveyor belt rollers, the drive mechanism being adjustable such that the conveyor belt rollers can be selectively driven in a first angular direction and a second, opposite angular direction so that objects can be selectively diverted to either side of the conveyor belt at a desired diverting angle.

Claims

1. A conveyor system comprising:

a conveyor belt having a plurality of conveyor belt rollers configured to divert objects on the conveyor belt; and

a drive mechanism that engages the conveyor belt rollers, the drive mechanism being configured to drive the conveyor belt rollers, the drive mechanism being adjustable such that the conveyor belt rollers can be selectively driven in a first angular direction and a second, opposite angular direction so that objects can be selectively diverted to either side of the conveyor belt at a desired diverting angle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the conveyor belt rollers have axes of rotation that are aligned with a direction of travel of the conveyor belt such that the conveyor belt rollers can divert objects in either transverse direction across the conveyor belt.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the conveyor belt rollers are elongated in a direction of their axes of rotation.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism comprises a plurality of free-spinning angularly adjustable drive rollers that engage the conveyor belt rollers, such engagement causing the conveyor belt rollers to rotate when a direction of rotation of the drive rollers is not aligned with a direction of belt travel.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the angularly adjustable drive rollers can be adjusted from an orientation in which they rotate in a direction in line with the direction of belt travel to orientations in which they rotate in directions that form an angle with the direction of belt travel.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the greater the angle between the direction of drive roller rotation and the direction of belt travel the greater a diverting angle at which objects are diverted by the conveyor belt.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the diverting angle can extend from approximately −

90 degrees to approximately 90 degrees relative to the direction of belt travel.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the diverting angle can extend from at least approximately −

70 degrees to at least approximately 70 degrees relative to the direction of belt travel.

9. A conveyor system comprising:

a conveyor belt having a plurality of free-spinning conveyor belt rollers configured to divert objects across the conveyor belt, the conveyor belt rollers having axes of rotation that are aligned with a direction of travel of the belt such that the conveyor belt rollers can divert objects in either transverse direction across the conveyor belt; and

a plurality of free-spinning angularly adjustable drive rollers that engage the conveyor belt rollers, such engagement causing the conveyor belt rollers to rotate when a direction of rotation of the drive rollers is not aligned with the direction of belt travel, wherein the angular orientation of the drive rollers can be adjusted relative to the direction of belt travel to change a diverting direction and a diverting angle of the conveyor belt.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the conveyor belt rollers are elongated in a direction of their axes of rotation.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the angularly adjustable drive rollers can be adjusted from an orientation in which they rotate in a direction in line with the direction of belt travel to orientations in which they rotate in directions that form an angle with the direction of belt travel, the angle being equivalent in magnitude to the diverting angle.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the diverting angle can extend from approximately −

90 degrees to approximately 90 degrees relative to the direction of belt travel.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the diverting angle can extend from at least approximately −

70 degrees to at least approximately 70 degrees relative to the direction of belt travel.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the angularly adjustable drive rollers can be selectively engaged with and disengaged from the conveyor belt rollers.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the angularly adjustable drive rollers comprise relatively short caster rollers.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein at least two angularly adjustable drive rollers are positioned adjacent a conveyor belt roller during conveyor operation.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the angularly adjustable drive rollers are aligned in rows transverse to the direction of belt travel and columns aligned with the direction of belt travel.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein at least some of the angularly adjustable drive rollers are independently actuable such that an angular orientation of at least some of the drive rollers can be independently controlled.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein at least some of the angularly adjustable drive rollers are actuable together in groups such that an angular orientation of at least some of the drive rollers can be controlled in synchrony.

20. The system of claim 9, wherein the angularly adjustable drive rollers are elongated in a direction of their axes of rotation.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the angularly adjustable drive rollers are supported by a frame, an orientation of the frame being adjustable, and wherein when the orientation of the frame is adjusted, orientations of the drive rollers are adjusted in synchrony.

22. A conveyor system comprising:

a conveyor belt having a frame and a plurality of free-spinning conveyor belt rollers supported by the frame, the conveyor belt rollers extending above and below top and bottom surfaces of the frame and being configured to divert objects across the conveyor belt, the conveyor belt rollers having axes of rotation that are aligned with a direction of travel of the belt such that the conveyor belt rollers can divert objects in either transverse direction across the conveyor belt, the conveyor belt rollers being elongated along their axes of rotation; and

a plurality of free-spinning angularly adjustable drive rollers that can be selectively engaged with and disengaged from the conveyor belt rollers from a position below the conveyor belt, angular orientations of the drive rollers being adjustable relative to the direction of belt travel such that the drive rollers can be selectively positioned from an orientation in which, through engagement with the conveyor belt rollers, the drive rollers rotate in the direction of belt travel to orientations in which the drive rollers rotate in directions other than the direction of belt travel;

wherein drive roller rotation in the direction of belt travel brakes the conveyor belt rollers so that they will not rotate and drive roller rotation in directions other than the direction of belt travel drives the conveyor belt rollers due to frictional forces between the drive rollers and the conveyor belt rollers;

wherein angular orientations of the drive rollers can be adjusted such that the drive rollers rotate in directions that form substantially any angle from at least approximately −

70 degrees to at least approximately 70 degrees relative to the direction of belt travel.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the angularly adjustable drive rollers comprise relatively short caster rollers that are aligned in rows transverse to the direction of belt travel and columns aligned with the direction of belt travel.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein at least two angularly adjustable drive rollers are positioned adjacent a conveyor belt roller during conveyor operation.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein at least some of the angularly adjustable drive rollers are independently actuable such that an angular orientation of at least some of the drive rollers can be independently controlled.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the angularly adjustable drive rollers are elongated in a direction of their axes of rotation and are at least as long as the conveyor belt is wide.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the angularly adjustable drive rollers are supported by a frame, an orientation of the frame being adjustable with an actuator, and wherein when the orientation of the frame is adjusted, orientations of the drive rollers are adjusted in synchrony.

28. A method for diverting objects, the method comprising:

supporting the objects on a conveyor belt that includes a plurality of free-spinning conveyor belt rollers;

engaging the conveyor belt rollers with free-spinning angularly adjustable drive rollers; and

adjusting an angular orientation of the drive rollers relative to a direction of belt travel to adjust a diverting angle of the conveyor belt.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising adjusting the angular orientation of the drive rollers such that a direction of rotation of the drive rollers is in line with the direction of conveyor belt travel to brake the conveyor belt rollers.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising adjusting the angular orientation of the drive rollers from the orientation in which the direction of drive roller rotation is in line with the direction of conveyor belt travel to an orientation in which the direction of drive roller rotation forms an angle with the direction of belt travel so as to cause the conveyor belt rollers to accelerate from zero angular velocity to a final angular velocity.