Driver system roller apparatus

• US 5,080,219 A
• Filed: 03/11/1991
• Issued: 01/14/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Daifuku Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Daifuku Company Limited
• Inventors: Imai, Masao, Fujio, Yoshihiko, Hatouchi, Gokichi
• Primary Examiner(s): DAYOAN, DARRELL G
• Application Number:
  US07/668,276
• Time in Patent Office: 309 Days
• Field of Search: 198/781, 198/788, 198/789, 198/780
• US Class Current: 198/781.06
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/261 Accumulating articles

Abstract

A drive system roller apparatus used for a roller conveyor built in a shelf device or a roller conveyor installed on a floor, wherein at the outer periphery of a roller shaft supported at a frame is provided a roller body rotatable and supporting a load to be transported, between the roller body and the roller shaft is provided an annular flexible member which is capable of expanding and contracting so as to contact with and remove from the inner periphery of the roller body by the expansion and contraction, and the flexible member is rotatably driven, so that an operating fluid is supplied from the fluid route into the flexible member, and the flexible member in the contacting state is expanded to abut against the inner surface of the roller body, thereby the roller body rotates to transport a load.

Claims

1. A drive system roller apparatus for a roller conveyor, having;

a frame disposed in the transporting direction of said roller conveyor;

a roller shaft supported to said frame;

a roller body rotatably disposed at the outer periphery of said roller shaft and being supportable of a load to be transported;

an annular flexible member rotatably disposed between said roller shaft and said roller body and expandable and contractable so as to be capable of abutting against and moving away from the inner surface of said roller body;

fluid supply means which perforates said roller shaft to be open within said flexible member and supplies operating fluid into said flexible member so as to enable said flexible member in condition of contraction to be expanded, and a roller device having a

means for rotatably driving said flexible member.

2. A drive system roller apparatus according to claim 1, having a braking device, said braking device having;

a braking roller shaft supported to said frame;

a braking roller body disposed at the outer surface of said braking shaft to be rotatable and supportable of a load to be transported;

an annular braking flexible member not-rotatably disposed between said braking roller shaft and said braking roller body and being expandable and contractible so as to be contactable with and removable from the inner surface of said braking roller body; and

braking fluid supply means which perforates said roller shaft to be open within said braking flexible member and supplies an operating fluid into said braking flexible member to thereby enable said braking flexible member in contraction condition to be expanded.

3. A drive system roller apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said rotatable drive means has a sprocket integrally rotatable with said flexible member and a driving chain traveling along said frame and engageable with said sprocket;

a brake device has a braking sprocket integrally rotatable with said braking flexible member,

said braking sprocket has a not-toothed portion for preventing engagement with said driving chain, and

said brake device has means for preventing rotation of said braking sprocket.

4. A drive system roller apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said roller shaft is not-rotatably supported to said frame, and said roller device has;

a tubular member rotatably fitted to the outer periphery of part of said roller shaft at the inner periphery side of said roller body and mounting said flexible member;

an annular braking flexible member fixed to the outer periphery of the other part of said roller shaft at the inner periphery side of said roller body and being contactable with and removable from the inner surface of said roller body by the expansion and contraction; and

braking fluid supply means which perforates said roller shaft to be open within said braking flexible member and supplies an operating fluid into said braking flexible member so as to enable said braking flexible member in the contraction condition to be expanded.

5. A drive system roller apparatus according to claim 4, having a roller device having not a braking function, said roller device having not said braking function removes said braking flexible member from the outer periphery of the other part of said roller shaft at the inner periphery side of said roller body and removes said braking fluid supply means.

6. A drive system roller apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said roller shaft is rotatably supported to said frame, said flexible member is fixed to said roller shaft, and said roller body is rotatably supported to said roller shaft.

7. A drive system roller apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said roller shaft is not-rotatably supported to said frame, and said roller device is rotatably fitted onto the outer periphery of said roller shaft at the inner periphery side of said roller body and has a tubular member to which said flexible member is mounted and sealing means disposed between said roller shaft and said tubular member so as to constitute part of said fluid supply means.

8. A drive system roller apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said roller body is supported by a pair of bearings to said roller shaft, and said flexible member is disposed between said roller shaft and said roller body is sandwiched between both said bearings.

9. A drive system roller apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second roller body having a larger diameter body capable of being fitted on and fixed to said first-mentioned roller body.

10. A drive system roller apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said roller bodies is provided lengthwise of said frame, and said drive system roller apparatus has a plurality of rotatable rollers extending in parallel to said roller body and provided lengthwise of said frame, annular recesses formed at the outer peripheries of said roller body and rotatable rollers, and endless belts stretched across said annular recesses adjacent to each other.

11. A drive system roller apparatus for a roller conveyor, having;

a frame disposed in the direction of transporting of said roller conveyor,

a roller rotatably supported to said frame and supportable of a load to be transported,

a support shaft supported to said frame below said roller,

an annular flexible member which is rotatably disposed around said support shaft and being expandable and contractable so as to be contactable with and removable from said roller by the expansion and contraction,

fluid supply means which perforates said support shaft so as to be open within said flexible member and supplies an operating fluid into said flexible member to thereby enable said flexible member in condition of contraction to be expanded, and

means for rotatably driving said flexible member.