Belt conveyor

Abstract

To easily adjust the trough angle of a carrier side belt of a belt conveyor. [Solution] This belt conveyor has a center roller 8 that supports the widthwise center of the carrier-side belt 7 from below, side rollers 9 that support the widthwise ends of the carrier-side belt 7 from below while tilting them upward toward the outside in the widthwise direction, and a side stand 13 that supports the ends of the side rollers 9 on the opposite side from the center roller 8, and the tilt angle of the widthwise ends of the carrier-side belt 7 can be adjusted by changing the support position of the side rollers 9 on the side stand 13 in the vertical direction.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a belt conveyor in which the inclination angle of the width direction end portion of the belt is adjustable. [Background technology]

[0002] Belt conveyors are used to transport materials such as soil, sand, and stones. Belt conveyors consist of an endless belt wound around a drive roller and a driven roller. Generally, the upper belt, which is the transport side, is called the carrier belt, and the lower belt is called the return belt. Materials are transported by being placed on the carrier belt.

[0003] Belt conveyors sometimes use so-called trough-type belt conveyors, in which the carrier side belt is supported in a trough shape (a shape that is low in the center along the width direction and becomes higher from the center toward both ends in the width direction) to prevent the transported materials from spilling out from both ends of the carrier side belt in the width direction (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] The trough-type belt conveyor of Patent Document 1 has a center roller that supports the center of the carrier-side belt in the width direction from below, side rollers that support both ends of the carrier-side belt in the width direction from below, and side stands that support the outer ends of the side rollers. The side rollers are arranged in pairs on both sides of the center roller in the belt width direction, and support the width direction ends of the carrier-side belt in a state where they are inclined upward toward the outer sides of the carrier-side belt in the width direction.

[0005] The side stands are provided on the outer sides of the carrier-side belt in the width direction and support the outer ends of the side rollers, which are the ends located opposite the center roller.In this belt conveyor, the carrier-side belt is supported in a trough shape, so that transported objects are less likely to spill over both ends of the carrier-side belt in the width direction as it runs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-177389 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] It is desirable that a single belt conveyor can be used to accommodate various types of transported objects and installation conditions, but the traveling condition of the transported objects may vary depending on the size and weight of the transported objects, the belt traveling speed, the belt inclination angle (when used in a place with a different inclination), etc., and the transported objects may be prone to falling off the belt. Also, if the transported objects or the belt traveling speed are changed while the belt conveyor is in use, the traveling condition of the transported objects may differ before and after the change.

[0008] If the trough angle (the inclination angle of the widthwise end of the carrier-side belt, i.e., the angle between the horizontal plane and the side roller) is maximized to prevent the transported goods from spilling, the loading space for the transported goods will be reduced and the load capacity on the belt will be reduced. Therefore, it is desirable to adjust the trough angle appropriately according to the traveling state of the transported goods so that the load capacity is maximized while preventing the transported goods from spilling.

[0009] In the belt conveyor of Patent Document 1, when adjusting the trough angle, the entire frame supporting the center roller and side rollers needs to be replaced, which requires a lot of labor and time for adjustment. In particular, when the running condition of the transported goods changes in a short period of time, such as when the contents of the transported goods change while the belt conveyor is in use, the entire frame needs to be replaced every time the running condition changes, which causes a problem of long downtime of the belt conveyor.

[0010] The problem to be solved by this invention is to make it possible to easily adjust the trough angle of the carrier-side belt of a belt conveyor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a belt conveyor having the following configuration. [Configuration 1] a center roller that supports from below the center in the width direction of the carrier-side belt on which the transported object is placed; side rollers arranged on both sides of the center roller in the axial direction and supporting the width direction end portions of the carrier-side belt from below in a state inclined upward toward the outside in the width direction; a side stand provided on the outer side of the carrier-side belt in the width direction and rotatably supporting an outer end of the side roller, which is an end of the side roller located on the opposite side from the center roller; A belt conveyor in which the angle of inclination of the width direction end of the carrier-side belt can be adjusted by changing the support position of the outer end on the side stand in the vertical direction.

[0012] With this configuration, the support position of the side rollers on the side stand can be changed in the vertical direction, so the trough angle can be easily adjusted without the need to replace the entire frame supporting the center roller and side rollers. Therefore, the trough angle can be set in a short time. In particular, when the running condition of the transported goods changes in a short period of time, such as when the contents of the transported goods change during the use of the belt conveyor, the overall downtime of the belt conveyor can be shortened.

[0013] [Configuration 2] 2. The belt conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the side stand has a side bracket that rotatably supports the outer end and a mounting hole that fixes the side bracket via a bolt.

[0014] If the side rollers are supported directly by the side stand, adjusting the trough angle of the carrier-side belt requires lifting the side rollers to position and install them. In this case, because the side rollers are heavy, it can be difficult to perform the adjustment while lifted. With this configuration, the side rollers are supported on the side stand via side brackets, so the heavy side rollers can be removed, the side brackets can be positioned and installed, and then the side rollers can be placed on the side brackets for support, making it easy to install the side rollers on the side stand.

[0015] [Configuration 3] 3. The belt conveyor according to claim 2, wherein the mounting holes are formed in a plurality of rows aligned in the vertical direction.

[0016] With this configuration, the side roller can be fixed to the side stand via one of the multiple mounting holes aligned vertically that corresponds to the desired trough angle. The trough angle is determined in stages depending on the mounting hole used, making it easy to adjust the trough angle.

[0017] [Configuration 4] 4. The belt conveyor according to claim 2, wherein the mounting hole is a vertically elongated hole.

[0018] In this configuration, the mounting holes extend in the vertical direction of the side stand, so the position of the side roller can be adjusted within the range of the vertical elongated holes by simply loosening the fixed state and sliding it without having to completely remove the bolts.

[0019] [Configuration 5] 5. The belt conveyor according to any one of configurations 2 to 4, wherein the portion of the side bracket that is fixed to the side stand with the bolt is located radially outward of the side roller with respect to an extension line of the outer diameter surface of the side roller supported by the side bracket.

[0020] In this configuration, the part of the side bracket that is fixed to the side stand with a bolt is located radially outside the side roller rather than the extension line of the outer diameter surface of the side roller supported by the side bracket, and is not in a recessed location, so the side bracket can be fixed smoothly in a large space.

[0021] [Configuration 6] 6. The belt conveyor according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, wherein support members that can swing freely around a swing axis extending in the belt running direction are provided on the center roller side of the side rollers, and the side rollers are rotatably supported by the support members.

[0022] In this configuration, by using a swingable support member, the side rollers can be supported rotatably and swingably with a simple structure.

[0023] [Configuration 7] 7. The belt conveyor according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, wherein the installation positions of the side rollers and the side stand are adjustable in the width direction of the carrier-side belt.

[0024] In this configuration, the belt width of the conveyor belt can be changed by adjusting the positions of the side rollers and the side stand in the belt width direction. Therefore, for example, it is possible to accommodate changes in the belt width specification by simply adjusting the position of the side rollers without replacing the side rollers. [Effects of the Invention]

[0025] In the belt conveyor of this invention, the support position of the side roller on the side stand can be changed in the vertical direction, so the trough angle can be easily adjusted. Therefore, the trough angle adjustment can be completed in a short period of time. Since the trough angle adjustment can be completed in a short period of time, the downtime of the belt conveyor can be shortened. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1]1 is a plan view of a belt conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] Cross-sectional view along line II-II in Figure 1 [Figure 3] Plan view of the conveyor belt in Figure 2 without installation [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the side stand and its vicinity in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] An enlarged view of the in-stand area of Figure 2. [Figure 6] Figure 2 shows the in-stand before the center roller and side rollers are installed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] A belt conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figure 1. This belt conveyor includes a head pulley 1 located at the downstream end (on the right side in the figure), a tail pulley 2 located at the upstream end (on the left side in the figure), a conveyor belt 3 stretched between the head pulley 1 and the tail pulley 2, a material supply unit 5 that supplies materials 4 (see Figure 2) to the conveyor belt 3, and a trough roller 6 that supports the conveyor belt 3 in a trough shape.

[0028] The conveyor belt 3 runs around between the head pulley 1 and the tail pulley 2. The conveyor belt 3 is made up of a carrier-side belt 7 (the portion of the conveyor belt 3 that runs from the tail pulley 2 to the head pulley 1) and a return-side belt (the portion of the conveyor belt 3 that runs from the head pulley 1 to the tail pulley 2; not shown).

[0029] The head pulley 1 is connected to a rotary drive device (motor, etc.) (not shown) and drives the conveyor belt 3. The conveyor belt 3 is a rubber belt with a rubber-covered core made of synthetic fiber or steel cord. The tail pulley 2 is a driven pulley that rotates as the belt runs.

[0030] The material supply section 5 is disposed opposite to the upper surface of the upstream end (left side in FIG. 1) of the carrier side belt 7. The material 4 (see FIG. 2) is, for example, crushed stone, aggregate, earth and sand, ore, etc. The material 4 is continuously supplied from the material supply section 5 to the upper surface of the upstream end of the carrier side belt 7. The carrier side belt 7 travels from the upstream side (left side in FIG. 1) to the downstream side (right side in FIG. 1) with the material 4 loaded on the upper surface of the carrier side belt 7.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 2, the trough roller 6 includes a center roller 8 that supports the center portion of the carrier-side belt 7 in the width direction from below, and side rollers 9 that support the width direction ends of the carrier-side belt 7 from below. The carrier-side belt 7 is supported by a plurality of trough rollers 6 that are arranged at intervals along the travel path (see Fig. 1). The trough rollers 6 support the carrier-side belt 7 so that it forms a trough shape that is lower in the center along the width direction and becomes higher from the center toward both ends in the width direction.

[0032] The center roller 8 is arranged horizontally. The center roller 8 has a rotating shaft 10 that protrudes axially outward from both axial ends of a cylindrical member that is the main body of the center roller 8 (see FIG. 5). In the embodiment, the rotating shaft 10 is formed integrally with the cylindrical member of the center roller 8, but it may also be formed as a separate member and attached so that the two rotate integrally.

[0033] The side rollers 9 are arranged in pairs on both axial sides of the center roller 8. The side rollers 9 are arranged in a state of inclining upward toward the outer side in the width direction of the carrier-side belt 7 (in a state of gradually increasing in height as they move away from the center roller 8). The side rollers 9 have rotating shafts 11 that protrude axially outward from both axial ends of the side rollers 9. The configuration of the side rollers 9 and the rotating shafts 11 is the same as the configuration of the center roller 8 and the rotating shafts 10 described above.

[0034] The trough roller 6 is provided with a side stand 13 that rotatably supports the outer ends 12 of the side rollers 9, and an in-stand 15 that rotatably supports the inner ends 14 (see FIG. 5) of the side rollers 9. Here, the outer ends 12 of the side rollers 9 refer to the ends of the side rollers 9 that are located opposite the center roller 8, and in this embodiment, refer to the ends of the rotating shafts 11 that are located opposite the center roller 8. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the inner ends 14 of the side rollers 9 refer to the ends of the side rollers 9 that are located on the center roller 8 side, and in this embodiment, refer to the ends of the rotating shafts 11 that are located on the center roller 8 side of the side rollers 9.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 4, the side stand 13 is provided with a side bracket 16 that rotatably supports the outer end 12 of the side roller 9, and a mounting hole 17 for fixing the side bracket 16. As shown in Fig. 2, the side stand 13 is provided on the outer side in the width direction of the carrier-side belt 7. The side stands 13 are arranged in pairs facing each other in the width direction of the carrier-side belt 7.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, the side stand 13 is a plate-shaped member. The side stand 13 is formed by curving the plate-shaped member into an arc shape that follows the swing direction of the outer end 12 of the side roller 9. A plate-shaped rib portion 18 that extends in the vertical direction and protrudes outward along the arc shape of the plate-shaped member is formed on the surface of the plate-shaped member opposite the side roller 9 (the left side in the figure). The rib portion 18 is provided at the center of the plate-shaped member in the width direction, perpendicular to the plate-shaped member (see FIG. 3). The provision of the rib portion 18 makes the side stand 13 less likely to deform against the force applied from the side bracket 16. In this embodiment, the plate-shaped member and the rib portion 18 are fixed by welding. The side stand 13 can also be formed from a single plate material by bending. In this case, the portion corresponding to the rib portion 18 is formed by folding the plate material over.

[0037] An elongated hole 20 (see FIG. 3) extending in the width direction of the carrier-side belt 7 is provided on the upper surface of the base 19, and the side stand 13 is supported on the upper surface of the base 19 via the elongated hole 20. The side stand 13 is fixed to the base 19 with a bolt 21 and a nut 22. The installation position of the side stand 13 can be adjusted in the width direction of the carrier-side belt 7 by loosening the bolt 21. A butterfly bolt can be used as this bolt 21. If the length of the carrier-side belt 7 in the width direction is not changed, the side stand 13 may be fixed to the upper surface of the base 19 by welding.

[0038] The side bracket 16 (see FIGS. 2 and 4) is a longitudinal, plate-like member. The side bracket 16 is bent in opposite directions at two longitudinal locations, and has a Z-shaped cross section when viewed from the short side. One end (the upper end in the drawings) of the side bracket 16 is formed with a U-shaped notched insertion hole 23, and the other end (the lower end in the drawings) is formed with a bolt hole 24 corresponding to the mounting hole 17 of the side stand 13. The outer end 12 of the side roller 9 is inserted into the insertion hole 23 and is rotatably supported. The insertion hole 23 may be a hole rather than a notch opening on the end edge.

[0039] One end (upper end in the drawing) of the side bracket 16 is positioned away from the surface of the side stand 13 that faces the side roller 9 when the other end (lower end in the drawing) is attached to the side stand 13, and is bent so as to face the end face of the side roller 9. The other end (lower end in the drawing) of the side bracket 16 is positioned radially outward from an extension of the outer diameter surface of the side roller 9 supported by one end (upper end in the drawing) of the side bracket 16.

[0040] A plurality of mounting holes 17 are formed and aligned vertically. The mounting holes 17 are elongated holes extending vertically. The mounting holes 17 are formed so that the angle between the side rollers 9 and the horizontal plane can be adjusted within a range of 0° to 90° (preferably 0° to 70°) by adjusting the position of the side bracket 16 in the vertical direction. The mounting holes 17 are aligned vertically so that the angle between the side rollers 9 and the horizontal plane can be adjusted at intervals of 1° to 30° (preferably 3° to 7°). The mounting holes 17 are formed in two rows aligned horizontally (see FIG. 3). The mounting holes 17 may be formed in a single row or in multiple rows. The mounting holes 17 do not have to be elongated holes, but may simply be round holes.

[0041] The other end of the side bracket 16 (the lower end in the drawing) is fixed to the side stand 13 with a bolt 25 and a nut 26 via a bolt hole 24 and an attachment hole 17. In this embodiment, a wing bolt is used as the bolt 25. By using a wing bolt, it can be tightened and loosened without using tools, making it easy to attach and detach the side bracket 16 to and from the side stand 13.

[0042] 5, the in-stand 15 comprises a stand portion 27 that rotatably supports the center roller 8, a support member 28 that rotatably supports the inner end 14 of the side roller 9, and a swing shaft 29 that swings the support member 28. The in-stand 15 is disposed between the center roller 8 and the side roller 9.

[0043] 6, the stand portion 27 is formed by a plate-shaped portion facing the center roller 8 and a pair of plate-shaped portions extending from both ends of the plate-shaped portion toward the side opposite the center roller 8. In other words, when viewed from the top-bottom direction (in a plan view), the stand portion 27 is formed with a cross section in which the portion on the side of the side roller 9 is open and the other portions are closed.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 3, an elongated hole 30 extending in the width direction of the carrier-side belt 7 is provided on the upper surface of the base 19, and the stand unit 27 is supported on the upper surface of the base 19 via the elongated hole 30. As shown in Fig. 5, the stand unit 27 is fixed to the base 19 with a bolt 31 and a nut 32. The installation position of the stand unit 27 in the width direction of the carrier-side belt 7 can be adjusted by loosening the bolt 31. As shown in Fig. 6, the stand unit 27 has a U-shaped notched insertion port 33 in a portion facing the center roller 8. The rotation shaft 10 of the center roller 8 is inserted into the insertion port 33 and rotatably supported.

[0045] 6, the support member 28 is made up of a portion facing the running direction of the carrier-side belt 7 (see FIG. 2) and a portion facing the width direction of the carrier-side belt 7, and is formed into a hollow rectangle when viewed from above (in a plan view). The portion of the support member 28 on the side of the side roller 9 is formed with a U-shaped notched insertion port 35 that rotatably supports the inner end 14 of the side roller 9.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 5, the swing shaft 29 extends in the running direction of the carrier-side belt 7 (a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing in the drawing). The swing shafts 29 extend outward from portions of the support member 28 that face each other in the running direction of the carrier-side belt 7 (see FIG. 6). In the embodiment, the swing shaft 29 is formed integrally with the support member 28, but it may also be formed as a separate member and attached so that the two rotate integrally. The swing shaft 29 is rotatably supported by U-shaped notched insertion holes 34 formed in mating portions of the stand portion 27. The swing shaft 29 may be supported by the stand portion 27 via bearings that rotatably support the swing shaft 29.

[0047] The method of using the trough roller 6 shown in Figure 2 will now be described. First, the side bracket 16 is fixed to the side stand 13 with a bolt 25 and a nut 26 through the mounting hole 17 (see Figure 4) at a position corresponding to the desired trough angle a (the inclination angle of the widthwise end of the carrier-side belt 7; in other words, the angle between the horizontal plane and the side roller 9). Next, the in-stand 15 and the side stand 13 are slid in the belt width direction (left and right direction in Figure 2) to a position corresponding to the center roller 8, whose widthwise length corresponds to the belt width length of the carrier-side belt 7, and fixed in place.

[0048] Next, the center roller 8 is supported by the stand portion 27, and the side rollers 9 are supported by the support members 28 and the side brackets 16. Next, the carrier-side belt 7 is stretched over the center roller 8 and the side rollers 9. In this way, the carrier-side belt 7 is supported at the desired trough angle a.

[0049] 2, in this embodiment, the support positions of the side rollers 9 on the side stand 13 can be changed in the vertical direction, so the trough angle a can be easily adjusted without the need to replace the entire frame supporting the center roller 8 and the side rollers 9. Therefore, in order to maximize the load capacity while preventing the transported goods 4 from falling out, the trough angle a can be set to a large value depending on the type of transported goods 4, the traveling speed, etc., when the transported goods 4 are likely to fall off the carrier-side belts 7, and the trough angle a can be set to a small value when the transported goods 4 are not likely to fall off.

[0050] In particular, when the running state of the transported goods 4 changes within a short period of time due to a change in the contents of the transported goods 4 while the belt conveyor is in use, the trough angle a can be adjusted within a short period of time, thereby shortening the overall downtime of the belt conveyor.

[0051] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the side bracket 16 has a Z-shaped cross section, but the shape of the side bracket 16 is not limited to a Z-shaped cross section. For example, the side bracket 16 may be simply plate-shaped without being bent. When the side bracket 16 is simply plate-shaped, one end of the side bracket 16 can be fixed in surface contact with the side stand 13, and the other end of the side bracket 16 can be arranged to protrude from the side stand 13 in the belt running direction (the depth direction perpendicular to the paper surface in Fig. 4), and a side roller 9 can be attached to the other end.

[0052] In either shape, the part of the side bracket 16 that is fixed to the side stand 13 with the bolt 25 is positioned radially outward of the side roller 9 from the extension line of the outer diameter surface of the side roller 9 supported by the side bracket 16, and is not recessed, so that the fixing work of the side bracket 16 can be performed smoothly in a large space.

[0053] If the side rollers 9 were attached to the side brackets 16 without using bearings, the side brackets 16 would wear out due to the rotation of the side rollers 9. In this embodiment, the side rollers 9 are attached to the side stand 13 via the side brackets 16, so the side stand 13, which is a large component, is not affected by the rotation of the side rollers 9 and does not wear out. Therefore, during maintenance, it is only necessary to replace the side brackets 16, which are smaller than the side stand 13, as appropriate, rather than the side stand 13, so less labor is required for maintenance and the cost of replacement parts is low.

[0054] 5, the rotating shaft 10 rotates integrally with the cylindrical member that is the main body of the center roller 8. However, a bearing may be interposed between the rotating shaft 10 and the cylindrical member of the center roller 8 so that the cylindrical member rotates relative to the rotating shaft 10. Also, a bearing may be interposed between the stand portion 27 and the rotating shaft 10.

[0055] Similarly, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, for the side rollers 9, bearings may be interposed between each of the rotating shafts 11 (outer end 12, inner end 14) on both sides and the cylindrical member that is the main body of the side roller 9, so that the cylindrical member rotates relative to the rotating shafts 11 (outer end 12, inner end 14).

[0056] 4, a bearing may be interposed between the side bracket 16 and the rotating shaft 11 (outer end 12). Also, as shown in Fig. 5, a bearing may be interposed between the support member 28 and the rotating shaft 11 (inner end 14). By interposing a bearing, the rotational movement becomes smoother.

[0057] In addition, in the embodiment, the transported object 4 (see FIG. 2) is crushed stone, aggregate, earth and sand, ore, etc., but the present invention can also be applied to belt conveyors that transport other objects.

[0058] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 4. Transported items 7 Carrier side belt 8 Center Roller 9 Side roller 12 Outer edge 13 Side stand 16 Side bracket 17 Mounting holes 25 volts 28 Support member 29 Swing axis

Claims

1. a center roller (8) that supports from below the center in the width direction of the carrier-side belt (7) on which the transported object (4) is placed; side rollers (9) arranged on both sides of the center roller (8) in the axial direction and supporting the width direction end of the carrier side belt (7) from below in a state inclined upward toward the outside in the width direction; and an arc-shaped side stand (13) provided on the outer side of the carrier-side belt (7) in the width direction, The side stand (13) is provided with a side bracket (16) for rotatably supporting an outer end (12) of the side roller (9), which is an end of the side roller (9) located on the opposite side from the center roller (8), The side bracket (16) has an upper end portion that supports the outer end (12) at a position away from the surface of the side stand (13) facing the side roller (9), and a lower end portion that is supported by the side stand (13) at a position radially outward of the side roller (9) beyond an extension line of the outer diameter surface of the side roller (9) supported by the upper end portion, A belt conveyor in which the inclination angle of the width direction end of the carrier-side belt (7) can be adjusted by changing the support position of the outer end (12) on the side stand (13) in the vertical direction.

2. 2. The belt conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the side stand (13) has a side bracket (16) that rotatably supports the outer end (12) and a mounting hole (17) that fixes the side bracket (16) via a bolt (25).

3. 3. The belt conveyor according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the mounting holes (17) are formed in a line in the vertical direction.

4. 3. The belt conveyor according to claim 2, wherein the mounting hole (17) is a vertically elongated hole.

5. 5. The belt conveyor according to claim 2, wherein a portion of the side bracket (16) that is fixed to the side stand (13) with the bolt (25) is located radially outward of the side roller (9) with respect to an extension line of the outer diameter surface of the side roller (9) supported by the side bracket (16).

6. 5. The belt conveyor according to claim 1, wherein a support member (28) that can swing freely around an axis of a swing shaft (29) extending in the belt running direction is provided on the side of the side roller (9) facing the center roller (8), and the side roller (9) is rotatably supported by the support member (28).

7. 5. The belt conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the side rollers (9) and the side stands (13) are adjustable in installation position in the width direction of the carrier-side belt (7).

Images