Conveyor platform structure having a belt tension adjustment device

Abstract

A conveyor platform structure includes a platform having a first coupling portion and a second coupling portion respectively disposed on its two side edges adjacent to the front side and the rear side thereof. A driven shaft assembly is pivotally connected to one end of two adjustable extension units, while the other ends of the two adjustable extension units are connected to the first coupling portion of the platform. A driving shaft assembly is pivotally connected to one end of two fixed extension plates, while the other ends of the two fixed extension plates are connected to the second coupling portion of the platform. A conveyor belt is installed between the driven shaft assembly and the driving shaft assembly. The components of the adjustable extension units are simplified to achieve the effect of reducing manufacturing costs.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Fields of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing machine, and more particularly, to a conveyor platform structure for a grinding processing machine.2. Descriptions of Related Art

[0002] Grinding machines have very wide applications. Generally, metalworking and woodworking products will have rough surfaces that produce burrs, which must be appropriately ground, polished and subjected to other detailed finishing processes to enhance their overall appearance.

[0003] A conventional grinding machine “C”, such as the “Grinding Machine with Adjustable Platform Device” of Taiwan utility model patent No. M538436, as shown in FIG. 7, discloses a conveyor platform 9 having a shaft 92 supporting a conveyor belt 93 at the front side and rear side of a platform 91 respectively to convey workpieces, facilitating grinding processing of large workpiece semi-finished products such as metal, wood, etc.

[0004] Moreover, after the conveyor belt 93 is used for a period of time, its tension will deteriorate, gradually losing its function of conveying workpieces. Therefore, two tension adjustment devices 94 are provided on the two sides of the conveyor platform 9 of the conventional grinding machine “C” to timely adjust the tension of the conveyor belt 93 to maintain its workpiece conveying function. The two tension adjustment devices 94 further include two L-shaped members 941, two U-shaped members 942, and two adjustment bolts 943.

[0005] The one end of each of the two L-shaped members 941 is respectively pivotally connected to the two ends of the shaft 92, and the two adjustment bolts 943 respectively pass through the other ends of the two L-shaped members 941 and are then connected within the two U-shaped members 942, so as to achieve the function of adjusting the tension of the conveyor belt 93. The conveyor belt 93 maintains its proper function until the conveyor belt 93 has reached its usage limit and service life, at which point a new conveyor belt 93 can be replaced.

[0006] However, the L-shaped members 941, the two U-shaped members 942, and the platform 91 of the tension adjustment device 94 are all sintered components, requiring additional fabrication of sintering molds, resulting in persistently high manufacturing costs for the tension adjustment device 94 and the platform 91. Therefore, the structural configuration of the tension adjustment device 94 and the platform 91 truly needs to be improved.

[0007] The present invention intends to provide a conveyor platform structure having a belt tension adjustment device to eliminate shortcomings mentioned above.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention relates to a conveyor platform structure having a belt tension adjustment device, and comprises a platform having a first coupling portion and a long guide slot, as well as a second coupling portion respectively disposed on two side edges of the platform. The two side edges are located adjacent to a front side and a rear side of the platform. The platform is formed as a unitary bent sheet with a U-shaped cross-section. A driven shaft assembly has a driven shaft. Two ends of the driven shaft are respectively and pivotally connected to one end of two adjustable extension units. The other ends of the two adjustable extension units are connected to the first coupling portion of the platform.

[0009] A driving shaft assembly has a driving shaft. Two ends of the driving shaft are respectively and pivotally connected to one end of two fixed extension plates. The other ends of the two fixed extension plates are connected to the second coupling portion of the platform. A conveyor belt is installed between the driven shaft assembly and the driving shaft assembly. The two adjustable extension units adjust a tension of the conveyor belt, as well as a parallelism between the driven shaft and the driving shaft.

[0010] Preferably, an interior of the two side edges of the platform has two guide blocks opposite to each other. Each guide block includes a plurality of guide grooves. The plurality of guide grooves are located at the lower side edges of the conveyor belt to provide guidance for the conveyor belt.

[0011] Preferably, the first coupling portion includes a screw hole, and the second coupling portion includes two screw holes.

[0012] Preferably, the adjustable extension unit is an L-shaped rod body composed of a long segment and a short segment. A retaining member is attached to the long segment. A bolt passes through a through hole defined in the retaining member and is connected to a coupling screw hole defined in the short segment.

[0013] Preferably, the long segment is parallel to the side edges of the platform. The short segment has a screw rod segment which extends vertically and protrudes to connect to the long segment. The screw rod segment is inserted into the long guide slot defined in the side edges of the platform and secured with a nut.

[0014] Preferably, the long segment includes an elongated hole and a pivot hole. A screw rod segment extends from the retaining member, and the screw rod segment extends vertically through the elongated hole and is connected to the first coupling portion of the platform.

[0015] Preferably, the driving shaft assembly is connected to a motor drive module.

[0016] The primary object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor platform structure with low manufacturing cost; the secondary objective of this utility model is to provide a conveyor platform structure that combines the adjustment of conveyor belt tension and the parallelism between the driving shaft and driven shaft; another objective of this utility model is to provide a conveyor platform structure having a belt tension adjustment device that prevents damage caused by mutual contact and friction between the outer edges of the conveyor belt and the inner edges of the platform.

[0017] The present invention achieves the following effects:

[0018] 1. The present invention primarily configures the platform as a unitary bent sheet with a U-shaped cross-section, eliminating the need for additional sintering molds. The components of the belt tension adjustment device can also be made without using sintered parts, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the conveyor platform structure.

[0019] 2. The present invention provides the belt tension adjustment device on the platform, allowing the present invention to not only adjust the tension of the conveyor belt, but also adjust the parallelism between the driving shaft and driven shaft, thereby stabilizing the conveyor belt to remain in a fixed position and avoiding belt misalignment.

[0020] 3. The present invention further provides two guide blocks opposite to each other on both sides below the conveyor belt. The two guide blocks are provided with a plurality of guide grooves for accommodating and positioning on both sides of the conveyor belt, creating a distance between both sides of the conveyor belt and the two inner side edges of the platform respectively, so as to prevent damage caused by mutual contact and friction between the two outer side edges of the conveyor belt and the two inner side edges of the platform.

[0021] The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the conveyor platform structure having a belt tension adjustment device of the present invention;

[0023] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the conveyor platform structure having a belt tension adjustment device of the present invention;

[0024] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the belt tension adjustment device of the present invention;

[0025] FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the conveyor platform structure having a belt tension adjustment device of the present invention;

[0026] FIG. 5 is a vertical transverse cross-sectional view of the conveyor platform structure having a belt tension adjustment device of the present invention;

[0027] FIG. 6 is a vertical longitudinal cross-sectional view of the conveyor platform structure having a belt tension adjustment device of the present invention, and

[0028] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the conveyor platform structure of a conventional grinding machine.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0029] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the present invention relates to a conveyor platform structure “A” having a belt tension adjustment device “B”, and primarily provides a platform for conveying workpieces (such as wood pieces, metal pieces, or plastic pieces, etc.) with reduced manufacturing cost, and is provided for installation on a machine frame 6 of a processing machine. The conveyor platform structure “A” having the belt tension adjustment device “B” comprises a platform 1, a driven shaft assembly 2, a driving shaft assembly 3, and a conveyor belt 4, etc. The above components will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as follows.

[0030] The platform 1, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, has a first coupling portion 14 and a long guide slot 15, as well as a second coupling portion 16 respectively disposed on two side edge 13, 13a which are adjacent to the front side 11 and the rear side 12 of the platform 1. The first coupling portion 14 includes one screw hole, and the second coupling portion 16 includes two screw holes. The platform 1 is a U-shaped cross-section formed by integral bending of a unitary sheet metal. Furthermore, the interior of the side edge 13, 13a of the platform 1 are provided with two guide blocks 17 opposite to each other, and each guide block 17 is provided with a plurality of guide grooves 171 and guide grooves 171a. The plurality of guide grooves 171 and the guide grooves 171a are arranged at the lower side edges of the conveyor belt 4 to provide guidance for the conveyor belt 4 and create a distance d between the conveyor belt 4 and the platform 1.

[0031] The driven shaft assembly 2 has a driven shaft 21 with its two ends respectively pivotally connected to one end of adjustable extension units 22, while the other ends of the two adjustable extension units 22 are connected to the first coupling portion 14 of the platform 1. The adjustable extension units 22, through their adjustable length, allow the driven shaft 21 to be relatively displaced with respect to the front side 11 of the platform 1, thereby constituting the belt tension adjustment device “B” of the present invention to achieve the purpose of tension adjustment of the conveyor belt 4. That is, the conveyor belt 4 in a tight state can convey workpieces, while the conveyor belt 4 in a loose state allows for replacement of old and new conveyor belts.

[0032] Each adjustable extension unit 22 of the belt tension adjustment device “B” of the present invention is respectively configured as an L-shaped rod body composed of a long segment 23 and a short segment 24, and further includes a retaining member 25 attached to the long segment 23, and a bolt 26. The long segment 23 is positioned parallel to the side edge of the platform 1, and the short segment 24, through a screw rod segment 242 provided thereon, extends vertically and protrudes to connect to the long segment 23, and is then inserted into the long guide slot 15 provided on each side edge of the platform 1 and secured with a nut. The long segment 23 is provided with an elongated hole 232 and a pivot hole 231, and a screw rod segment 252 provided on the retaining member 25 extends vertically through the elongated hole 232 and is connected to the first coupling portion 14 of the platform1. The bolt 26 passes through a through hole 251 defined in the retaining member 25 and is connected to a coupling screw hole 241 defined in the short segment 24. After the bolt 26 extends through the through hole 251 of the retaining member 25, the bolt 26 near the through hole 251 is provided with an elastic washer 261 and a pin 262, thereby pivotally mounting the bolt 26 in the through hole 251 provided in the retaining member 25.

[0033] The driving shaft assembly 3 has a driving shaft 31 with its two ends respectively pivotally connected to one end of two fixed extension plates 32, while the other ends of the two fixed extension plates 32 are connected to the second coupling portion 16 of the platform 1. The driving shaft assembly 3 is connected to a motor drive module 5 to drive the conveyor platform structure “A” for conveying workpieces.

[0034] The conveyor belt 4 is installed between the driven shaft 21 of the driven shaft assembly 2 and the driving shaft 31 of the driving shaft assembly 3, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0035] Please refer again to FIGS. 5 and 6. The present invention primarily uses the conveyor platform structure “A” to convey workpieces. In practical usage, before starting the conveyor platform structure “A”, the conveyor belt 4 has to be in a tight state. After the conveyor platform structure “A” is started, the motor drive module 5 begins to operate to drive the driving shaft 31 to rotate, and the driving shaft 31 drives the driven shaft 21 to rotate through the conveyor belt 4. This causes the conveyor belt 4 to circulate around between the driven shaft 21 and the driving shaft 31, and workpieces can then be placed on it to convey the workpieces.

[0036] It is noted that the partial side edges located below the conveyor belt 4 are placed into the plurality of guide grooves 171 and guide grooves 171a provided in the two guide blocks 17 opposite to each other. The guide grooves 171 or the guide grooves 171a not only stabilize the rotation of the conveyor belt 4, but also create the distance “d” between both sides of the conveyor belt 4 and the two side edges of the platform 1 respectively, to prevent damage caused by mutual contact and friction between the two outer side edges of the conveyor belt 4 and the two inner side edges of the platform 1.

[0037] Please refer again to FIG. 4, the belt tension adjustment device “B” primarily provides adjustment of the tension of the conveyor belt 4. Its usage involves using hand tools, such as a hex wrench, to rotate the bolts 26 of the two adjustable extension units 22 provided in the driven shaft assembly 2, namely pivoting the two bolts 26 respectively in the through holes 251 of the corresponding two retaining members 25. The external threaded segments of each bolt 26 will respectively drive the two short segments 24 through the internal threads of the corresponding coupling screw holes 241 and move the two long segments 23 together. That is, the two long segments 23 and the driven shaft 21 pivotally connected thereto will undergo relative displacement with respect to the two side edges and front side 11 of the platform 1 according to the forward or reverse rotation adjustment of the bolts 26. In other words, by adjusting the forward and reverse rotation of the bolts 26, the displacement distance of the driven shaft 21 relative to the front side 11 of the platform 1 is adjusted, thereby enabling adjustment of the tension of the conveyor belt 4.

[0038] It is noted that while the two adjustable extension units 22 provided in the belt tension adjustment device “B” adjust the tension of the conveyor belt 4, it is also preferable to adjust and maintain the parallelism between the driven shaft 21 and the driving shaft 31 through the two adjustable extension units 22, thereby stabilizing the conveyor belt 4 to remain in a fixed position and avoiding belt misalignment. If the driven shaft 21 and the driving shaft 31 are not parallel, belt misalignment will occur when the conveyor platform operates, causing damage due to mutual contact and friction between the two outer side edges of the conveyor belt and the two inner side edges of the platform.

[0039] While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A conveyor platform structure comprising:a platform having a first coupling portion and a long guide slot, as well as a second coupling portion respectively disposed on two side edges of the platform, the two side edges located adjacent to a front side and a rear side of the platform, wherein the platform is formed as a unitary bent sheet with a U-shaped cross-section;a driven shaft assembly having a driven shaft, two ends of the driven shaft respectively and pivotally connected to one end of two adjustable extension units, the other ends of the two adjustable extension units connected to the first coupling portion of the platform;a driving shaft assembly having a driving shaft, two ends of the driving shaft respectively and pivotally connected to one end of two fixed extension plates, the other ends of the two fixed extension plates connected to the second coupling portion of the platform, anda conveyor belt installed between the driven shaft assembly and the driving shaft assembly, the two adjustable extension units adjusting a tension of the conveyor belt, as well as a parallelism between the driven shaft and the driving shaft.

2. The conveyor platform structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein an interior of the two side edges of the platform has two guide blocks opposite to each other, each guide block includes a plurality of guide grooves, the plurality of guide grooves are located at the lower side edges of the conveyor belt to provide guidance for the conveyor belt.

3. The conveyor platform structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first coupling portion includes a screw hole, and the second coupling portion includes two screw holes.

4. The conveyor platform structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjustable extension unit is an L-shaped rod body composed of a long segment and a short segment, a retaining member is attached to the long segment, a bolt passes through a through hole defined in the retaining member and is connected to a coupling screw hole defined in the short segment.

5. The conveyor platform structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the long segment is parallel to the side edges of the platform, the short segment has a screw rod segment which extends vertically and protrudes to connect to the long segment, the screw rod segment is inserted into the long guide slot defined in the side edges of the platform and secured with a nut.

6. The conveyor platform structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein the long segment includes an elongated hole and a pivot hole, a screw rod segment extends from the retaining member, the screw rod segment extends vertically through the elongated hole and is connected to the first coupling portion of the platform.

7. The conveyor platform structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving shaft assembly is connected to a motor drive module.

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