Pitch independent divert drive

• US 9,745,143 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2016
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligrated Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intelligrated Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilkins, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bidwell, James R
• Application Number:
  US15/357,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20170121124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 281 Days
• Field of Search: 19837009, 1983713, 198782, 193 35 MD
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 13/065 with displacement of the roller
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 13/07 having endless driving elements
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 13/10 Switching arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 39/025 having spherical roller elements
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/53 between conveyors which cross one another

Abstract

A diverting conveyor has an array of transmissions having powered output rollers that form a conveying surface for selectively diverting articles from a first direction to a second direction. Each transmission has a timing belt pulley to operably engage with a toothed timing belt, and each is configured to simultaneously rotate the output roller from the first direction to the second direction in response to actuation of an actuator. When the timing belt pulley engages with the teeth of the timing belt, the output roller of an actuator is rotated around an axis perpendicular to the conveying surface to a rotational position that is a multiple of the tooth spacing of the timing belt. Each output roller has a driven direction resulting from the engagement of the timing belt with the timing belt pulley. An adjuster is provided to align the driven directions of the array of output rollers.

Claims

1. A diverting conveyor having a conveying surface for selectively diverting articles from a first direction to a second direction different from the first direction, the diverting conveyor comprising:

an actuator attached to the diverting conveyor;

an array of transmissions each having a first housing attached to the diverting conveyor and a second housing rotatable around the first housing about an axis perpendicular to the conveying surface, each second housing having a timing belt pulley and an output roller attached to the second housing to rotate around the first axis therewith, each output roller rotatably attached to the second housing to rotate about a second axis parallel to the conveying surface and power driven to convey articles in a driven direction;

a toothed timing belt attached to the actuator and having teeth in operable engagement with each timing belt pulley to interconnect each second housing to the timing belt and to the actuator for simultaneous rotation in response to actuation of the actuator; and

an adjustor adjustably securing the timing belt pulley to the second housing, wherein when the array of transmissions are rotated with the actuator to position the output rollers to drive articles in the first direction and one of the output rollers has a driven direction different from the first direction, the adjustor of the one of the output rollers having a driven direction different from the first direction is adjustable to redirect the output roller to the first direction.

2. The diverting conveyor of claim 1 wherein the adjustor comprises a releasable lock to releasably lock the second housing to the timing belt pulley, wherein when the releasable lock is unlocked, the second housing can be rotated relative to the timing belt pulley to change the driven direction of the output roller relative to the timing belt pulley.

3. The diverting conveyor of claim 1 wherein the adjustor comprises a releasable lock to releasably lock the second housing to the timing belt pulley, wherein when the releasable lock is locked and teeth of the toothed timing belt are brought into contact with the timing pulley, the second housing rotates to be operatively rotated relative to the timing belt pulley to change the driven direction of the output roller relative to the timing belt pulley.

4. The diverting conveyor of claim 2 wherein when the releasable lock is unlocked and the timing belt pulley is operatively engaged with the teeth of the toothed timing belt, the rotation of the second housing adjusts the driven direction of the output roller relative to the teeth of the timing belt operatively engaged with the timing belt pulley.

5. The diverting conveyor of claim 2 wherein the releasable lock is configured for re-locking to lock the second housing to the timing belt pulley and to lock the driven direction of the output roller relative to the timing belt pulley.

6. The diverting conveyor of claim 2 wherein the releasable lock is a contact lock.

7. The diverting conveyor of claim 2 wherein the releasable lock comprises at least one screw that releasably locks the second housing to the timing belt pulley by bringing a portion of the timing belt pulley into locking contact with a portion of the housing.

8. The diverting conveyor of claim 7 wherein the portion of the timing be pulley brought into locking contact is a step.

9. The diverting conveyor of claim 7 wherein the portion of the housing brought into locking contact is at least one locking key.

10. The diverting conveyor of claim 7 wherein the releasable lock further comprises a locking plate attached to the second housing between the at least one screw and the timing belt pulley to provide a hard contact surface when the least one screw is tightened to lock the releasable lock.

11. The diverting conveyor of claim 10 wherein the second housing includes a pointer and the locking plate includes a mark so that the timing belt pulley can be rotatably aligned to the second housing to rotationally align the teeth of the timing belt pulley to the driven direction of the output roller.

12. The diverting conveyor of claim 10 wherein the timing belt teeth rotationally directionally position the respective output roller to direct articles in a driven direction as an increment of the teeth spacing of the toothed timing belt.

13. The diverting conveyor of claim 10 further comprising idler rollers attached to a baseplate and positioned between adjacent transmissions to ensure the toothed timing belt has sufficient wrap angle to ensure engagement of the timing belt teeth with the timing belt pulley.

14. A diverting conveyor having a conveying surface comprising an array of transmissions each interconnected together by a toothed timing belt to an actuator for selectively diverting articles from a first direction to a second direction different from the first direction in response to movement of the actuator, each transmission comprising:

an array of first housings attached to the diverting conveyor;

a second housing rotatable around each first housing to define a first axis of rotation perpendicular to the conveying surface;

an output roller rotatably attached to each second housing to define the conveying surface, each output roller connected to a source of power and rotatable around a second axis of rotation parallel to the conveying surface to directionally convey articles thereon with the plurality of rollers defining the conveying surface; and

an adjuster attached to the second housing comprising a timing belt pulley and a lock, the timing belt pulley rotatable about the first axis of rotation and the lock configured to releaseably lock the timing belt pulley to the second housing at a position to direct articles in a driven direction with the output roller,

wherein when the teeth of the toothed timing belt are brought into operable engagement with the array of locked timing belt pulleys, each second housing is configured to rotate independently around the respective first axis to align the timing belt pulley with the teeth of the timing belt and to rotationally directionally position the respective output roller to direct articles in a driven direction as an increment of the teeth spacing of the toothed timing belt,

wherein when the toothed timing belt is brought into operable engagement with the array of locked timing belt pulleys, the actuator positions the array of output rollers to divert articles in the first direction, and at least one of the engaged output rollers in the operably engaged array has a driven direction different than the first direction from operable engagement with the teeth of the toothed timing belt, the adjuster of at least one of the engaged output rollers with a different driven direction is configured to be adjusted to reposition the output roller around the first axis to drive articles in the first direction.

15. The transmission of claim 14 wherein the lock is a contact lock.

16. The transmission of claim 14 wherein the adjuster has an operative adjustment range of at least 90 degrees.

17. The transmission of claim 14 wherein the adjuster has a total operative adjustment range of least one hundred and eighty degrees of adjustability.