Belt conveyor equipment

Abstract

The belt conveyor device (1) includes a conveyor belt (2) formed in a ring shape and running with conveyed objects placed on its conveying surface (14), and a belt cleaner unit (5) that abuts against the conveying surface (14) when the conveying surface (14) is facing downward to scrape off adhering conveyed objects that are part of the conveyed objects adhering to the conveying surface (14), the belt cleaner unit (5) having a long belt cleaner (5c) and a short belt cleaner (5a) that have different lengths in the width direction of the conveyor belt (2), and the short belt cleaner (5a) is located upstream of the long belt cleaner (5c).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a belt conveyor device that maximizes the performance of a belt cleaner and solves problems with the belt conveyor. [Background technology]

[0002] A belt cleaning device is known that cleans the conveyor belt of a conveyor device that moves along a predetermined conveyance path (see, for example, Patent Document 1). As conveyance is repeated, the conveyor belt becomes clogged with adhering conveyed materials, which must be removed. This belt cleaning device is equipped with a fluid supply unit that supplies fluid to the conveyor belt, a belt cleaner located downstream of the fluid supply unit, and a wiping belt located further downstream of the fluid supply unit, in order to remove the adhering conveyed materials. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-222081 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the belt cleaning device of Patent Document 1, the belt cleaner is formed across the entire width of the conveyor belt. Because the conveyor belt is actually curved and bent while traveling, a belt cleaner whose contact point with the conveyor belt is straight cannot scrape off the material adhering to the curved portion. The degree of curvature due to this bending varies depending on the size of the belt conveyor, etc., so forming the belt cleaner in a shape that follows the curve of the belt is not practical, as it would require creating a belt cleaner with a different degree of curvature for each individual belt conveyor.

[0005] Furthermore, if there is a gap between the curved portion of the conveyor belt and the belt cleaner, some of the adhering materials will stick to the belt cleaner, and subsequent adhering materials will stick to the adhering materials. Therefore, the adhering materials will continue to adhere to the belt cleaner. This will cause the belt environment to deteriorate, and the adhering materials will become abrasive and damage associated objects. This will shorten the life of the conveyor belt. In other words, placing a linear belt cleaner across the entire width of a curved conveyor belt will not only fail to reliably scrape off adhering materials, but will also hinder the longevity of the conveyor belt.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional technology, and has an object to provide a belt conveyor device that uses a belt cleaner to reliably scrape off adhering conveyed materials in order to maximize the belt capacity and extend the life of the belt. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a belt conveyor device comprising: a conveyor belt that is folded back at a head pulley and a tail pulley to form a ring, and on whose conveying surface an object is placed and runs; and a belt cleaner unit that abuts against the conveying surface when the conveying surface is facing downward and scrapes off any adhering object that is part of the object adhering to the conveying surface, wherein the belt cleaner unit has a long belt cleaner and a short belt cleaner that have different lengths in the width direction of the conveyor belt, and the short belt cleaner is located upstream of the long belt cleaner.

[0008] Preferably, the conveying device further includes a pressing roller that presses the conveying belt from above at a position where the conveying surface is running facing downward.

[0009] Preferably, the belt cleaner unit is disposed below the contact roller.

[0010] Preferably, the conveying device further comprises a hopper for receiving the adhering material scraped off by the belt cleaner unit, the hopper being located at least below the short belt cleaner. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, any adhering material (i.e., material that falls off) that adheres to the conveying surface of the conveyor belt during conveyance can first be scraped off by the short belt cleaner. Because the short belt cleaner is located upstream of the long belt cleaner, there is no gap between the short belt cleaner and the bent conveyor belt, and adhering material does not stick to the short belt cleaner. Therefore, the adhering material does not damage the conveyor belt. When the next long belt cleaner arrives, the conveyor belt is clear of adhering material in the center. Therefore, even if there is a gap between the long belt cleaner and the conveyor belt, adhering material does not stick there, and no adhering material is generated. Therefore, the belt cleaner reliably scrapes off adhering material, thereby extending the life of the conveyor belt. This maximizes the belt's capabilities.

[0012] Furthermore, by providing the contact roller, the bent conveyor belt can be straightened to some extent, thereby improving the effectiveness of applying the release agent.

[0013] Furthermore, by providing a belt cleaner unit below the contact roller, the effectiveness of the belt cleaner unit in scraping off adhering transported materials can be further improved.

[0014] In addition, since most of the adhering materials tend to occur in the center of the conveyor belt, a hopper for storing the adhering materials can be placed below the short belt cleaner for scraping them off, allowing many of the adhering materials to be collected in the hopper. This prevents many adhering materials from falling onto the floor of the belt conveyor, making cleaning easier. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic side view of a belt conveyor device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a conveyor belt and a belt cleaner unit as viewed from the conveyance surface side. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a short belt cleaner and a conveyor belt as viewed from the conveyance direction. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an intermediate belt cleaner and a conveying belt as viewed from the conveying direction. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a long belt cleaner and a conveyor belt as viewed from the conveyance direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] First, referring to FIG. 1, an overview of a belt conveyor device 1 to which the present invention is applied will be described. The belt conveyor device 1 according to the present invention includes a conveyor belt 2 on which conveyed objects (not shown) are placed and run. Specifically, the conveyed objects are placed on a conveying surface 14 of the conveyor belt 2. While the objects are being conveyed (while the conveying surface faces upward), the conveyor belt 2 runs along a carrier roller 13 that abuts against the back surface of the conveying surface 14 (the underside of the conveyor belt 2). The conveyor belt 2 is turned around at a head pulley 4 and sent out to a tail pulley 12 located on the opposite side of the belt conveyor device 1. While the conveyor belt 2 runs from the head pulley 4 to the tail pulley 12 (while the conveying surface faces downward), the conveyor belt 2 runs along a return roller 11 that abuts against the conveying surface 14. The conveyor belt 2 is turned around at the tail pulley 12 and runs again with the objects placed thereon. Therefore, the conveyor belt 2 is formed in a circular shape via a plurality of rollers, pulleys, etc.

[0017] The transported material is recovered in a hopper 3 disposed below the conveyor belt 2 at the position where the conveyor belt 2 is turned back by the head pulley 4. The transported material includes, for example, iron ore raw materials, coke, raw materials for power generation, sludge, cement raw materials, gypsum, crushed stone, crushed sand, silica sand, grains, animal feed, wood chips, waste plastics, etc. These transported materials are recovered and utilized together with the attached transported material described below. In other words, the transported material targeted by the present invention is utilized in the same way as the transported material even when it becomes attached transported material. The head pulley 4 described above is disposed at the turned back end of the conveyor belt 2 where the hopper 3 is disposed. The head pulley 4 causes the conveyor belt 2 to turn back in the opposite direction.

[0018] The head pulley 4 causes the conveyor belt 2 to turn around, and from this turning point onwards, the conveyor belt 2 runs with the surface on which the conveyed objects are placed (conveying surface 14) facing downward. As most of the conveyed objects described above contain moisture from rainwater and the like (the belt conveyor device 1 is installed outdoors), some of the conveyed objects adhere to the conveyor belt 2 and become stuck conveyed objects. To scrape off these stuck conveyed objects, a belt cleaner unit 5 is disposed downstream of the head pulley 4 in contact with the conveying surface 14 of the conveyor belt 2. The belt cleaner unit 5 is made up of multiple belt cleaners 5a to 5c, and is made of materials such as carbide chips (iron), ceramic, and urethane.

[0019] Downstream of the belt cleaner unit 5, a spraying device 6 is provided that sprays a release agent onto the conveying surface 14 of the conveyor belt 2 to remove any adhering materials. The spraying device 6 is composed of a nozzle 6a for spraying the release agent and a release agent discharge device 6b connected to the nozzle 6a. The release agent discharge device 6b has a tank for storing the release agent, a pump for delivering it, and an adjustment device for stably discharging the release agent. Silicone oil or Teflon (registered trademark) can be used as the release agent. The release agent sprayed from the nozzle 6a penetrates scratches and gaps on the surface of the conveyor belt 2, smoothing out any irregularities on the belt surface. Furthermore, because it contains a surfactant, it bonds with moisture adhering to the conveyor belt 2. This allows the release agent to function as a lubricant. When the release agent adhering to the conveyor belt 2 comes into contact with the snap pulley 10, vent pulleys 7 and 9, or return roller 11 (described later) via the conveying surface 14, it is added, making it difficult for adhering materials to adhere to the conveying surface 14 of the conveyor belt 2. This extends the life of each roller and pulley and reduces the surface resistance of the conveyor belt 2, thereby maintaining the running speed. When the release agent is silicone oil, it contains silicone, wax, additives, surfactants, etc., and also contains a water-repellent component.

[0020] As described above, the belt cleaner unit 5 first scrapes off any adhering materials that adhere to the conveyor belt 2 during conveyance. The sprayer 6 then sprays a release agent onto the conveying surface 14 of the belt 2, allowing the belt cleaner unit 5 to apply a water-repellent coating to worn areas of the conveyor belt 2 and improve lubricity, thereby maximizing belt performance and extending the belt's lifespan. The lubricity of the release agent also prevents wear on the belt cleaner unit 5 that contacts the conveyor belt 2 and maintains its ability to scrape off adhering materials. Furthermore, because the release agent is sprayed in a spray form from a non-contact nozzle 6a without using a contact-type additive device, the structure is simple, and even if any adhering materials remain on the conveyor belt 2 that were not completely scraped off by the belt cleaner unit 5, they are not affected by the sprayer 6. As a result, structural modifications are reduced, and the running speed of the conveyor belt 2 can be maintained.

[0021] Furthermore, in some cases, the belt cleaner unit 5 cannot completely remove adhering materials containing a large amount of moisture. Since such adhering materials are easily released from the conveying surface by the conveyor belt 2 sprayed with the release agent, it is possible to easily remove the adhering materials from the conveyor belt 2 with a small force, such as by contact with the snap pulley 10 or return roller 11 (described later). Therefore, even if the belt cleaner unit 5 cannot completely remove the adhering materials, they can be peeled off from the conveyor belt 2 in the upstream portion when the conveying surface faces downward (after the belt 2 turns back at the head pulley 4) and collected in the hopper 3. Even if the adhering materials fall to the floor without being collected in the hopper 3, most of the adhering materials will fall in this upstream portion, thereby reducing the cleaning area and facilitating these tasks. Furthermore, the hopper 3 is positioned so that it can collect materials that fall directly at the portion where the head pulley 4 turns back. In this case, the opening surface may be formed to widen below these so that it can further accommodate adhering transported materials scraped off by the belt cleaner unit 5, and also accommodate adhering transported materials that come into contact with the snap pulley 10 or return roller 11 and fall.

[0022] A snap pulley 10 is disposed downstream of the belt cleaner unit 5 and upstream of the location where the release agent is sprayed onto the conveyor belt 2 by the nozzle 6a of the spray device 6. The snap pulley 10 bends the conveyor belt 2 at an angle while sending it out. A tension pulley 8 and the like are disposed downstream of the snap pulley 10, which applies a load to the conveyor belt 2. This allows the tension of the conveyor belt 2 from the head pulley 4 to the snap pulley 10 to be maintained high. Therefore, the belt cleaner unit 5 scrapes off adhering conveyed materials in this high-tension area, further improving scraping efficiency. This is particularly effective when the drive motor for driving the conveyor belt 2 of the belt conveyor device 1 is connected to the rotation shaft of the head pulley 4, as this area provides the highest tension for driving the conveyor belt 2.

[0023] The belt conveyor device 1 also includes a vent pulley 7 that is disposed downstream of the spray device 6 (where the release agent is sprayed onto the belt 2) and abuts against the conveying surface 14. The conveyor belt 2 is bent at an angle along the vent pulley 7, preventing the sprayed release agent from being repelled from the conveyor belt 2 and allowing the sprayed release agent to adhere to the conveyor belt 2. At this time, the conveyor belt 2 is bent at an angle by the vent pulley 7 and is in close contact with the conveyor belt 2, ensuring that the release agent adheres reliably to the conveyor belt 2. In summary, the conveyor belt 2 bent by the vent pulley 7 is turned back by the tension pulley 8 disposed below it, and is further bent by the vent pulley 9 further ahead to travel.

[0024] As described above, the belt conveyor device 1 according to the present invention includes the conveyor belt 2 that is folded back at the head pulley 4 and the tail pulley 12 to form a ring shape. Objects are placed on the conveying surface 14 of the conveyor belt 2 and run along it. When the conveyor belt 2 runs from the head pulley 4 to the tail pulley 12, the conveying surface 14 faces downward. At this position, the belt cleaner unit 5 is provided to come into contact with the conveying surface 14 and scrape off any adhering objects that are part of the objects adhering to the conveying surface 14.

[0025] As is clear from FIG. 2, the belt cleaner unit 5 has a long belt cleaner and a short belt cleaner, each having a different length in the width direction of the conveyor belt 2 (shown as a short belt cleaner 5a, a medium belt cleaner 5b, and a long belt cleaner 5c). The short belt cleaner 5a is shorter in the width direction of the conveyor belt 2 than the long belt cleaner 5c. The short belt cleaner 5a is also shorter in length than the medium belt cleaner 5b located immediately downstream. When there are three or more belt cleaners as shown in FIG. 2, the middle belt cleaner 5b is a long belt cleaner because it is longer than the short belt cleaner 5a, and a short belt cleaner because it is shorter than the long belt cleaner 5c. In other words, the terms "short belt cleaner" and "long belt cleaner" used in the present invention are relative terms, and the nature of each belt cleaner is determined by their relative positions. Therefore, the medium belt cleaner 5b shown in FIG. 2 acts as a long belt cleaner relative to the short belt cleaner 5a and as a short belt cleaner relative to the long belt cleaner 5c. In other words, the belt cleaner located upstream in the direction of travel of the conveyor belt 2 has a shorter length in the width direction of the conveyor belt 2 than the belt cleaner located downstream.

[0026] The short belt cleaner 5a (5b) is located upstream of the long belt cleaner 5b (5c). This means that the belt cleaner located upstream of the conveyor belt 2 is always shorter in length in the width direction of the conveyor belt 2 than the belt cleaner located downstream. As shown in Figure 2, the belt cleaner 5a (5b) located upstream in the conveying direction A is always shorter in length in the width direction of the conveyor belt 2 than the belt cleaner 5b (5c) located downstream.

[0027] 3 to 5, when the conveyor belt 2 is folded back at the head pulley 4 so that the conveying surface 14 faces downward, the conveyor belt 2 is bent upward. The present invention takes advantage of this bending. The belt cleaner unit 5 has a short belt cleaner 5a at the most upstream side where the belt cleaner unit 5 is arranged (as shown in FIG. 3). Because the length of the short belt cleaner 5a is short relative to the width direction of the conveyor belt 2, it can abut against the most curved part (part with the highest curvature) of the conveyor belt 2 without much clearance. In other words, the short belt cleaner 5a is located at the part with the highest curvature of the conveyor belt 2. This allows adhering conveyed materials to be reliably scraped off.

[0028] In this state, the materials adhering to the left and right sides of the short belt cleaner 5a cannot be scraped off, but they can be scraped off by the next medium belt cleaner 5b (state in Figure 4). Because this medium belt cleaner 5b is longer than the short belt cleaner 5a, a gap is created at the most curved part of the conveyor belt 2. However, since the materials adhering to this part have already been scraped off by the short belt cleaner 5a located upstream, the medium belt cleaner 5b comes into contact with the conveyor belt 2 on both sides of the part scraped off by the short belt cleaner 5a without any gaps, and can reliably scrape off the materials adhering to this part. Furthermore, the left and right sides of this medium belt cleaner 5b are scraped off by the next long belt cleaner 5c (state in Figure 5).

[0029] As a result, any adhering materials (those that may fall off) that adhere to the conveying surface 14 of the conveyor belt 2 during conveyance can be first scraped off by the short belt cleaner 5a. Because the short belt cleaner 5a is located upstream of the medium belt cleaner 5b, there is no gap between the short belt cleaner 5a and the bent conveyor belt 2, and adhering materials do not stick to the short belt cleaner 5a. Therefore, the adhering materials do not damage the conveyor belt 2. At the next medium belt cleaner 5b, the conveyor belt 2 arrives with no adhering materials in its center. Therefore, even if there is a gap between the medium belt cleaner 5b and the conveyor belt 2, adhering materials do not stick there, and no adhering materials are generated. This relationship also applies to the medium belt cleaner 5b and the long belt cleaner 5c. Therefore, the belt cleaner unit 5 consisting of these belt cleaners 5a, 5b, and 5c reliably scrapes off adhering materials, thereby extending the life of the conveyor belt 2. This maximizes the belt's performance. In view of the above, since there is almost no material adhering to the left and right ends of the conveyor belt 2, it is preferable that the long belt cleaner 5c located at the most downstream position in the belt cleaner unit 5 has a length slightly shorter than the width of the conveyor belt 2. In actuality, each of the belt cleaners 5a, 5b, and 5c is formed by fixing a plurality of chips by bolts 18 to a clamping portion 17 protruding from a support rod 16 extending in the left-right direction below the conveyor belt 2, as shown in Figures 3 to 5.

[0030] While Figure 1 shows an example in which belt cleaners 5a, 5b, and 5c constituting belt cleaner unit 5 are positioned from head pulley 4 to snap pulley 10, there are no particular limitations on where they are positioned, and they may be positioned anywhere in the order in which shorter belt cleaners are positioned upstream as long as the conveying surface 14 faces downward. Placing all belt cleaners 5a to 5c constituting belt cleaner unit 5 between head pulley 4 and snap pulley 10 is preferable because it prevents adhering conveyed materials from adhering to conveyor belt 2, thereby preventing subsequent damage to rollers, pulleys, etc. Figure 1 shows an example in which a belt cleaner unit 5 is also provided between snap pulley 10 and vent pulley 7.

[0031] Furthermore, the hopper 3 is preferably located at least below the short belt cleaner 5a. That is, it is preferably located below the short belt cleaner 5a, which is located most upstream among the belt cleaners 5a to 5c that make up the belt cleaner unit 5. Since most of the adhering transported materials occur in the central part of the conveyor belt 2, by locating the hopper 3 for storing the adhering transported materials below the short belt cleaner 5a that scrapes them off, it is possible to collect many of the adhering transported materials in the hopper 3. This prevents many adhering transported materials from falling onto the floor of the belt conveyor device 1, making cleaning easier.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, when the conveying surface 14 of the conveyor belt 2 faces downward, a contact roller 15 is provided upstream of the nozzle 6a to press the conveyor belt 2 from above. As described above, when the conveying surface 14 faces downward, the conveyor belt 2 runs while bending upward. By pressing this downward with the contact roller 15, the conveyor belt 2 can be made slightly flat. By flattening the conveyor belt 2 in this way, the application effect of the release agent sprayed from the nozzle 6a can be improved.

[0033] Furthermore, by disposing the belt cleaner unit 5 below the contact roller 15, it is possible to reduce the deflection of the conveyor belt 2, thereby reducing the gap between each of the belt cleaners 5a, 5b, and 5c and the conveyor belt 2, thereby improving the effectiveness of scraping off adhering conveyed materials. For this reason, it is preferable that one contact roller 15 is provided for each of the belt cleaners 5a, 5b, and 5c. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1: belt conveyor device, 2: conveyor belt, 3: hopper, 4: head pulley, 5: belt cleaner unit, 5a: short belt cleaner, 5b: medium belt cleaner, 5c: long belt cleaner, 6: spray device, 6a: nozzle, 6b: release agent discharge device, 7: vent pulley, 8: tension pulley, 9: vent pulley, 10: snap pulley, 11: return roller, 12: tail pulley, 13: carrier roller, 14: conveying surface, 15: contact roller, 16: support rod, 17: clamping part, 18: bolt

Claims

1. a conveyor belt that is folded back at a head pulley and a tail pulley to form a ring shape and that runs with an object placed on its conveying surface; a belt cleaner unit that contacts the conveying surface at a position where the conveying surface faces downward and scrapes off an adhering conveyed object that is a part of the conveyed object adhering to the conveying surface, the belt cleaner unit includes a long belt cleaner and a short belt cleaner having different lengths in the width direction of the conveyor belt, 10. A belt conveyor apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the short belt cleaner is located upstream of the long belt cleaner.

2. 2. The belt conveyor according to claim 1, further comprising a pressing roller that presses the conveyor belt from above when the conveying surface is running facing downward.

3. 3. The belt conveyor according to claim 2, wherein the belt cleaner unit is disposed below the contact roller.

4. 2. The belt conveyor device according to claim 1, further comprising a hopper for receiving the adhering material scraped off by the belt cleaner unit, the hopper being located at least below the short belt cleaner.

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