Noise-reduced toothed belt drive

Abstract

Toothed belt drive for transport in a manufacturing and / or packaging process at least one drive roller (15A, 15B) with a toothing (16A, 16B) extending along its outer circumference, at least one conveyor belt (10A, 10B) having a toothing (11A, 11B) along its inner side and driven by the drive roller (15A, 15B), wherein the conveyor belt (10A, 10B) has one or more continuous grooves (12) in the toothing (11A, 11B) parallel to its direction of rotation, characterized by that one or more support rollers (25A, 25B) are provided which have several radially projecting support discs (26A, 26B) as protrusions which bear force against the inside of the conveyor belt (10A, 10B), wherein the protrusions are designed as counterparts to the grooves (12) of the conveyor belt (10A, 10B) and that the support discs (26A, 26B) are arranged such that the protrusions rest on the bottom of the grooves (12).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a toothed belt drive and an arrangement of toothed belt drives for transport within a manufacturing and / or packaging process, as is known, for example, from the production of food products, in particular from the production of cheese mass filled in a foil tube.

[0002] DE 33 05 504 C2 describes such a toothed belt drive, which, compared to drives known at the time, enables a significant reduction in operating noise, especially at high speeds and with wide toothed belts. Such operating noise occurs primarily when the toothed surfaces of the conveyor belts and the toothed drive rollers mesh, allowing air trapped between the teeth to escape. DE 33 05 504 C2 provides for air escape channels on the gears, designed as grooves running transversely to the direction of rotation and radially around the gears. According to DE 33 05 504 C2, such a groove can also be provided along the inner circumference of the toothed belt / conveyor belt.

[0003] Such toothed belt drives often reach a considerable length. The longer the conveyor belt is positioned between the drive pulley and an idler pulley, the greater the risk of sagging. To prevent this sagging, support rollers are known to be provided between the drive and idler pulleys to support the conveyor belt.

[0004] DE 10011680 A1 relates to a device for transporting flat goods, in which the goods to be transported are brought to a position on at least two endless conveyor belts, which consist of internally toothed toothed belts with a groove and a common drive. Carrying rollers engage in the groove of the toothed belt.

[0005] The invention is based on the objective of providing a toothed belt drive and an arrangement of toothed belt drives that reduces operating noise while maintaining high stability during operation.

[0006] This problem is solved by the toothed belt drive according to claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are mentioned in the dependent claims.

[0007] According to the claim, a toothed belt drive for transport in a manufacturing and / or packaging process is provided, comprising: a drive roller with teeth extending along its outer circumference, a conveyor belt having teeth along its inner surface and driven by the drive roller, wherein the conveyor belt has one or more continuous grooves in the teeth parallel to its direction of rotation.

[0008] The core of the invention lies in the provision of one or more support rollers, each featuring several support discs with a larger radius. These support discs bear against the inside of the conveyor belt, thus acting as counterparts to the grooves of the conveyor belt. The support discs are arranged so that they rest on the bottom of the grooves as radial projections of the support rollers. In particular, the support discs are designed as projections of the respective support roller. In this sense, the support roller and the support discs are formed as a single unit, and both rotate together as a functional unit.

[0009] The design according to the invention significantly reduces noise generation, since neither air is displaced at the support rollers nor does the toothing of the conveyor belt strike the circumference of the support rollers. The conveyor belt is thus essentially only "carried" smoothly by the support rollers.

[0010] Measurements have shown that the noise level can be reduced by 10-15 dB. A further advantage is that the lateral guidance of the conveyor belt is provided by the grooves, eliminating the need for flanges and thus reducing lateral wear on the conveyor belt. This also minimizes the risk of foreign objects contaminating the product entering the conveyor belt. Another positive consequence is a reduction in costs, as manufacturing toothed rollers is significantly cheaper.

[0011] Preferably, the conveyor belt runs around the drive roller and a non-driven deflection roller, with the support rollers arranged between the two rollers. This allows for a conveyor belt with a toothed belt drive of flexible length, in which the conveyor belt runs endlessly around the drive roller.

[0012] In another variant, the deflection roller is designed as a drive roller. Sometimes it is necessary to drive the conveyor belt using two rollers to distribute the load evenly. However, if the focus is on reducing the noise level, the deflection roller can be designed with bearing discs, similar to the carrying roller.

[0013] Advantageously, the height of the raised sections formed by the support rollers is at least as high as the depth of the grooves. This prevents the teeth of the conveyor belt from striking the circumference of the support roller. The higher the raised sections are compared to the depth of the grooves, the lower the risk of the conveyor belt teeth striking the support roller.

[0014] The raised area is advantageously designed to be flat. This ensures the most efficient and material-friendly rolling of the support discs on the floor / bottom of the grooves.

[0015] Preferably, the support rollers actuate the conveyor belt by means of a spring. By selecting an appropriate spring, the pressure on the conveyor belt can be precisely varied, changed, and adapted to the product being transported. Springs are particularly useful when the conveyor belt is guided vertically. If the conveyor belt is guided horizontally, i.e., "lying down," springs are not required.

[0016] According to a further aspect of the invention, an arrangement is specified comprising two toothed belt drives according to the invention with the features described above, wherein the first toothed belt drive is arranged at a distance from, in particular above or beside, the second toothed belt drive. In this way, the conveyor belts of the first and the second toothed belt drives form a transport channel through which the product is transported. For example, it is possible to transport the product through the transport channel and to exert a defined force on the product by means of the support rollers. Thus, not only transport but also processing capabilities are provided. These processing capabilities include, for example, one-sided or two-sided embossing or forming.

[0017] Alternatively, an arrangement can also be provided in which the toothed belt drive according to the invention is arranged at a distance from a conventional toothed belt drive. In this case, the noise reduction is less than in the case of two toothed belt drives according to the invention, but this arrangement still represents a reduction in noise pollution.

[0018] In an advantageous embodiment, the support rollers of the first and second toothed belt drives are arranged offset from each other in the direction of rotation. Particularly when transporting a pasty food mass, such as cheese, this results in the food mass meandering along a wave-like path. This offset arrangement increases the friction of the conveyor belt. Alternatively, support rollers can also be positioned opposite each other – especially if less friction is sufficient for the conveyor belt.

[0019] According to another aspect of the invention, the support discs are used to guide the conveyor belt. For this purpose, the support discs are aligned parallel to the direction of rotation of the conveyor belt and their raised sections engage in the grooves of the conveyor belt. This restricts the conveyor belt's freedom of movement perpendicular to the direction of rotation and effectively guides it parallel to its orientation by the support discs. This advantageously eliminates the need for so-called flange discs, which are conventionally used to guide the conveyor belt, thus significantly reducing the stress on the conveyor belt's side surfaces. This also reduces the risk of foreign objects being caught, which would otherwise arise if the flange disc could dislodge material from the conveyor belt. Advantageously, this results in a longer service life for the toothed belt drive.

[0020] Numerous features of the present invention are explained in detail below with reference to preferred embodiments. The present disclosure is not limited to the specific combinations of features mentioned. Rather, the features mentioned here can be combined arbitrarily to form embodiments according to the invention, unless expressly excluded below. Fig. Figure 1 shows an arrangement according to the invention for transport in a manufacturing and / or packaging process comprising two toothed belt drives. Fig. Figure 2 shows a conveyor belt according to the invention. Fig. Figure 3 shows a detailed view of the interaction between the carrying rollers and the conveyor belt.

[0021] Fig. Figure 1 shows the arrangement according to the invention for transport in a manufacturing and / or packaging process, comprising two toothed belt drives 5A, 5B. Each toothed belt drive 5A, 5B is encircled by a conveyor belt 10A, 10B. The conveyor belts 10A, 10B each endlessly encircle a drive roller 15A, 15B and a deflection roller 20A, 20B. The drive rollers 15A, 15B are driven by a motor and each has teeth 16A, 16B that are in operative engagement with the corresponding teeth 11A, 11B of the conveyor belts 10A, 10B. It follows that the conveyor belts 10A, 10B move in the transport direction when the drive rollers 15A, 15B rotate.

[0022] Between the respective drive rollers 15A, 15B and the deflection rollers 20A, 20B, a plurality, for example eight, of support rollers 25A, 25B made of stainless steel, plastic, or aluminum are provided, which support and apply force to the conveyor belts 10A, 10B. The force is applied by spring elements 30A on one of the toothed belt drives, in this case toothed belt drive 5A, which exert a force perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the conveyor belts 10A, 10B on the support rollers 25A, 25B. The number and positioning of the spring elements 30A can be varied and thus optimally adapted to the desired conditions. To prevent sagging of the conveyor belts, the support rollers 25A, 25B of each toothed belt drive 5A, 5B are arranged directly adjacent to each other in the direction of rotation and transport.The toothed belt drive 5A is positioned at a distance from the toothed belt drive 5B such that the conveyor belts 10A and 10B form a transport chute 40 and face each other directly. A pasty, malleable food mass, such as cheese, can be conveyed and simultaneously shaped through this transport chute 40. Fig. Figure 1 also shows the radially projecting support discs 26A, 26B of the support rollers 25A, 25B. The support discs 26A, 26B are designed as radial projections of the support rollers 25A, 25B and, together with the support rollers 25A, 25B, form a single-piece unit. The following figures show in detail how these support discs 26A, 26B contribute to a reduction in noise from the toothed belt drive or the assembly.

[0023] Fig. Figure 2 shows a freestanding conveyor belt 10 in a perspective view, allowing its construction to be better seen. It can be seen that the toothing 11 is intersected by a continuously straight groove 12. The groove 12 runs along the transport / circulation direction. Fig. For this purpose, four grooves 12 are provided in the toothing 11, the number of which is, in principle, freely selectable. The greater the number of grooves 12, the more evenly a force can be transmitted via the support discs 26 to the conveyor belt 10, as shown below. The grooves 12 have a defined depth and a flat base. The groove walls can diverge, for example, in a straight line or a V-shape. The V-shaped shape can facilitate centering when inserting the support disc, while the straight wall is more cost-effective to manufacture.

[0024] Fig. Figure 3 shows a detailed view of how the support disc 26 of the support rollers 25 rests on the bottom of the groove 12 and rolls along it. Because the height of the raised section of the support disc 26 is at least as high as the recess of the groove 12, the toothing 11 is prevented from striking the circumference of the support rollers 25. Measurements have shown that this can reduce the noise level by 10-15 dB. To ensure this for multiple support rollers 25, the rollers must be arranged in a straight line so that their respective support disc 26 can be accommodated in the straight groove 12.

Claims

[1] Toothed belt drive for transport in a manufacturing and / or packaging process comprising at least one drive roller (15A, 15B) with a toothing (16A, 16B) extending along its outer circumference, at least one conveyor belt (10A, 10B) having a toothing (11A, 11B) along its inner side and driven by the drive roller (15A, 15B), wherein the conveyor belt (10A, 10B) has one or more continuous grooves (12) in the toothing (11A, 11B) parallel to its direction of rotation, characterized by , that one or more support rollers (25A, 25B) are provided which have several radially projecting support discs (26A, 26B) as protrusions which bear force against the inside of the conveyor belt (10A, 10B), wherein the protrusions are designed as counterparts to the grooves (12) of the conveyor belt (10A, 10B) and that the support discs (26A, 26B) are arranged such that the protrusions rest on the bottom of the grooves (12). [2] Toothed belt drive according to claim 1, characterized by , that the conveyor belt runs around the drive roller (15A, 15B) and a deflection roller (20A, 20B) and that the support rollers (25A, 25B) are arranged between the drive roller (15A, 15B) and the deflection roller (20A, 20B). [3] Toothed belt drive according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the deflection pulley (20A, 20B) is designed either like the drive pulley (15A, 15B) or like the support pulleys (25A, 25B). [4] Toothed belt drive according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the height of the elevations is at least as high as the depth of the grooves (12). [5] Toothed belt drive according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the upper surface of the raised section of the support rollers (25A, 25B) is flat perpendicular to the direction of rotation. [6] Arrangement comprising two toothed belt drives according to one of claims 1 to 5 for transport in a manufacturing and / or packaging process, wherein the first toothed belt drive (5A) is arranged next to the second toothed belt drive (5B), wherein the respective support rollers (25A, 25B) face each other and the conveyor belts (10A, 10B) of the first and second toothed belt drives form a transport chute (40). [7] Arrangement according to claim 6, characterized by, that the support rollers (25A, 25B) of the first toothed belt drive (5A) and the second toothed belt drive (5B) are arranged offset from each other in the direction of rotation. [8] Arrangement according to claim 6, characterized by , that the support rollers (25A, 25B) of the first toothed belt drive (5A) and the second toothed belt drive (5B) are arranged opposite each other in the direction of rotation. [9] Use of support pulleys for guiding a conveyor belt suitable for a toothed belt drive according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by , that the support discs (26A, 26B) are aligned parallel to the direction of rotation of the conveyor belt (10A, 10B) and that the support discs (26A, 26B) engage in the grooves (12) of the conveyor belt and thereby guide the conveyor belt (10A, 10B).

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