Conveyor article propelling roller drive system

• US 5,531,311 A
• Filed: 12/13/1994
• Issued: 07/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rapistan Demag Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Rapistan Demag Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Cotter, David H., LeMay, Curtis E., Woltjer, Bernard H.
• Primary Examiner(s): DAYOAN, DARRELL G
• Application Number:
  US08/354,591
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 198/789, 198/790, 198/791, 198/781.03, 198/781.04, 198/781.07, 198/781.11, 198/448, 198/443, 198/452, 198/453, 198/786
• US Class Current: 198/448
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/31 by varying the relative speeds of the conveyors forming the series
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/682 from a single conveyor lane consisting of one conveyor or several adjacent conveyors

Abstract

An article unscrambler and aligner is disclosed which receives articles of different sizes in random order and position, and using plural side-by-side lanes each of which lanes has driven article transport rollers at different speeds, which speeds are uniform for the length of the lane, but are progressively higher in each lane toward one side of the unscrambler in order to provide a lateral linear speed increase. This speed increase causes separation and rotation of the articles and also causes them to arrange in single file along one side of the unscrambler'"'"'s surface and so discharge them onto a conveyor at the end of the unscrambler remote from that at which the articles were received. One or more lanes are composed of rollers of tapered diameter in order to make the lateral speed increase more uniform.

Claims

1. A conveyor comprising:

a frame;

a multiplicity of rotatable article propelling rollers mounted in said frame generally normal to the direction of article movement, defining an article conveying surface;

a driven endless member extending below said rollers in the direction of article movement;

a plurality of drive pulleys below said rollers;

a plurality of idler pressure pulleys positioned below said drive pulleys opposite said endless member for applying pressure to said endless member in order to press said endless member against said drive pulleys to rotate said drive pulleys; and

a plurality of transmission elements each for providing a driving connection between one of said drive pulleys and at least one of said article propelling rollers;

wherein adjacent pairs of said pressure pulleys are supported by opposite ends of a leaf spring, which is attached at a mid portion to said frame.

2. The conveyor described in claim 1 wherein said article propelling rollers tapper in diameter from one end to the opposite end.

3. The conveyor described in claim 2 including an article inlet to said article conveying surface to which articles are delivered in random order and alignment wherein said rollers align said articles in a single file along one lateral side of said conveying surface.

4. A conveyor comprising:

a frame;

a multiplicity of rotatable article propelling rollers mounted in said frame generally normal to the direction of article movement, defining an article conveying surface;

a driven endless member extending below said rollers in the direction of article movement;

a plurality of drive pulleys below said rollers;

a plurality of idler pressure pulleys positioned below said drive pulleys opposite said endless member for applying pressure to said endless member in order to press said endless member against said drive pulleys to rotate said drive pulleys; and

a plurality of transmission elements each for providing a driving connection between one of said drive pulleys and at least one of said article propelling rollers, wherein each of said transmission elements is a secondary belt around said drive pulley and said at least one of said article propelling rollers.

5. The conveyor described in claim 4 wherein said drive pulleys are cantilever-mounted to said frame in order to facilitate quick change of said secondary belts.

6. The conveyor described in claim 4 wherein each of said transmission elements includes a pair of said secondary belts around said drive pulley and adjacent one of said article propelling rollers.

7. The conveyor described in claim 4 wherein each of said drive pulleys includes a belt channel defined therein and wherein said secondary belt rides in said belt channel.

8. A conveyor comprising:

a frame;

a multiplicity of rotatable article propelling rollers mounted in said frame generally normal to the direction of article movement, defining an article conveying surface;

a driven endless member extending below said rollers in the direction of article movement;

a plurality of drive pulleys below said rollers;

a plurality of idler pressure pulleys positioned below said drive pulleys opposite said endless member for applying pressure to said endless member in order to press said endless member against said drive pulleys to rotate said drive pulleys; and

a plurality of transmission elements each for providing a driving connection between one of said drive pulleys and at least one of said article propelling rollers;

wherein said article conveying surface includes a plurality of side-by-side article conveying lanes and including a said driven endless member beneath the rollers in each of said lanes; and

a prime mover having a driving connection to all of said driven endless members, said driving connection including speed differentiating means for driving the rollers in each lane at a different speed.

9. The conveyor in claim 8 wherein said article transporting surface is elongated and has a plurality of identical article transporting sections arranged in tandem, each of said sections having an identical separate prime mover and motion-transmitting means for driving the rollers forming the transporting surface of that section.

10. A conveyor having a frame, a multiplicity of rotatable article propelling rollers mounted in said frame generally normal to the direction of article movement defining an article conveying surface, a drive for said rollers, said drive being beneath said rollers and having a driven belt extending lengthwise of the conveying surface, motion-transmitting elements driven by said driven belt interconnecting said driven belt to the rollers, and support means urging said driven belt into positive driving engagement with each of said motion-transmitting elements, wherein said driven belt is pressed against each of said motion-transmitting elements at one point by said support means, wherein said driven belt is substantially flat in the vicinity of each of said motion-transmitting elements to reduce the level of reversing stress-induced fatigue in said driven belt, wherein said article conveying surface includes a plurality of side-by-side article conveying lanes and including a driven belt beneath the rollers in each of said lanes and a prime mover having a driving connection to all of said driven belts, said driving connection including speed differentiating means for driving the rollers in each lane at a different speed.

11. The conveyor in claim 10 wherein said support means includes a pressure pulley supported by a leaf spring.

12. The conveyor in claim 10 including an article inlet to said article conveying surface to which articles are delivered in random order and alignment wherein said rollers align said articles in a single file along one lateral side of said conveying surface.

13. The conveyor in claim 10 wherein said each of said motion-transmitting elements includes a pulley contacting said driven belt and at least one secondary belt interconnecting said pulley with at least one of said rollers.

14. The conveyor in claim 13 including at least two secondary belts interconnecting said pulley with respective ones of said rollers.

15. The conveyor in claim 14 wherein said support means includes a pressure pulley supported by a leaf spring.

16. A conveyor having a frame, a multiplicity of rotatable article-propelling rollers in said frame generally normal to the direction of article movement defining an article conveying surface, a driven belt beneath said rollers extending lengthwise of the conveying surface, multiple motion-transmitting pulleys spaced along said conveying surface between said belt and said rollers, multiple secondary belts, each interconnecting one of said motion-transmitting pulleys to at least one of said rollers, multiple pressure pulleys below said driven belt, each pressing said driven belt against one of said motion-transmitting pulleys, and multiple leaf springs, each supporting at least one of said pressure pulleys so as to be biased against said driven belt.

17. The conveyor in claim 16 wherein two of said secondary belts connect one of said motion-transmitting pulleys to two respective rollers.

18. The conveyor in claim 16 wherein each of said leaf springs supports two of said pressure pulleys.