Conveyor Belt Sidewall Fasteners

Abstract

The fastener (1) comprises a) a fastener member (2), one or more tenons (41, 42, 43) arranged on a front surface (21) and spaced apart from one another in the direction of extension (3), and b) at a proximal end (22) of the fastener member (2), a projection (5) having one or more fastener hinge knuckles (61, 62). The fastener can be used to simultaneously join ends (81, 82) of a conveyor belt (8), which are designed to form an end joint in the form of a continuous hinge (12) with a race pin, forming ends (1101, 1102) of a corrugated side wall (110) that is attached to the conveying surface (83) of the conveyor belt (8). (

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveyor belt sidewall fastener. [Background technology]

[0002] Many items transported by conveyor belts must be prevented from contacting the conveyed items. Examples of such items include food. Sources of contamination include, for example, dirt from the environment, wear particles from the conveying surface, and even debris from the conveyed items themselves. To reduce contamination, conveyor belts must be cleaned or even replaced frequently. Installation of the conveyor belt is usually the final step, in which the open-ended conveyor belt is made endless with an end-splicing method. Removal of the conveyor belt usually has an initial step of opening the endless belt to make it open-ended. When such installation and removal must be performed frequently, conventional end-splicing methods such as finger end-splicing, which bonds the belt ends with heat, pressure, and possibly hot melt adhesives, are too cumbersome. Therefore, mechanical end-splicing systems are used, the most suitable for rapid splicing and reopening being in the form of a continuous hinge with hinge knuckles. An example of such a mechanically end spliced ​​conveyor belt is the Cleandrive® belt sold by Habasit AG at the time of filing this application.

[0003] On the other hand, some conveyor belts have corrugated sidewalls that protrude from the conveying surface of the conveyor belt. The purpose of the sidewalls is to prevent the conveyed material from slipping off the conveying surface. These sidewalls are typically made of plastic (thermoplastic) and are welded or glued to the conveying surface of the conveyor belt. As the conveyor belt bends over the idler and driving pulleys during operation, the sidewalls must have some longitudinal elasticity to allow for longitudinal expansion of the sidewalls as the conveyor belt bends over the pulleys, which longitudinal expansion becomes linearly more pronounced as the belt's distance from the conveying surface increases. The conventional way to provide such longitudinal elasticity for the sidewalls is to form them in a wavy shape with alternating peaks and valleys running perpendicular to the conveying surface. These perpendicular waves allow for accordion-like longitudinal expansion of the sidewalls. Such wavy sidewalls are referred to in the art as "corrugated" sidewalls. There are many pictures on the Internet that show the behavior of such corrugated sidewalls while the conveyor belt is bent over the pulley. Such corrugated sidewall conveyor belts have been known for quite some time. See for example GB 1567074 A, although this is probably not the first publication in which they were described. The Cleandrive® belts mentioned above can also be optionally equipped with such corrugated sidewalls.

[0004] A problem with such corrugated sidewall conveyor belts is that when they are end spliced, both the belt itself and the two sidewalls must be made endless. Similarly, to remove an endless corrugated sidewall conveyor belt, the belt and the two sidewalls must be opened simultaneously. There have been several prior art attempts to end splice open-ended corrugated sidewall conveyor belts.

[0005] WO 2018 / 071139 A2 discloses a sidewall bonding machine and method for bonding sidewalls to thermoplastic belts at seaming joints. The bonding machine uses a heater jaw assembly to fuse the ends of the sidewalls. Welding the sidewalls with such a portable press requires expensive equipment, specialized training, and is inconvenient to clean and perform preventative maintenance.

[0006] The Installation, Maintenance and Repair Manual for Heavy Duty Corrugated Sidewall Belting, published by Apache Inc., discloses a method for sidewall splicing on pages 14-16. In that manual, the sidewall ends of belts having mechanical race pins and mechanical joints are simply spliced ​​together using elevator bolts with lock nuts and flat washers. The sidewall joint is offset longitudinally a distance "X" relative to the mechanical joint.

[0007] A commercially available corrugated sidewall end splice system is the Thermodrive® Synchronized Sidewall Mechanical Fastener Kit from Intralox for belts with mechanical joints via mechanical race pins. This kit consists of plate screws and nuts to secure the sidewalls at the mechanical joints. However, this end splice kit does not have any interaction with the mechanical joints, it simply joins the ends of the sidewalls. This system is subject to corrosion of the metal plates, which can come loose during operation and cause contamination of the product.

[0008] US 2007 / 157435 A1, which corresponds to CN 1914395 B, discloses in Figs. 1A-1D a hinge for fastening a cabinet door to a door frame, comprising a hinge part and a further hinge part pivotally connected to each other by a hinge pin, and a head part having a body part and a retaining part formed by a retaining element.

[0009] The problem is that there is currently no good way to non-permanently fasten the side walls together on either side of the joint in a mechanically laced belt. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The present invention relates to a fastener comprising: a) a fastener member having a front surface elongated in a direction of elongation and one or more tenons disposed on said front surface and spaced apart from one another in said direction of elongation; b) a projection having one or more fastener hinge knuckles disposed at a proximal end of the fastener member; Each fastener hinge knuckle has a cylindrical fastener knuckle pin hole having a central axis, and all of the central axes are aligned on a single axis of rotation; The axis of rotation and the direction of extension intersect at an angle of substantially 90°. It is characterized by:

[0011] Preferred embodiments of the fastener are according to the dependent claims.

[0012] The invention also provides a conveyor belt having two ends, having one or two particularly corrugated side walls with respective ends, said belt ends and said ends of these side walls being fastened to one another by the fastener of the invention, and a process for manufacturing such a conveyor belt. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a conveyor belt end and conveyor belt sidewall end fastener of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a partial cutaway view of the fastener of FIG. 1 when used to fasten belt ends and belt sidewall ends. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of the fastener of FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a bottom view of the fastener of FIG. 1 when used to fasten belt ends and belt sidewall ends together. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] The sidewall fastener of the present invention, especially when the aforementioned angle α is approximately or exactly 90°, is generally L-shaped, with the fastener member typically forming one long leg of the L and the projection forming the second short leg of the L. It is preferably a single piece molded, and in this preferred embodiment contrasts with the existing multi-piece molded systems mentioned in the introduction that are currently in use. This single piece design virtually eliminates the risk of loose parts getting into the material being conveyed. Also, once the holes are in place, installation / removal can be done without tools. There is also no risk of metal chips or corrosion as in existing systems.

[0015] The fastener of the invention comprises a fastener member having any suitable shape, such as a plate, a cube, a rod, etc., preferably a plate. In the latter case, the edges may be rounded. What is important is that the fastener member has an elongated front surface on which the two sidewall ends rest after being fastened together by the tenons of the fastener of the invention. The front surface typically has a constant cross-sectional shape along a given length in a given direction, the length and direction being the "elongation" and "extension" of the front surface, respectively. The front surface is typically either flat, or has a valley shape with a concave profile (if the front surface is intended to receive two sidewall ends formed as wave crests), or a mountain shape with a convex profile (if the front surface is intended to receive two sidewall ends formed as wave troughs). In these latter two cases, the curvature of the cross-sectional shape of the front surface in its elongation direction preferably corresponds approximately to the curvature of the cross-sectional shape of the valley- or mountain-shaped sidewall ends that lie directly on the front surface. "Approximately" may preferably mean that the curvature of the concave cross-sectional profile of the front surface is slightly less than the curvature of the convex cross-sectional profile of the peak in question. For example, the curvature of the concave cross-sectional profile of the front surface is a predetermined constant radius r c The convex curvature of the cross-sectional shape of the target mountain is also a predetermined constant radius r w When the arc shape is a circular arc, typically 1.05r w ≧r c ≧1.0r wOn the other hand, "approximately" may preferably mean that the curvature of the convex profile of the front surface is slightly higher than the curvature of the concave profile of the valley of interest. For example, the curvature of the convex profile of the front surface is a predetermined constant radius r c The curvature of the concave cross-sectional shape of the target valley is also a predetermined constant radius r w If the arc shape is 0.95r, typically w ≦r c ≦1.0r w It is.

[0016] The fastener member has one or more tenons on a front surface thereof, the tenons being sized and shaped such that they can engage holes in the sidewall ends to fasten the ends of the sidewalls, particularly the corrugated sidewalls, together.

[0017] The preferred manner of fastening the sidewall end holes to the tenon is by snap fit, and it is also possible to integrally manufacture the fastener of the invention in a single piece (see below). In this preferred embodiment, the tenons may have annular ridges at their apexes, typically with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the sidewall hole to be engaged. Since the sidewall material is typically non-rigid, such as a thermoplastic, the sidewall hole expands slightly in diameter when pressed against the tenon, allowing the slightly larger diameter annular ridge to pass through the sidewall hole. Since the tenon material is also typically non-rigid, such as a thermoplastic, the annular ridge may also compress somewhat while passing through the sidewall hole. After fastening by the snap fit, the annular ridge acts as a barrier to prevent the sidewall end from undesirably disengaging from the tenon.

[0018] The number of tenons in the fastener of the present invention is preferably 1 to 5, more preferably 2 to 4, and most preferably 3. The number and positions of the holes in each side wall end must be adjusted according to the number and positions of the tenons.

[0019] The "proximal" and "distal" ends of a fastener member are respectively proximal and distal to a projection having one or more hinge knuckles.

[0020] The fastener of the present invention may be a protrusion of any shape capable of accommodating one or more hinge knuckles, each having a cylindrical hole with the central axes of all cylindrical holes coinciding with one another to form the axis of rotation of the mechanical race pin. The preferred shape of the protrusion is rod-like. The length of the protrusion along the axis of rotation is preferably kW. f +(k-1)P f where k is the number of fastener hinge knuckles and W f is the width of each fastener hinge knuckle, P f is the pitch between adjacent fastener hinge knuckles. The projection may be provided at its attachment site to the proximal end of the fastener member with a seat having a somewhat larger diameter and / or a larger cross-sectional area than the projection itself, in order to increase its rigidity. The seat may in particular have a conical shape tapering from the attachment site towards the proximal end up to a certain percentage of the projection's length, after which the projection may have a substantially constant diameter and / or cross-section. In this case, the side wall ends to be attached together may be provided with a recess of suitable shape which fits into the seat.

[0021] The hinge knuckles of the fastener of the invention are intended to engage with race pins that will mechanically join the ends of the conveyor belts that are to be shaped and joined in the form of a continuous hinge, as explained in the introduction. The essential functional feature of each such hinge knuckle is that it includes a cylindrical knuckle pin hole with an inside diameter that matches the predetermined outside diameter of the race pin that will join the ends of the conveyor belt. The central axis of each knuckle pin hole is therefore coincident with the axis of rotation of the race pin. When the fastener of the invention is oriented with a vertical extension of the front surface and with the proximal and distal ends of the fastener members respectively below and above, the hinge knuckles typically extend or protrude away from the tenon below the proximal ends of the fastener members in order that the central axes of their cylindrical knuckle pin holes pass below the fastener members, thus allowing free and unhindered passage of the race pins.

[0022] The number of hinge knuckles in the fastener of the present invention is preferably 1 to 4, more preferably 2 to 3, and most preferably 2.

[0023] The hinge knuckles of the fastener are preferably sized and shaped to be compatible with the hinge knuckles at the ends of the conveyor belt, i.e. each hinge knuckle of the fastener of the invention is preferably sized and shaped to be able to engage a recess between adjacent hinge knuckles at one end of the conveyor belt, while the corresponding hinge knuckle at the other belt end that would normally engage said recess is omitted. In this case, the pitch P between adjacent fastener hinge knuckles is f is preferably a pitch P between adjacent belt hinge knuckles at both ends of the belt bThe "spacing" between adjacent hinge knuckles is understood to mean the distance between the front face of one adjacent hinge knuckle and the front face of the other adjacent hinge knuckle in the direction of the central axis of the cylindrical knuckle pin hole of the adjacent hinge knuckles, the two front faces being preferably planar and perpendicular to the central axis of the cylindrical knuckle pin hole, and the two front faces facing each other.

[0024] The direction in which the front face of the fastener member extends and the axis of rotation defined by the central axes of all cylindrical knuckle pin holes of all knuckle pins intersect each other at an angle α of substantially 90° when viewed in a direction perpendicular to both said axis of rotation and said direction of extension. The term "substantially" means an angle between 70° and 110°, preferably between 80° and 100°, most preferably exactly 90°. An angle of exactly 90° is required when the wave troughs and crests of the corrugated sidewall run exactly perpendicular to the conveying surface of the conveyor belt and thus to the race pin joining the two belt ends together. A predefined angle α of less than or more than 90° may also be required when the wave troughs and crests of the corrugated sidewall run at an inclination of the same angle α, less than or more than 90°, respectively, to the race pin joining the two belt ends.

[0025] The fastener of the present invention is characterized by the number of fastener hinge knuckles, their width W f and the pitch between them P fNot only can the different spatial situations of the conveyor belt surface and the side walls attached thereto be adapted by appropriately selecting the offset L in the direction of the rotation axis between the intersection of the extension direction of the front surface with the axis of rotation on the one hand and the location of the fastener hinge knuckle closest to the fastening member on the other hand. If the fastener fastens together two corrugated side wall ends in the form of a valley (where the valley is understood to be further away from the transverse edge of the belt than the crest), L can be significantly positive, i.e. the fastener hinge knuckle closest to said fastener member is offset in the direction of the rotation axis in the same direction as the tenon points, relative to said intersection. If instead the fastener fastens together two corrugated side wall ends in the form of a mountain (where the crest is understood to be closer to the transverse edge of the belt than the valley), L can be significantly negative, i.e. the fastener hinge knuckle closest to said fastener member is offset in the direction of the rotation axis in the opposite direction to the tenon points, relative to said intersection. Furthermore, when the fastener of the present invention fastens two flattened ends of a corrugated sidewall, the above L may be substantially zero.

[0026] The fastener of the invention is preferably manufactured integrally in a single piece, such as by injection molding, from a thermoplastic having a hardness in the range of 80-100 Shore A at 25°, more preferably 90-100. Suitable thermoplastics are, for example, polyesters, polyamides, thermoplastic polyurethanes or polycarbonates. Preferred thermoplastics are thermoplastic polyurethanes having a hardness in the range of 90-100 Shore A at 25°, especially 95 Shore A. The thermoplastics may optionally be pre-blended with conventional pigments or dyes in conventional amounts in order to obtain the fastener of the invention in a colored form. Similarly, the thermoplastics may optionally be pre-blended with particulate metals, such as powdered aluminum or powdered ferromagnetic metals. This allows any debris or fragments that may come loose or break off from the fastener of the invention and be carried on the conveyor belt to be detected by a metal detector or an X-ray detector. If an X-ray detector is used, a (particularly inorganic) heavy metal compound such as barium sulfate may be used. Many of the inorganic coloring pigments, such as (deactivated) titanium dioxide, iron oxide, and cadmium sulfide, are metallic compounds that simultaneously provide color and allow for X-ray detection of debris or fragments. Early detection and removal of such debris or fragments is particularly important when conveyors incorporating the fasteners of the present invention are employed in food processing applications.

[0027] The fasteners of the present invention may be used in joining the ends of open-ended sidewall-carrying conveyor belts having belt ends with hinge knuckles configured to be mechanically joined by race pins to form end joints in the form of continuous hinges. Both sidewall-carrying conveyor belts fastened with the fasteners of the present invention, as well as the associated processes, form part of the present invention.

[0028] The process of the present invention relates to a process for joining a first belt end and a second belt end of a conveyor belt, comprising: the conveyor belt having a conveying surface to which the sidewalls are attached; the sidewall has a first sidewall end substantially coinciding with the first belt end and a second sidewall end substantially coinciding with the second belt end; the first and second belt ends each have alternating belt hinge knuckles and belt recesses; Each belt hinge knuckle has a width W b and including a cylindrical belt knuckle pin hole, the alternating belt hinge knuckles and belt recesses are configured such that each belt hinge knuckle on the first belt end can engage a belt recess on the second belt end and each belt hinge knuckle on the second belt end can engage a belt recess on the first belt end; the cylindrical belt knuckle pin holes of all of the engaged belt hinge knuckles are aligned such that the central axes of the belt knuckle pin holes are aligned on a single axis of rotation and are adapted to receive race pins to form a belt end joint in the form of a continuous hinge; The above process is a) providing a fastener of the present invention; b) omitting or removing a total number of belt hinge knuckles from said first belt end proximate said first sidewall end and / or from said second belt end proximate said second sidewall end equal to the number of fastener hinge knuckles; creating, with each omitted or removed belt hinge knuckle, an omitted recess having a position such that it allows engagement with one of the fastener hinge knuckles in place of the omitted or removed belt hinge knuckle; c) engaging all remaining belt hinge knuckles with their respective belt recesses and inserting said fastener hinge knuckles into their respective omitted recesses created in step b) so that the central axes of all cylindrical fastener knuckle pin holes and the central axes of all cylindrical belt knuckle pin holes are aligned on a single axis of rotation; d) passing race pins through all of the aligned cylindrical belt knuckle pin holes and all of the aligned cylindrical fastener knuckle pin holes to form a continuous hinge that also includes the fastener hinge knuckles; e) providing a plurality of holes in each of said first sidewall end and said second sidewall end positioned and spaced such that each hole on said first sidewall end matches a corresponding hole on said second sidewall end, and vice versa, to form matched hole pairs; each pair of holes being matched with a corresponding tenon of said fastener, and vice versa; f) fastening both holes of each hole pair to respective tenons of said fasteners to form end-joined side walls; The present invention is characterized in that it has the following features: The process of the present invention may also be simultaneously or sequentially applied to an end splicing process of a conveyor belt having a second sidewall attached to a conveying surface, the second sidewall having a third sidewall end and a fourth sidewall end, the third sidewall end substantially coinciding with the first belt end and the fourth sidewall end substantially coinciding with the second belt end, and the process also splices the third sidewall end and the fourth sidewall end of the second sidewall. The steps for this simultaneous or sequential process are as outlined above for the process of the invention itself, with the proviso that any reference to a "sidewall" is replaced with a reference to a "second sidewall," any reference to a "first sidewall end" is replaced with a reference to a "third sidewall end," any reference to a "second sidewall end," and any reference to a "fastener of the invention" is replaced with a reference to a "second fastener of the invention." This preferred process, in which the ends of both the first side wall and the second side wall are joined, further comprises: In step a) above, a second fastener of the present invention is also provided, In step b), omitting or removing a total number of belt hinge knuckles from the first belt end proximate the third sidewall end and / or from the second belt end proximate the fourth sidewall end equal to the number of fastener hinge knuckles of the second fastener of the present invention; creating, with each omitted or removed belt hinge knuckle, a further omitted recess having a position to allow engagement with one of the fastener hinge knuckles of the second fastener in place of the omitted or removed belt hinge knuckle; In step c), inserting fastener hinge knuckles of the second fastener into each of the additional recesses created in step b) so that the central axes of all of the cylindrical knuckle pin holes are aligned on a single axis of rotation; Also in step e), providing a plurality of holes in each of the third sidewall end and the fourth sidewall end such that each hole on the third sidewall end matches a corresponding hole on the fourth sidewall end, and vice versa, to form a second pair of matching holes; each second pair of holes corresponds to a corresponding tenon of the second fastener, and vice versa; Also in step f), both holes of each second hole pair are fastened to respective tenons of the second fasteners, thereby forming end-joined second side walls. It is characterized by:

[0029] The inventive conveyor belt is obtainable by any of the inventive processes described above.

[0030] The conveyor belt of the present invention comprises: A fastener according to the present invention; first and second belt ends each including alternating belt hinge knuckles and belt recesses; a sidewall having a first sidewall end substantially coinciding with the first belt end and a second sidewall end substantially coinciding with the second belt end; Each belt hinge knuckle includes a cylindrical belt knuckle pin hole; Each belt hinge knuckle on the first belt end engages a belt recess on the second belt end, and each belt hinge knuckle on the second belt end engages a belt recess on the first belt end; a total number of belt hinge knuckles equal to a number of fastener hinge knuckles are omitted or removed from the first belt end proximate the first sidewall end and / or from the second belt end proximate the second sidewall end; each omitted or removed belt hinge knuckle defines an omitted recess for engaging one of the fastener hinge knuckles in place of the omitted or removed belt hinge knuckle; The central axes of all cylindrical knuckle pin holes are aligned on a single axis of rotation; a race pin extends through all of the aligned cylindrical knuckle pin holes to form a continuous hinge including the fastener hinge knuckle; each of said first sidewall end and said second sidewall end having a plurality of holes positioned and spaced such that each hole on said first sidewall end matches a corresponding hole on said second sidewall end, and vice versa, to form matched hole pairs; each pair of holes corresponds to a corresponding tenon of said fastener, and vice versa; Both holes of each pair of holes are fastened to respective tenons of the fastener of the present invention, thereby also forming end-joined side walls. It is characterized by:

[0031] The phrase "sidewall end substantially coinciding with a belt end" may mean, for the purposes of the present invention, that the (vertical) edge of the sidewall end in question is spaced apart from the belt end in question (i.e. from the edge of the recess of that belt end that is intended to engage with the belt hinge knuckle of the other belt end) by a distance X in the belt longitudinal direction that is 1.0 to 3.0 times the belt longitudinal length of the belt hinge knuckle.

[0032] A preferred inventive conveyor belt further comprises: A second fastener of the present invention; a second sidewall having a third sidewall end substantially coincident with the first belt end and a fourth sidewall end substantially coincident with the second belt end; a total number of belt hinge knuckles equal to the number of fastener hinge knuckles on the second fastener are also omitted or removed from the first belt end proximate the third sidewall end and / or from the second belt end proximate the fourth sidewall end; with each omitted or removed belt hinge knuckle also forming a further omitted recess which also engages one of the fastener hinge knuckles of the second fastener in place of the omitted or removed belt hinge knuckle; The central axes of all cylindrical knuckle pin holes are aligned on a single axis of rotation; a race pin extends through all of the aligned cylindrical knuckle pin holes to form a continuous hinge that also includes the fastener hinge knuckle of the second fastener; each of said third sidewall end and said fourth sidewall end having a plurality of holes positioned and spaced such that each hole in said third sidewall end matches a corresponding hole in said fourth sidewall end, and vice versa, to form further matching pairs of holes; each additional pair of holes corresponding to a corresponding tenon of the second fastener, and vice versa; Both holes of each additional pair of holes are fastened to a respective tenon of the second fastener, thereby also forming an end-joined second sidewall. It is characterized by:

[0033] In both the inventive process and the inventive conveyor belt above, references to "sidewall" preferably refer to "corrugated sidewall" as outlined in the introduction.

[0034] The following features are preferred in the belts and processes of the present invention. 1) Each hinge knuckle on the fastener of the present invention is sized and shaped so that it can engage a recess between adjacent hinge knuckles at one end of the conveyor belt. Therefore, the width W of the fastener hinge knuckle in the central axial direction of the cylindrical knuckle pin hole contained therein is f is at most the width W in the same direction of the hinge knuckles and associated recesses between adjacent hinge knuckles at one of the belt ends b is equal to W f ≦W b Preferably, W f to allow a certain clearance between the fastener hinge knuckle and the two adjacent hinge knuckles on the belt end, W b The above width W is within the range of 50% to 95%. f and W b For the purposes of the present invention, is measured in the direction of the rotation axis 7 of the race pin 10 from one front face of the hinge knuckle in question to the opposite front face of the same hinge knuckle in question (see also FIG. 4). 2) Pitch P f For each pair of n-th and (n+1)-th consecutive fastener hinge knuckles spaced apart from each other in the axial direction of rotation by , there must be a corresponding pair of omitted belt hinge knuckles on the belt end, where the omitted belt hinge knuckles may be at one and the same belt end, or there may be one omitted belt hinge knuckle at one belt end and the other omitted belt hinge knuckle at the other belt end. The omitted hinge knuckles are preferably spaced apart by a pitch P. f The electrodes are spaced apart by a distance D that is substantially equal to an integer multiple of D ≒ mP f (where m=1,2,3,…) It is. In addition, each of the above distances D is the pitch P between adjacent belt hinge knuckles (between the belt hinge knuckle at one belt end and the next belt hinge knuckle at the other belt end). b / 2, where P bis the pitch between adjacent belt hinge knuckles on one and the same belt end, i.e. D=IP b / 2 (where I=2,3,4,…) It is. Since there must be at least one belt hinge knuckle between two adjacent fastener hinge knuckles, I cannot be 1. This definition of D also means that the omitted nth and (n+1)th hinge knuckles separated by D do not have to be at the same belt end (see above). If the omitted belt hinge knuckles separated by D are at the same belt end, I is an even integer, and therefore 2, 4, 6, .... D is more preferably nP f D is in the range of 90% to 110%, more preferably in the range of 95% to 105%, of nP as n increases and / or as the number of fastener hinge knuckles increases. f D must approach nP f Therefore, the pitch P b The greatest applicability of the fastener of the present invention to belt ends with varying diameters occurs when n=1 and the number of fastener hinge knuckles is equal to 2, in which case D=2P b / 2=P b (See FIG. 4). This is the most preferred embodiment for the fastener of the present invention, the conveyor belt of the present invention including the fastener of the present invention, and the process of the present invention for end splicing of a conveyor belt having side walls using the fastener of the present invention. f and P b For purposes of the present invention, is measured along the axis of rotation of the race pin from the center of one omitted hinge knuckle to the center of the adjacent omitted hinge knuckle (see also FIG. 4). Similarly, the distance D (the distance by which the two omitted hinge knuckles are separated) is measured along the axis of rotation of the race pin from the center of one omitted hinge knuckle to the center of the next omitted hinge knuckle (see also FIG. 4). 3) The two belt ends lack the same number of belt hinge knuckles as the number of fastener hinge knuckles. This is because for each fastener hinge knuckle, one belt hinge knuckle on one belt end must be omitted. The former engages with the race pin instead of the omitted latter. As already mentioned, the omitted belt hinge knuckle may be omitted only on one belt end or on both belt ends. All that matters is that the total number of the omitted hinge knuckles (thus the number of omitted belt hinge knuckles on one belt end plus the number of omitted belt hinge knuckles on the other belt end) is equal to the number of fastener hinge knuckles. Thus, when there are two pairs of sidewall ends to be joined and two endless sidewalls are formed (the most common case), the total number of hinge knuckles to be omitted from the two belt ends is doubled. The omitted belt hinge knuckle is advantageously omitted from the belt end proximate the side wall to conform to the spatial arrangement of the fastener of the present invention having a hinge knuckle and tenon. 4) Preferably, the sidewall is not attached to the conveying surface near the belt end to be joined, allowing the sidewall end to flex somewhat relative to the conveyor belt when fastened with the tenon of the fastener of the invention. The longitudinal length of the final portion of the sidewall extending toward the end of the sidewall that is not attached to the conveying surface is considered both the longitudinal length of the sidewall end and the longitudinal length of the belt end.

[0035] 1 shows the fastener 1 of the invention in isolation. The fastener comprises a fastener member 2 having a planar front surface 21 extending in an elongation direction 3. The fastener member comprises three tenons 41, 42, 43. Each tenon 41, 42, 43 has an annular ridge 412, 422, 432 at its apex 411, 421, 431, respectively, for enabling snap-fit ​​operation of the tenons 41, 42, 43 with a respective pair of holes in the conveyor belt sidewall edge. The fastener 1 comprises a projection 5 at the proximal end 22 of the fastener member 2, which includes two hinge knuckles 61, 62, each of which includes a cylindrical knuckle pin hole 611, 621, respectively. These cylindrical knuckle pin holes 611, 621 have central axes 612, 622, respectively, which are aligned to form a single axis of rotation 7 for the race pin. The projection 5 is provided with a seat 51 of larger diameter and / or cross-sectional area than the projection 5 itself, which seat 51 connects the projection 5 to the proximal end 22 of the front surface 21. The extension direction 3 and the axis of rotation 7 intersect each other at an angle α that is substantially or exactly 90°. The fastener in this embodiment is L-shaped. Thus, the fastener is intended to fasten conveyor belt sidewall ends that are essentially or exactly perpendicular to the conveying surface of the conveyor belt. However, the angle α may deviate somewhat from 90° to accommodate sidewalls that are inclined by the same angle to the conveying surface of the conveyor belt. The fastener of this invention is typically integrally made in a single piece, such as by injection molding, from TPU with a hardness of 95 Shore A. The fastener may have the color of the TPU itself or may be colored with an appropriate amount and type of pigment or dye to match the color of the sidewall ends and / or the conveyor belt ends.

[0036] FIG. 2 is a partial cutaway view of the fastener of the invention of FIG. 1 in an installed state when used to fasten together the first and second ends 81, 82 of the conveyor belt 8 and the first and second sidewall ends 1101, 1102 of the first conveyor belt sidewall 110 (this view also relates to fastening the first and second ends 81, 82 of the conveyor belt 8 and the third and fourth sidewall ends of the second sidewall). Thus, FIG. 2 is also an illustration of an endless conveyor belt with sidewalls of the invention. Said partial cutaway view is taken through the fastener hinge knuckle 61 (as the corresponding hinge knuckle number in FIG. 1) in the direction A, A' as shown in FIG. 4. Any part depicted in dashed lines is hidden or cut into by other parts depicted in solid lines. The fastener hinge knuckle 61 has a race pin 10 inserted in its cylindrical knuckle pin hole 611. One belt hinge knuckle 9 is shown attached to and extending from the right, second end 82 of the conveyor belt. The race pin 10 also passes through a knuckle pin hole (not shown) of that belt hinge knuckle 9. The belt hinge knuckle 9 is located rearward of the first fastener hinge knuckle 61 in this view and above the second fastener hinge knuckle (not shown in FIG. 2 because it is engulfed by the first fastener hinge knuckle 61). There are further belt hinge knuckles attached to and extending from the left (first) and right (second) belt ends 81, 82 of the belt 8. The first fastener hinge knuckle 61 shows its cylindrical knuckle pin hole 611 and shows the cylindrical knuckle pin holes 901, 911, 931 of the belt hinge knuckles 9, 91, 93 appearing in FIG. 4, which are just cut by it. All cylindrical knuckle pin holes 611, 901, 911, 931 are engaged by race pins 10 to form the final continuous hinge 12 as shown in FIG. 4. The corrugated first sidewall 110 is made up of alternating valleys (only two shown, designated by numerals 1103, 1106) and peaks (only two shown, designated by numerals 1104, 1105). The first sidewall end 1101 extends from the valley 1104 of the last left sidewall to the right edge 1107.The second sidewall end 1102 extends from the valley 1105 of the last right sidewall to the left edge 1108, which is drawn in dashed lines because it is hidden by the first sidewall end 1101. In the fastened state, the second sidewall end 1102 to which the second edge 1108 belongs is located behind the first sidewall end 1101. Both sidewall ends 1101, 1102 have a pair of matching fastening holes (such a pair is designated by the numeral 1109), each of which is fastened by snap-fitting to a respective tenon of one of the fasteners (the tenon in question is designated by the numeral 41 as the corresponding tenon in FIG. 1), which have an annular ridge designated by the numeral 412 (as the corresponding annular ridge in FIG. 1) to enable a snap-fit ​​with the respective hole pairs of the sidewall ends.

[0037] FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of how the fastener of the present invention can be adapted to different lateral positions of the sidewall (transverse to the running direction of the conveyor belt). This is necessary because, as mentioned above, the sidewall is usually corrugated and the fastener of the present invention may have to fasten two peaks of the sidewall end, two valleys of the sidewall end, or two flattened portions of the sidewall end as shown in FIG. 4. Each of these situations has different spatial requirements. To accommodate these different situations, the fastener of the present invention may be designed such that the fastener hinge knuckle 62 proximal to the front face 21 is offset by a freely selected distance L in the direction of the rotation axis 7 from the intersection of the extension direction 3 of the front face 21 with the rotation axis 7. As shown in both Figures 3 and 4, if the fastener of the present invention fastens two flattened sidewall ends 1101, 1102 together, the proximal fastener hinge knuckle 62 may be located substantially directly below the front surface 21 such that the distance L is close to or equal to zero, as shown in Figure 3. If the fastener of the present invention fastens together two valleys of sidewall ends (valleys 1103, 1106 are closer to the lateral edge 84 of belt 8 as depicted and shown in Figure 4), L may be significantly positive (the proximal fastener hinge knuckle 62 is offset from the intersection of the elongation direction 3 and the axis of rotation 7 in the direction pointed by the tenon of the fastener). If the fastener of the present invention fastens two peaks at a sidewall end (peaks 1104, 1105 are further from the lateral edge 84 of belt 8 as depicted and shown in FIG. 4), L may be significantly negative (the proximal fastener hinge knuckle 62 is offset from the intersection of the extension direction 3 and the rotation axis 7 in a direction opposite to that in which the tenon of the fastener is pointing). Once the distance L of the proximal fastener hinge knuckle 62 from the intersection of the extension direction 3 and the rotation axis 7 is given, other fastener hinge knuckles, such as number 61, can then be spaced apart at a pitch P from there. f If such distance L is not zero, the above formula for the length of the projection in the direction of the rotation axis becomes kW f +(k-1)P f +L, where all symbols are as defined above.

[0038] FIG. 4 shows the same situation as in FIG. 2, but in a bottom view. The same reference symbols in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 indicate the same parts. The explanation of the parts indicated by the reference symbols in FIG. 2 also applies to the same parts in FIG. 3. In this figure, a corrugated side wall with valleys 1103, 1106 and peaks 1104, 1105 is again shown diagrammatically, which is typically attached to a conveying surface near one lateral edge 84 of the belt 8. FIG. 4 specifically shows the interaction of the two fastener hinge knuckles 61, 62 and the hinge knuckles on the belt ends 81, 82 with the race pin 10. The fastener hinge knuckle 61 engages in an omitted recess 95 formed by omitting or removing a hinge knuckle from the first belt end 81. The fastener hinge knuckle 62 engages in an omitted recess formed by omitting or removing another hinge knuckle from the first belt end 81. The majority of the continuous hinges joining the first and second belt ends 81, 82 together are formed by alternating hinge knuckles 91, 93 engaging corresponding recesses 92, 94 and a race pin 10 passing through all of the hinge knuckles, including the fastener hinge knuckles. f ,P b and width W f ,W b In this embodiment, the width W of the fastener hinge knuckles 61, 62 is f is the width W of the hinge knuckle at the end of the belt b 1. The distance X between the first and second sidewall ends 1101, 1102 and the first and second belt ends 81, 82 is only about 60% of the width of the first and second sidewall ends 1101, 1102. This allows for some clearance and mobility of the fastener of the present invention in the direction of the axis of rotation 7. This, in combination with the fact that the first and second sidewall ends 1101, 1102 are not attached to the first and second belt ends 81, 82, further facilitates fastening of the fastener of the present invention to the respective tenons 41. Also shown in the figure is a distance X (as discussed in the general description) which is intended to preferably define the end of the sidewall (therein the left edge 1108) as being "substantially coincident" with the belt end of the conveyor belt (therein the second belt end 82).

Claims

1. A fastener (1), a) A fastener comprising a fastener member (2) having a front surface (21) elongated in the direction of extension (3) and one or more tenons (41, 42, 43) arranged on said front surface (21) at intervals in said direction of extension (3), The fastener member (2) is b) a protrusion (5) having two or more fastener hinge knuckles (61, 62) provided at the proximal end (22) of the fastener member (2); Each fastener hinge knuckle has a cylindrical fastener knuckle pin hole (611, 621) having a central axis (612, 622), and all of the central axes (612, 622) are aligned on a single rotation axis (7); The axis of rotation (7) and the direction of extension (3) intersect each other at an angle of substantially 90°. A fastener characterized by the above.

2. A fastener (1) according to claim 1, The intersecting angle α is exactly 90° A fastener characterized by the above.

3. A fastener (1) according to claim 1 or 2, Having two to four tenons (41, 42, 43) A fastener characterized by the above.

4. A fastener (1) according to claim 3, Two fastener hinge knuckles A fastener characterized by the above.

5. A fastener (1) according to claim 1, Each fastener hinge knuckle (61, 62) has a width W in the direction of the rotation axis (7). ｆ The adjacent fastener hinge knuckles (61, 62) are spaced apart from each other at a pitch P in the direction of the rotation axis (7). ｆ are spaced apart by A fastener characterized by the above.

6. A fastener (1) according to claim 4, Integral formed in a single piece A fastener characterized by the above.

7. A fastener (1) according to claim 6, A fastener characterized by being made of a thermoplastic plastic having a Shore A hardness of 80 to 100 at 25°C.

8. A fastener (1) according to claim 7, The thermoplastic contains a pigment or dye. A fastener characterized by the above.

9. A fastener (1) according to claim 7, The thermoplastic contains particulate or powdered metal A fastener characterized by the above.

10. A fastener (1) according to claim 7, The thermoplastic plastic is a thermoplastic polyurethane. A fastener characterized by the above.

11. A process for joining a first belt end (81) and a second belt end (82) of a conveyor belt (8), comprising: The conveyor belt (8) has a conveying surface (83) to which side walls (110) are attached; The side wall (110) has a first side wall end (1101) that is substantially coincident with the first belt end (81) and a second side wall end (1102) that is substantially coincident with the second belt end (82); The first and second belt ends (81, 82) have alternatingly arranged belt hinge knuckles (9, 91, 93) and belt recesses (92, 94), Each belt hinge knuckle (9, 91, 93) includes a cylindrical belt knuckle pin hole (901, 911, 931); the alternating belt hinge knuckles are configured such that each belt hinge knuckle (91) on the first belt end (81) can engage with a belt recess (92) on the second belt end (82), and each belt hinge knuckle (93) on the second belt end (82) can engage with a belt recess (94) on the first belt end (81); the cylindrical belt knuckle pin holes (901, 911, 931) of all of the engaged belt hinge knuckles (9, 91, 93) are aligned such that the central axes of the belt knuckle pin holes are aligned on a single axis of rotation (7) and are adapted to receive a race pin (10) and thereby form a belt end joint in the form of a continuous hinge (12); The above process is a) providing a fastener (1) according to claim 1; b) omitting or removing a total number of belt hinge knuckles equal to the number of fastener hinge knuckles (61, 62) from said first belt end (81) proximate said first sidewall end (1101) and / or from said second belt end (82) proximate said second sidewall end (1102); creating, with each omitted or removed belt hinge knuckle, an omission recess (95) positioned to allow engagement with one of said fastener hinge knuckles (61, 62) in place of said omitted or removed belt hinge knuckle; c) engaging all remaining belt hinge knuckles (91, 93) into their respective belt recesses (92, 94) and inserting said fastener hinge knuckles (61, 62) into their respective omitted recesses (95) created in step b), so that the central axes (612, 622) of all cylindrical fastener knuckle pin holes (611, 621) and the central axes of all cylindrical belt knuckle pin holes (901, 911, 931) are aligned on a single rotation axis (7); d) passing race pins (10) through all of the aligned cylindrical knuckle pin holes (611, 621, 901, 911, 931) to form a continuous hinge (12) that also includes the fastener hinge knuckles (61, 62); e) providing a plurality of holes in each of said first sidewall end (1101) and said second sidewall end (1102) at positions such that each hole on said first sidewall end (1101) matches with a corresponding hole on said second sidewall end (1102), and vice versa, to form matched hole pairs (1109); each pair of holes (1109) being matched with a corresponding tenon (41) of said fastener (1), and vice versa; f) fastening both holes of each hole pair (1109) to respective tenons (41) of said fasteners (1) to form end-joined first side walls (110); and Step e) may be performed before steps d) and f). A process characterized by:

12. 12. The process of claim 11, the conveying surface (83) has a second side wall attached thereto, the second side wall having a third side wall edge substantially coinciding with the first belt edge (81) and a fourth side wall edge substantially coinciding with the second belt edge (82); The above process is In step a), a fastener according to claim 1 is also provided, In step b), omitting or removing a total number of belt hinge knuckles from the first belt end (81) near the third sidewall end and / or from the second belt end (82) near the fourth sidewall end, the total number of belt hinge knuckles being equal to the number of fastener hinge knuckles of the second fastener; with each omitted or removed belt hinge knuckle, creating a further omitted recess positioned to allow engagement with one of the fastener hinge knuckles of the second fastener in place of the omitted or removed belt hinge knuckle; In step c), also inserting fastener hinge knuckles of said second fastener into each of the further recesses created in step b), so that the central axes of all cylindrical knuckle pin holes are aligned on a single axis of rotation (7); and in step e), providing a plurality of holes in each of the third and fourth sidewall ends such that each hole on the third sidewall end matches a corresponding hole on the fourth sidewall end, and vice versa, to form a second pair of matching holes; each second pair of holes respectively corresponding to a corresponding tenon of said second fastener, and vice versa; Also in step f), both holes of each second hole pair are fastened to respective tenons of the second fasteners to form end-joined second side walls. A process characterized by:

13. A conveyor belt obtained by the process of claim 11 or 12.

14. A conveyor belt, A fastener (1) according to claim 1, first and second belt ends (81, 82) each including alternating belt hinge knuckles (9, 91, 93) and belt recesses (92, 94); a sidewall (101) having a first sidewall end (1101) substantially coinciding with said first belt end (81) and a second sidewall end (1102) substantially coinciding with said second belt end (82); Each belt hinge knuckle (9, 91, 93) includes a cylindrical belt knuckle pin hole (901, 911, 931); Each belt hinge knuckle (91) on the first belt end (81) engages with a belt recess (92) on the second belt end (82), and each belt hinge knuckle (93) on the second belt end (82) engages with a belt recess (94) on the first belt end (81); a total number of belt hinge knuckles equal to the number of fastener hinge knuckles (61, 62) are omitted or removed from the first belt end (81) near the first sidewall end (1101) and / or from the second belt end (82) near the second sidewall end (1102); each omitted or removed belt hinge knuckle defines an omitted recess (95) that engages one of the fastener hinge knuckles (61, 62) in place of the omitted or removed belt hinge knuckle; The central axes (612, 622) of all cylindrical fastener knuckle pin holes (611, 621) and the central axes of all cylindrical belt knuckle pin holes (901, 911, 931) are aligned on a single rotation axis (7); a race pin (10) passes through all of the aligned cylindrical knuckle pin holes (611, 621, 901, 911, 931) to form a continuous hinge (12) that also includes the fastener hinge knuckles (61, 62); each of the first sidewall end (1101) and the second sidewall end (1102) has a plurality of holes positioned and spaced such that each hole on the first sidewall end matches a corresponding hole on the second sidewall end, and vice versa, to form a matched hole pair (1109); Each pair of holes (1109) corresponds to a corresponding tenon (41) of said fastener (1), and vice versa; Both holes of each hole pair (1109) are fastened to respective tenons (41) of the fastener (1), thereby also forming end-joined side walls (110). A conveyor belt characterized by:

15. 15. The conveyor belt of claim 14, A fastener according to claim 1; a second sidewall having a third sidewall end substantially coincident with said first belt end (81) and a fourth sidewall end substantially coincident with said second belt end (82); a total number of belt hinge knuckles equal to the number of fastener hinge knuckles on the second fastener are also omitted or removed from the first belt end (81) near the third sidewall end and / or from the second belt end (82) near the fourth sidewall end; each omitted or removed belt hinge knuckle also defines a further omitted recess that also engages one of the fastener hinge knuckles of the second fastener in place of the omitted or removed belt hinge knuckle; The central axes of all cylindrical knuckle pin holes are aligned on a single axis of rotation; a race pin extends through all of the aligned cylindrical knuckle pin holes to form a continuous hinge that also includes the fastener hinge knuckle of the second fastener; each of the third sidewall end and the fourth sidewall end has a plurality of holes positioned and spaced such that each hole in the third sidewall end matches a corresponding hole in the fourth sidewall end, and vice versa, to form further pairs of matching holes; each additional pair of holes corresponding to a corresponding tenon of the second fastener, and vice versa; Both holes of each additional pair of holes are fastened to respective tenons of the second fastener, thereby also forming an end-joined second sidewall. A conveyor belt characterized by:

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