An auxiliary idler for a belt conveyor of a tire and a method of using the same

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of belt conveyor brake, in particular to a kind of auxiliary idler for tire type belt conveyor and its use method, wherein the auxiliary idler for tire type belt conveyor, including wheel hub, hollow shaft being arranged in the middle of wheel hub, pneumatic tire being arranged in the outer layer of wheel hub and tire pressure control device.The pneumatic tire includes first air chamber and second air chamber, wherein the second air chamber includes multiple independent air chamber units, and the tire pressure control device includes air pump, air valve, gas guide pipe, tire pressure detection device and control unit.The control unit controls the inflation or exhaust condition of the second air chamber according to the received signal instruction, solves the problem of low brake efficiency or unable to complete the runaway brake and deviation of the belt conveyor under large inclination due to sudden power failure, uneven load, power imbalance of multi-motor drive and other factors by changing the tire pressure of the second air chamber of the auxiliary idler.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of belt conveyor braking technology, specifically relating to an auxiliary idler roller for a tire-type belt conveyor and its usage method. Background Technology

[0002] The use of long-distance, high-capacity, and steeply inclined downhill belt conveyors can significantly reduce the amount of engineering work in mining area transport roadways, lower infrastructure costs, and shorten construction cycles, making it a belt conveyor with good development prospects. However, due to the high belt speed, the large inertia of the moving and rotating parts also results in significant downward force, frequently leading to accidents such as slippage, material rolling, and runaway during production. Therefore, braking is a key technology for downhill belt conveyors. In actual operation, belt conveyors often experience problems such as braking issues and belt slippage and runaway caused by factors such as sudden power outages, uneven loads, and unbalanced power of multiple motor drives. Chinese invention patent application CN107324000A discloses a steeply inclined downhill magnetic resistance damping idler roller. A stator is fixedly sleeved on the idler roller shaft, and magnets are attached to the surface of the stator around the central axis. An aluminum tube is attached to the inner wall of the cylinder. When the cylinder rotates, the aluminum tube cuts the magnetic lines of force, generating a damping force. However, when this permanent magnet damping roller rotates, it can only be in working state and continuously generate heat. If the heat dissipation balance is not reached when the heat accumulates to a certain extent, it will cause the magnet to demagnetize and affect the damping force. The current generated by cutting the magnetic lines of force and the accumulated heat also pose certain safety hazards in flammable and explosive working environments. Such products have not been seen in production systems.

[0003] Chinese invention patent CN103935721A discloses a magnetorheological fluid damping roller, comprising a rotating magnetic guide ring, a rotating magnetic shielding plate, and a space between the stationary magnetic cylinders filled with magnetorheological fluid. An excitation coil is fixed in a groove within the stationary magnetic guide cylinder. By energizing the excitation coil under a magnetic field, the magnetorheological fluid becomes semi-solid, and the damping force increases instantaneously when the roller rotates. This patent discloses a magnetorheological fluid damping roller with two operating modes: braking and non-braking. However, this magnetorheological damping roller also suffers from complex structure, difficult heat dissipation, high precision requirements, and the potential for high temperatures during prolonged operation to affect the magnetorheological fluid, leading to problems such as reduced damping force and leakage.

[0004] Chinese invention patent application CN104261081A discloses a damping idler device for a belt conveyor. It includes a damping idler with a first gear, a gear pump mounted on a frame with a second gear matching the first gear, and a relief valve connected to the gear pump. Both the relief valve and the gear pump are connected to an oil tank. This device adjusts the pressure of the gear pump and its entire hydraulic system by adjusting the relief valve, causing the idler with the first gear to generate a damping force. However, this alters the original structure of the idler, requiring gears to be machined onto it. This changes the stress on the idler, potentially affecting its lifespan. Furthermore, the gear pump and its associated hydraulic system are costly and bulky, occupying a significant amount of space.

[0005] Therefore, the existing technology cannot completely solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Hence, the technical solution of the present invention is proposed to solve the problem that the braking efficiency of the inclined belt conveyor is not high or that it cannot complete the overrun braking due to factors such as sudden power failure, uneven load, and unbalanced driving power of multiple motors. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention provides an auxiliary idler roller for a tire-type belt conveyor and its usage method, which is used to solve the problems of low braking efficiency or inability to complete runaway braking and deviation caused by factors such as sudden power failure, uneven load, and unbalanced power of multiple motors in a belt conveyor with a large inclination angle.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an auxiliary idler roller for a tire-type belt conveyor, comprising a hub, a hollow shaft disposed in the middle of the hub, an air tire disposed on the outer layer of the hub, and a tire pressure regulating device.

[0008] Furthermore, the air tire includes a first air chamber and a second air chamber, wherein the second air chamber includes multiple independent air chamber units, and the outer layer of the air tire is provided with an air tire pattern, wherein the air tire pattern is a groove pattern.

[0009] Furthermore, the tire pressure regulating device includes an air pump, an air valve, an air guide tube, a tire pressure detection device, and a control unit.

[0010] Furthermore, the air guide tube is a bundled air guide tube composed of multiple single air tubes, wherein one end of each single air guide tube is connected to the air valve, and the other end passes through the wheel hub and is connected to the air chamber unit in the second air chamber of the pneumatic tire in a one-to-one correspondence. The tire pressure detection device is installed on the air guide tube.

[0011] Secondly, the present invention also provides a method for using an auxiliary idler roller for a tire-type belt conveyor, which is applied to the aforementioned auxiliary idler roller for a tire-type belt conveyor. The method of use includes: a method for auxiliary braking, a method for auxiliary buffering, and a method for adjusting deviation.

[0012] In some embodiments, the method of using the auxiliary braking is as follows: When the auxiliary idler is arranged in the carrying section of the belt conveyor at a large angle for auxiliary braking, the control unit issues a release command, and the gas in the second air chamber is released, changing the contact between the auxiliary idler and the conveyor belt from line contact to curved surface contact, increasing the contact area between the auxiliary idler and the conveyor belt, and thus increasing the damping auxiliary braking effect. When braking ends, the control unit issues a inflation command, and gas enters the second air chamber through the air pump, hollow shaft, air valve, and air guide pipe, restoring the second air chamber to its normal inflation state.

[0013] In some embodiments, the auxiliary idler roller is arranged in the unloaded section of the conveyor belt in the chute. When braking is required, the control unit issues a command to release air through the air valve. The pressure in the second air chamber of the unloaded section is reduced compared to the air pressure in the load section, or the air is completely released, increasing the damping force of the unloaded section and completing the auxiliary braking. When braking ends, the control unit issues a charging command. Gas is pumped through the hollow shaft and air valve into the second air chamber through the air guide pipe. The second air chamber is then charged and restored, and the auxiliary idler roller returns to normal.

[0014] In some embodiments, when the auxiliary idlers are arranged in the unloaded section of the down-sloping conveyor near the tail deflector, the pressure of the second air chamber of the last set of auxiliary idlers is increased, which increases the diameter of the auxiliary idlers and increases the wrap angle of the tail drum. This increases the tension of the conveyor belt in the unloaded section, giving the tail drum an upward pulling tendency, which is beneficial for braking the down-sloping conveyor.

[0015] In some embodiments, the method of using the auxiliary buffer is as follows: when the auxiliary idler roller of the invention is arranged in the receiving section of the belt conveyor, the tire-type auxiliary idler roller has good elasticity and plays a buffering role, thus protecting the entire conveyor belt.

[0016] In some embodiments, the method for adjusting the belt misalignment is as follows: when the auxiliary idler is arranged in the section of the belt conveyor prone to misalignment, the control unit detects the tire pressure and temperature data of the air chamber of the auxiliary idler, and automatically identifies the belt misalignment based on the tire pressure and temperature data through an algorithm. According to the set program, the tire pressure of the independent air chamber unit on the second air chamber is adjusted so that the idler becomes a conical idler, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the misalignment. After the misalignment is completed, the control unit issues a command to press and restore the tire pressure of the second air chamber to the normal state.

[0017] The tire-type auxiliary idler rollers used in this invention can effectively solve the problem that the brake-driven roller method cannot effectively complete the overrun braking of the head-driven down-angle belt conveyor. It shortens the braking response time, reduces the damage to the conveyor belt during braking, and reduces energy consumption. At the same time, it can also adjust the belt deviation according to the tire pressure. The use of control unit improves the level of automation and reduces the labor intensity of workers. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the auxiliary idler roller for the tire-type belt conveyor of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the pneumatic tire structure in this invention.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the auxiliary idler roller of the present invention installed in the bearing section of the conveyor.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the auxiliary idler rollers of the present invention positioned in the unloaded section of the conveyor and near the tail roller.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the auxiliary idler roller of the present invention installed in the material receiving section of the conveyor.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the principle of the auxiliary idler roller of the present invention after executing the conveyor belt alignment command.

[0025] Labeling explanation: 1-Wheel hub, 2-Hollow shaft, 3-Air tire, 31-First air chamber, 32-Second air chamber, 4-Tire pressure regulating device, 41-Air valve, 42-Air guide pipe, 43-Control unit, 5-Auxiliary roller. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to embodiments. The advantages and features of the present invention will become clearer as the description unfolds. However, these embodiments are merely exemplary and do not constitute any limitation on the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or substitutions to the details and form of the technical solutions of the present invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, but all such modifications and substitutions fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0027] It should be noted that, in this invention, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0028] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 This invention provides an auxiliary idler roller for a tire-type belt conveyor, comprising a hub 1, a hollow shaft 2 disposed in the center of the hub 1, an air tire 3 disposed on the outer layer of the hub 1, and a tire pressure regulating device 4. The air tire 3 includes a first air chamber 31 and a second air chamber 32, both of which are filled with gas under normal operating conditions. The second air chamber 32 comprises multiple independent air chamber units, and the outer layer of the air tire 3 is provided with a tread pattern, which is a grooved pattern. This structural design of a first air chamber 31 and multiple second air chambers 32 allows the air tire 3 to not only possess the stable support and buffering force of the first air chamber 31 during operation, but also the adjustable tire pressure capability of the second air chambers 32, facilitating the adjustment of the tire pressure of the second air chambers 32 according to operating conditions.

[0029] In some embodiments, the air chamber is made of rubber material, the purpose of which is that rubber material has good elasticity, low impact, and is beneficial for cushioning. The auxiliary idler roller has the same shape as the ordinary idler roller, and the frame does not need to be adjusted. It can be arranged in a reasonable position according to the working conditions.

[0030] The tire pressure regulation device 4 includes an air pump, an air valve 41, an air guide pipe 42, a control unit 43, and a tire pressure detection device. The air guide pipe is a bundled air guide pipe composed of multiple individual air pipes. One end of each individual air guide pipe is connected to the air valve 41, and the other end passes through the wheel hub 1 and is connected to a corresponding air chamber unit in the second air chamber 32 of the tire 3. The tire pressure detection device is mounted on the air guide pipe 42. The air guide pipe 42 has a bundled design, containing multiple independent individual air guide pipes. Each independent individual air guide pipe is connected to an independent air chamber unit in the second air chamber 32, which facilitates the auxiliary idler roller to adjust the tire pressure of each unit air chamber according to the working conditions when performing alignment or belt overlap, thus achieving alignment and belt overlap adjustment functions. There are one or more air valves 41, each with multiple air outlets. Each air outlet is connected to a single air guide pipe, and the control unit controls the closing of each air outlet to complete the inflation / deflation action.

[0031] The present invention also provides a method for using an auxiliary idler roller for a tire-type belt conveyor, which is applied to the above-mentioned auxiliary idler roller 5 for a tire-type belt conveyor. The method of use includes: a method for auxiliary braking, a method for auxiliary buffering, and a method for adjusting deviation.

[0032] like Figure 3 As shown, when the auxiliary idler roller 5 of the invention is arranged in the carrying section of a steep-angle conveyor belt for auxiliary braking, the control unit issues a release command, releasing gas from several air chambers. This changes the contact between the auxiliary idler roller and the conveyor belt from line contact to curved surface contact, increasing the contact area between the auxiliary idler roller and the conveyor belt and thus increasing the damping auxiliary braking effect. When braking ends, the control unit issues an inflation command. Gas is pumped from the air pump connected to the tire pressure control device through the hollow shaft 2, air valve 41, and air guide pipe 42 into the second air chamber 32. The second air chamber 32 is then inflated and restored, and the auxiliary idler roller 5 returns to normal operation. The working process is fully automated without manual operation and responds quickly. When the auxiliary idler roller is used for chute conveying or steep-angle conveying, and special conditions such as uneven load and runaway occur, the instantaneous release of gas from the second air chamber 32 increases the contact area between the conveyor belt and the auxiliary idler roller, increasing the damping force of the conveyor and quickly achieving the purpose of auxiliary braking.

[0033] like Figure 4As shown, when the auxiliary idler roller 5 of this invention is arranged in the unloaded section of the down-haul conveyor belt, the control unit issues a command when braking is required, the air valve 41 exhausts air, and the pressure in the second air chamber 32 of the unloaded section is reduced compared to the air pressure in the carrying section, or the air is completely exhausted, increasing the damping force in the unloaded section, which is beneficial to improving braking efficiency. When the auxiliary idler roller of this invention is arranged in the unloaded section of the down-haul conveyor belt near the tail deflector roller, the pressure in the second air chamber 32 of the last set of auxiliary idler rollers is increased, the diameter of the tire-type idler roller will increase, which can increase the wrap angle of the tail roller, increase the tension of the conveyor belt in the unloaded section, and make the tail roller have an upward pulling tendency, which is beneficial to the braking of the down-haul conveyor belt.

[0034] like Figure 5 As shown, when the auxiliary idler 5 of the invention is arranged in the receiving section of the belt conveyor, the tire-type auxiliary idler has good elasticity and plays a buffering role, thus protecting the entire conveyor belt.

[0035] When the auxiliary idler roller 5 of the present invention is arranged in the section of the belt conveyor prone to belt misalignment, the control unit detects the tire pressure and temperature data of the auxiliary idler roller's air chamber, and automatically identifies the belt misalignment based on the tire pressure and temperature data using an algorithm. According to the set program, the control unit adjusts the tire pressure of the independent air chamber unit on the second air chamber 32, causing the auxiliary idler roller to become a conical idler roller, as shown in the diagram. Figure 6 As shown, the purpose of adjusting the tire alignment is achieved. After the alignment is completed, the control unit issues a command to press the tire to restore the tire pressure of the second air chamber 32 to the normal state.

[0036] The working principle of this invention is as follows: When the belt conveyor is operating normally, the control unit monitors everything as normal and there are no control commands. When the belt conveyor needs to brake quickly, the control unit issues an exhaust command, the air valve 41 activates to exhaust air, the pressure in the second air chamber 32 drops to zero and all gas is quickly discharged, the auxiliary idler roller damping reaches its maximum, and the belt conveyor traveling down the chute brakes quickly. After the belt conveyor brakes, the control unit issues an inflation command, the air valve 41 activates, the air pump operates, the tire pressure returns to normal, and the idler roller can operate normally. When belt conveyor deviation is detected, the control unit automatically identifies a deviation section based on changes in idler roller tire pressure and temperature monitoring devices combined with an intelligent algorithm. The air pump operates, the air valve 41 activates to inflate / exhaust, adjusting the pressure in multiple independent air chambers of the second air chamber 32. This changes the diameter at both ends of the idler roller, forming a conical idler roller, ultimately achieving the purpose of deviation correction.

[0037] When uneven load on the conveyor belt is detected or when belt overlap is about to occur, the control unit automatically determines the section with a higher load and the possibility of belt overlap based on the changes in tire pressure and temperature of the idler rollers and the intelligent algorithm. The control unit can reduce the damping of the idler roller group before the uneven load and increase the damping of the idler roller group after the uneven load, forming an upward pulling trend to reduce the downward sliding trend of the conveyor belt and avoid belt overlap.

[0038] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: The auxiliary idler roller body of this invention is made of rubber instead of ordinary steel, resulting in better elasticity, lighter weight, simpler structure, and lower energy consumption during conveyor operation. It also features an internal air chamber structure for cushioning. The auxiliary idler roller of this invention has tire pressure and temperature monitoring devices, which can be monitored in real time by the control unit to monitor the air chamber pressure and temperature. Based on the pressure and temperature, it can automatically identify whether a section of the conveyor belt is misaligned. The control unit then issues a command to automatically adjust the pressure of the upper air tire, thus adjusting the multi-functional tire-type damping idler roller structure into a conical idler roller, thereby achieving the purpose of conveyor belt misalignment.

[0039] The auxiliary roller designed in this invention adopts an air chamber structure, and the radius of the auxiliary roller is adjustable. The roller radius can be increased or decreased to change the damping force of the conveyor during operation, so as to adapt to different operating conditions of the conveyor.

[0040] This invention designs a double-layer air chamber structure. During auxiliary braking, only the gas in the upper air chamber, i.e. the second air chamber, needs to be released to generate a large damping force, and the braking process will not damage the conveyor belt.

[0041] The auxiliary idlers of the present invention are installed in multiples along the belt conveyor and are all connected to the control unit to display the tire pressure and temperature of each idler in real time, which facilitates the control of each auxiliary idler.

[0042] The auxiliary idler roller of the present invention adopts an automatic inflation / deflation system. The air guide pipe is connected to the air chamber of the auxiliary idler roller and can rotate with the idler roller. It can realize automatic inflation and deflation without stopping the machine, and fully realize automated and intelligent control, greatly reducing manual operation.

[0043] The implementation schemes in the above embodiments can be further combined or replaced, and the embodiments are merely descriptions of preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the concept and scope of the present invention. Various changes and improvements made by those skilled in the art to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the design concept of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of using an auxiliary idler roller for a tire-type belt conveyor, characterized in that: The auxiliary idler roller includes a control unit and an air tire having a first air chamber and a second air chamber. The usage methods include a usage method for auxiliary braking, a usage method for auxiliary buffering, and a usage method for adjusting deviation. The method of using the auxiliary braking includes: when the auxiliary idler is arranged in the carrying section of the belt conveyor at a large angle for auxiliary braking, the control unit issues a venting command, the gas in the second air chamber is released, so that the contact between the auxiliary idler and the conveyor belt changes from line contact to curved surface contact, thereby increasing the effect of damping auxiliary braking; when braking ends, the control unit issues an inflation command, gas enters the second air chamber, the second air chamber is inflated and restored, and the auxiliary idler returns to normal state; The auxiliary idler roller is arranged in the unloaded section of the chute conveyor belt. When braking is required, the control unit issues a command to exhaust the second air chamber. The pressure of the second air chamber is reduced compared to the air pressure of the bearing section, or it is completely exhausted, which increases the damping force of the unloaded section and completes the auxiliary braking. When braking ends, the control unit issues an inflation command, the second air chamber is inflated and restored, and the auxiliary idler roller returns to normal. When the auxiliary idlers are arranged in the unloaded section of the down-conveyor belt conveyor near the tail deflector, the pressure of the second air chamber of the last set of auxiliary idlers is increased. The increased diameter of the auxiliary idlers can increase the wrap angle of the tail drum, increase the tension of the conveyor belt in the unloaded section, and make the tail drum have an upward pulling tendency, which is beneficial to the braking of the down-conveyor belt conveyor.

2. The method of use according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method of using the auxiliary buffer is as follows: when the auxiliary idler is arranged in the receiving section of the belt conveyor, the tire-type auxiliary idler has good elasticity and plays a buffering role, thus protecting the entire conveyor belt.

3. The method of use according to claim 2, characterized in that: The method of using the auxiliary idler roller for belt misalignment adjustment is as follows: when the auxiliary idler roller is arranged in the section of the belt conveyor prone to belt misalignment, the control unit detects the tire pressure and temperature data of the air chamber of the auxiliary idler roller, and automatically identifies the belt misalignment based on the tire pressure and temperature data through an algorithm. According to the set program, the tire pressure of the independent air chamber unit on the second air chamber is adjusted so that the idler roller becomes a conical idler roller, thereby achieving the purpose of misalignment adjustment. After the misalignment adjustment is completed, the control unit issues a command to press and restore the tire pressure of the second air chamber to the normal state.

4. The method of use according to claim 3, characterized in that: The auxiliary idler roller includes a hub, a hollow shaft disposed in the middle of the hub, an air tire disposed on the outer layer of the hub, and a tire pressure regulating device; the air tire includes a first air chamber and a second air chamber, wherein the second air chamber includes multiple independent air chamber units.

5. The method of use according to claim 4, characterized in that: The tire pressure control device includes an air pump, an air valve, an air duct, a tire pressure detection device, and a control unit.

6. The method of use according to claim 5, characterized in that: The air guide tube is a bundled air guide tube composed of multiple single air tubes, wherein one end of each single air tube is connected to the air valve, and the other end passes through the wheel hub and is connected to the air chamber unit in the second air chamber of the pneumatic tire in a one-to-one correspondence. The tire pressure detection device is installed on the air guide tube.

7. The method of use according to claim 6, characterized in that: The outer layer of the pneumatic tire is provided with a pneumatic tire pattern; the pneumatic tire pattern is a groove pattern.

Images