Arcuate Roller Conveyor Large Radius High Speed Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing curved roller conveyor systems face challenges in maintaining control and stability of conveyed articles at high speeds, as they are typically limited to small conveyor radii and require belt conveyors to achieve adequate carton control, which restricts operation beyond 300 feet per minute.
Innovation Solution
The use of a large conveyor radius defined by rollers with a unique taper arrangement, allowing for a larger number of rollers and reduced roller center distance, enabling operation at higher speeds while maintaining article stability and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a small conveyor radius is used in existing curved roller conveyor systems, then the conveyor can maintain control and stability of articles, but the operation speed is restricted to below 300 feet per minute
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a large conveyor radius curvature to the roller arrangement, transitioning from small-radius curves to large-radius curves. This allows the conveyor to operate at higher speeds while maintaining article stability, as the larger radius reduces the centripetal force acting on conveyed articles. The curved roller arrangement with large radius R creates a gentler arcuate conveying surface that better supports article stability at speeds exceeding 300 feet per minute.
2Speed
If a large conveyor radius is used, then operation speed can exceed 300 feet per minute, but article stability and control deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different roller configurations to different sections of the curved conveyor. The rollers are arranged in a specific arcuate pattern with large radius, and each roller section is optimized for its local position. This local optimization allows the conveyor to maintain article control through tailored roller spacing and orientation at each position along the curve, while overall enabling high-speed operation through the large radius design.
Solution Approach 2:
The curved conveyor is divided into multiple roller sections that can be independently configured. Each roller section contributes to the overall arcuate conveying surface, allowing the system to maintain precise article control through segmented roller arrangements while achieving high-speed capability through the collective large-radius configuration of all sections.
3Stability of the object's composition
If belt conveyors are used to achieve adequate carton control, then article stability is maintained, but the system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the belt conveyor mechanical system with a roller-based mechanical system arranged in a large-radius curved configuration. Instead of using a continuous belt to provide article control, the system uses individually positioned rollers that collectively create an arcuate conveying surface. This substitution maintains carton control and article stability while simplifying the overall system by eliminating the belt mechanism and its associated drive and tensioning components.
Data Source
AI summary
A material handling system incorporates one or more arcuate conveying surfaces defined by rollers with a large conveyor radius. The rollers may be tapered rollers, and may be live rollers.