APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SENSING CONDITIONS LOCAL TO A MODULAR CONVEYOR BELT
First Claim
1. A modular conveyor belt comprising:
- a series of rows of one or more belt modules linked together at hinge joints by hinge rods received in lateral passageways formed in interleaved hinge elements of adjacent rows of belt modules;
wherein at least one of the belt modules is a load-sensing belt module that includes a load sensor making measurements of belt tension in at least a portion of the load-sensing belt module.
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Abstract
Apparatus and method for sensing conditions local to a modular conveyor belt and wirelessly transmitting signals representing those conditions to an off-belt belt monitoring system. In a preferred version, a load cell pin installed in a clevis formed at a hinge joint between adjacent rows of a modular conveyor belt serves as a clevis pin to interconnect the rows and as a sensor sensitive to belt tension transmitted through the clevis. A special load-sensing belt module forms the clevis and holds electronic circuitry that takes the measurements made by the sensor, logs them in a memory element, and transmits them wirelessly to the belt monitoring system. The measurements may also be used as part of a closed-loop control system to control the speed or other operating characteristics of the conveyor system. Furthermore, a variety of sensors housed in sensor modules similar to standard conveyor belt modules may be installed in the belt as drop-in replacements for standard modules.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A modular conveyor belt comprising:
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a series of rows of one or more belt modules linked together at hinge joints by hinge rods received in lateral passageways formed in interleaved hinge elements of adjacent rows of belt modules; wherein at least one of the belt modules is a load-sensing belt module that includes a load sensor making measurements of belt tension in at least a portion of the load-sensing belt module. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A modular plastic conveyor belt comprising:
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a series of rows of one or more standard belt modules linked together at hinge joints by hinge rods received in lateral passageways formed in interleaved hinge elements of adjacent rows of belt modules; at least one sensor module including; a sensor making measurements of a local condition; a memory element for storing the measurements; and a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting signals representing the measurements. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A modular conveyor belt comprising:
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a series of rows of one or more standard belt modules having hinge element structure at opposite ends, the belt modules linked together at hinge joints by hinge rods received in lateral passageways formed in interleaved hinge elements of adjacent rows of belt modules; a sensor module that includes; a sensor making measurements of a local condition; a transmitter for transmitting signals representing the measurements; and hinge element structure similar to the hinge element structure of at least one of the standard belt modules so as to make the sensor module capable of replacing one of the standard modules without changing the length of the modular conveyor belt.
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18. A method for measuring tension in a modular conveyor belt constructed of a series of rows of one or more belt modules hingedly linked together by hinge rods in lateral passageways forming hinge joints between adjacent rows of belt modules, the method comprising:
installing a load cell having a pin portion in a portion of a lateral passageway at a hinge joint to serve as a hinge pin linking adjacent rows together and to make measurements of tension in the modular conveyor belt. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for measuring a local condition in a modular conveyor belt constructed of a series of rows of one or more standard belt modules having hinge element structure at opposite ends, the belt modules linked together at hinge joints by hinge rods received in lateral passageways formed in interleaved hinge elements of adjacent rows of belt modules, the method comprising:
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removing or omitting a standard belt module from a row of the modular conveyor belt; replacing the standard belt module in the row with a first sensor module having hinge element structure like that of the removed or omitted module and further having a sensor sensing a local condition and making a measurement representing the local condition. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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Specification