Motorized conveyor roller for conveyor systems for conveying containers, pallets and the like

• US 8,789,686 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interroll Holding AG
• Original Assignee: Interroll Holding AG
• Inventors: Lindemann, Harry
• Primary Examiner(s): Deuble, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US13/907,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20130334012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• Field of Search: 198/788, 198/789, 198/781.02, 198/619
• US Class Current: 198/788
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 13/06 Roller driving means
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 23/08 with self-contained driving mechanisms, e.g. motors and associated gearing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49547 Assembling preformed components

Abstract

Disclosed is a motor-operated conveyer roller for conveyor systems, having a roller body, a drive device arranged inside an interior space of the roller body, and a coupling device designed to transmit a torque from the drive device to an inner peripheral surface of the interior space of the roller body, wherein said coupling device has a clamping bushing, a clamping ring which can move axially with respect to the clamping bushing, a fastener element for the purpose of holding a clamping ring in a tensioned position against the clamping bushing, and a thrust collar which is fixed between a contact surface of the clamping bushing and a contact surface of the clamping ring in the tensioned position, wherein the thrust collar is frictionally connected via its outer periphery to the inner peripheral surface of the interior space of the roller body in the tensioned position.

Claims

1. A motor-operated conveyor roller for conveyor systems for the purpose of conveying containers, palettes, and the like, having

a roller body (100) with an outer peripheral surface which constitutes a contact surface for conveyed goods,

a drive device (200) which is arranged inside an interior space of the roller body,

a coupling device (300) designed to transmit a torque from the drive device to an inner peripheral surface of the interior space of the roller body, having

a clamping bushing (310),

a clamping ring (320) which can move axially relative to the clamping bushing,

a fastener element (340) for the purpose of holding an axial-mounting clamping ring against the clamping bushing in a tensioned position, and

a thrust collar (330) which is fixed in the tensioned position between a contact surface (311) of the clamping bushing and a contact surface (321) of the clamping ring, and which in the tensioned position has a friction-fit connection via the outer periphery thereof to the inner peripheral surface (132) of the interior space of the roller body,

characterized in that the clamping bushing of the coupling element has an inner hollow space (302), and the fastener element (340) is arranged outward from the radial center of this hollow space.

2. A conveyor roller according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the fastener element is designed as an integral component of the clamping ring, or

the fastener element is a separate component from the clamping ring.

3. A conveyor roller according to claim 1, characterized in that a fastening means (313) for the fastening of the fastener element is designed on the clamping bushing.

4. A conveyor roller according to claim 1

characterized by a bearing pin (120) which

has means for the torque-proof attachment thereof to a conveyor frame system,

on which the roller body (100) is rotatably mounted, and

on which the drive device (200) is attached in a torque-proof manner.

5. A conveyor roller according to claim 1,

characterized in that the inner hollow space (302) of the clamping bushing has a smallest inner diameter, and the fastener element is designed with a circular shape and has an inner diameter which is larger than the smallest inner diameter.

6. A conveyor roller according to claim 1

characterized in that the fastener element (340) is connected to the clamping bushing (310) in a positive-fitting manner in the tensioned position.

7. A conveyor roller according to claim 1

characterized in that the fastener element (340) can be reversibly, elastically deformed from a tensioned position into an assembly position, and in the assembly position is pre-tensioned for a return deformation into the tensioned position.

8. A conveyor roller according to claim 1

characterized in that the clamping bushing (310) has a shoulder or a groove (313) on an outer peripheral surface (312), and the fastener element is preferably a spiral spring washer which is elastically pre-tensioned for a positive-fit anchoring in this shoulder/this groove.

9. A conveyor roller according to claim 1,

characterized in that the clamping bushing is coupled to a drive shaft (231) of the drive device in a torque-proof manner.

10. A conveyor roller according to claim 1,

characterized in that one segment of the drive device, particularly a drive shaft (231) or a segment of a drive gearing, is arranged inside the hollow space of the clamping bushing.

11. A conveyor roller according to claim 1

characterized in that the contact surface (311) of the clamping bushing and/or the contact surface (321) of the clamping ring is/are designed with a conical outer periphery.

12. A conveyor roller according to claim 1

characterized in that the contact surface (311) of the clamping bushing and the contact surface (321) of the clamping ring define a V-shape on the outer periphery thereof, into which the thrust collar is inserted.

13. A conveyor roller according to claim 1,

characterized in that an elastomeric coupling element is arranged in the hollow space (302) of the clamping bushing which is preferably coupled in a positive-fitting manner in the power transmission train between the drive device and the clamping bushing.

14. A conveyor roller according to claim 1

characterized in that the elastomeric coupling element consists of a first and a second material, wherein the second material has a lower rigidity than the first material, and the coupling element therefore functions as a rearward damping element, and/or in that the outer peripheral surface which is in contact with the clamping bushing, or the inner surface of the coupling element which is in contact with the output shaft of the gearing, has a preferably convex contact surface for a gimbaled suspension of the clamping bushing on the coupling element and/or for the gimbaled suspension of the coupling element on the output shaft of the gearing.

15. A method for the production of a conveyor roller, particularly a conveyor roller according to claim 1, characterized by the following steps:

insertion of a coupling device (300) having a clamping bushing (310), a clamping ring (320) which is mounted to move axially toward the clamping bushing, and a thrust collar (330) arranged between a contact surface of the clamping bushing and a contact surface of the clamping ring in the interior space of a roller body (100),

pressing an outer peripheral surface of the thrust collar onto the inner peripheral surface (132) of the interior space of the roller body for the purpose of generating a friction-fit connection which transmits rotary torque, by moving the contact surface of the clamping bushing and the contact surface of the clamping ring axially toward each other, and tensioning the thrust collar between the two, wherein the thrust collar is deformed outwards from radial center,

fixing the clamping ring on the clamping bushing in the tensioned position by means of a fastener element (340), and

inserting a drive device (200) into the interior space of the roller body

torque-proof connection of a drive shaft (231) of the drive device to the clamping bushing, preferably by means of a positive-fit connection,

torque-proof connection of the drive device to a bearing pin (120) which has a means for the torque-proof attachment thereof to a conveyor frame system, and

rotatable mounting of the roller body on the bearing pin.

16. A method according to claim 15,

characterized by the step:

Attachment of the fastener element outward from the radial center of a hollow inner space of the clamping bushing of the coupling element.

17. A method according to claim 15 characterized in that the drive shaft of the drive device is connected to the clamping bushing in a torque-proof manner after the outer peripheral surface of the thrust collar has been pressed onto the inner peripheral surface of the inner space of the roller body for the purpose of generating a friction-fitting, rotary torque-transmitting connection.