Carriers for conveyor belts

Abstract

Driver (10) with a plastic strip (30) connecting two push-button elements (20, 20) and made of a plastic material detectable by a metal detector.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a driver for conveyor belts, in particular a driver designed for driving plastic curved belts.

[0002] Carriers for conveyor belts, particularly those designed to drive plastic belts, are known in a variety of designs. The carriers are known to be designed in such a way that they can be attached to the motor-driven drive chains of the conveyor system and to the conveyor belt, thus providing propulsion for the conveyor belt.

[0003] A basic distinction is made between carriers designed as elastic fabric strips equipped with snap fasteners, and plastic carriers designed with loops. The elastic fabric strips are connected to the conveyor belt and the conveyor chain by means of snap fasteners. These snap fasteners are provided on the conveyor belt and conveyor chain, which cooperate with the snap fasteners of the elastic fabric strips. The plastic carriers, each equipped with a loop on each side, are placed around fastening elements provided on the conveyor belt and conveyor chain.

[0004] The disadvantage of elastic fabric strips is that they can only be used to a limited extent in the food industry, since the fibers forming the fabric strip are difficult to detect when they are abrasion-resistant.

[0005] The disadvantage of the known plastic carriers, however, is that they are generally subject to greater wear due to the loop formation and require a higher level of equipment when designing appropriately equipped conveyor systems.

[0006] The object of the invention is therefore to create a carrier for conveyor belts which enables a secure and permanent connection of a plastic conveyor belt to the drive chain of a conveyor system and is suitable for use in the food processing industry.

[0007] This object is achieved by the driver having the features of claim 1. The dependent claims reflect advantageous embodiments of the invention.

[0008] The basic idea of ​​the invention lies in retaining the design of the push-button carriers known as elastic fabric strips, while replacing the elastic fabric strip with a plastic strip made of a plastic material that can be detected by a metal detector. Based on the invention, a carrier suitable for food processing is created that can be easily and securely attached using the snap fasteners. The invention thus also enables the direct replacement of carriers in conveyor systems equipped with elastic fabric strips.

[0009] According to the invention, a driver is proposed with a plastic strip connecting two push-button elements and made of a plastic material detectable by a metal detector.

[0010] According to a first preferred embodiment, the plastic material is a rubber containing metal powder.

[0011] The snap fastener elements are preferably vulcanized into the plastic material, wherein the snap fastener elements of the driver are particularly preferably designed so as not to cooperate with one another.

[0012] In any case, the snap fastener elements are preferably arranged on the same side of the plastic strip and are particularly preferably made of stainless steel. The plastic strip is particularly designed such that it has two terminal sections containing the snap fastener elements and a web connecting the terminal sections, wherein the web has a smaller width and particularly preferably also a smaller thickness than the terminal sections.

[0013] In any case, it is preferred that snap fastener elements are flush with the surface of the plastic strip.

[0014] Finally, a conveyor system with a conveyor chain, a conveyor belt and a carrier connecting the conveyor chain to the conveyor belt is also claimed according to the invention.

[0015] Preferably, the conveyor system is equipped with a conveyor belt designed as a plastic conveyor belt, wherein the conveyor belt, regardless of the design as a plastic conveyor belt, is particularly preferably a curved belt and the conveyor chain is accordingly a curved conveyor chain.

[0016] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a particularly preferred embodiment shown in the attached drawing.

[0017] Fig. 1 shows a particularly preferred embodiment according to the invention in a view from below (A), in a cross section (B) and in a view from above (C).

[0018] In particular, Fig. 1 shows a particularly preferred driver 10 with a plastic strip 30 connecting two snap fastener elements 20, 20 and made of a plastic material detectable by a metal detector. The plastic material is a rubber containing metal powder, into which the snap fastener elements 20, 20 are vulcanized. The snap fastener elements 20, 20 of the driver 10 are made of stainless steel, arranged on the same side of the plastic strip 30, and configured to be non-cooperative with one another.

[0019] The plastic strip 30 has - as can be seen from the Fig.1b, the snap fastener element 20 has two terminal sections comprising the snap fastener elements 20 and a web 14 connecting the terminal sections 12, 12, wherein the web 14 has a smaller width and a smaller thickness than the terminal sections 12, 12. It can also be seen that the snap fastener elements 20 are flush with the surface of the plastic strip 30.

[0020] The particularly preferred embodiment presented is particularly suitable for use in a conveyor system with a curved conveyor chain and a plastic conveyor belt designed as a curved belt, wherein the carrier connects the conveyor chain to the conveyor belt.

Claims

[1] Driver (10) with a plastic strip (30) connecting two push-button elements (20, 20) and made of a plastic material detectable by a metal detector. [2] Driver (10) according to claim 1, characterized by that the plastic material is a rubber containing metal powder. [3] Driver (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the snap fastener elements (20, 20) are vulcanized into the plastic material. [4] Driver (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the push-button elements (20, 20) of the driver (10) are not arranged to cooperate with one another. [5] Driver (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the snap fastener elements (20, 20) are arranged on the same side of the plastic strip (30). [6] Driver (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the push-button elements (20, 20) are made of stainless steel. [7] Driver (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the plastic strip (30) has two terminal sections having the snap fastener elements (20, 20) and a web (14) connecting the terminal sections (12, 12) to one another, wherein the web (14) has a smaller width than the terminal sections (12, 12). [8] Driver (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the plastic strip (30) has two terminal sections having the snap fastener elements (20, 20) and a web (14) connecting the terminal sections (12, 12) to one another, wherein the web (14) has a smaller thickness than the terminal sections (12, 12). [9] Driver (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the push-button elements (20, 20) are flush with the surface of the plastic strip (30). [10] Conveyor system with a transport chain, a transport belt and a carrier (10) connecting the transport chain to the transport belt according to one of the preceding claims. [11] Conveyor system according to claim 10, characterized by that the conveyor belt is a plastic conveyor belt. [12] Conveyor system according to one of claims 10 and 11, characterized by that the conveyor belt is a curved belt, whereby the conveyor chain is a curved conveyor chain.

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