Asymmetric Conveyor Link Design for Sticky Product Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Product adhesion to conveyor belts, particularly with sticky or treated products, complicates transfer due to the existing design of conveyor belts which do not effectively detach or lift the product during turns.
Innovation Solution
A modular conveyor belt design featuring links with an end distance longer than the upper thickness, incorporating staggered side projections with through holes, creating a difference in turning radii that lifts the product off the belt during turns, facilitating easier transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the conveyor belt uses a standard link design with end distance equal to upper thickness for smooth turns, then the turning operation is smooth, but the product adheres to the belt making transfer difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The link is designed with asymmetric dimensions where the end distance is deliberately made longer than the upper thickness. This asymmetry creates different turning radii for the outer and inner surfaces of the link during chain movement, generating a lifting effect that detaches the product from the belt surface, thereby solving the adhesion problem while maintaining smooth operation
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional planar link design to a three-dimensional design by extending the end distance beyond the upper thickness. This dimensional change creates vertical clearance during chain turns, allowing the link to lift the product off the belt surface and prevent adhesion-related transfer difficulties
2Ease of operation
If the conveyor belt uses drive and push rods to push the product against the transfer area, then product transfer is facilitated, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The link structure itself is designed to perform the product detachment function through its asymmetric geometry. During chain movement, the longer end distance automatically creates a lifting motion that detaches the product, eliminating the need for separate drive and push rods. The structure serves its own transfer function without requiring additional complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for separate drive and push rod mechanisms by integrating the product detachment function directly into the link geometry. The asymmetric link design inherently provides the lifting action that would otherwise require additional mechanical components, thereby simplifying the overall device structure
3Shape
If the conveyor belt uses a comb introduced flush with the transport surface for planar transfers, then the transfer surface remains planar, but the product is not lifted or detached from the belt
Solution Approach 1:
The invention moves beyond the two-dimensional planar transfer surface by creating a three-dimensional lifting effect through the asymmetric link design. The longer end distance generates vertical clearance during chain turns, allowing the link to lift the product off the belt surface, thereby achieving both planar transfer surface and effective product detachment
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a link for conveyor chains of the type that are defined by at least one central core from which a plurality of side projections extend, characterized in that the end distance (d1) of at least one of the ends of the link is larger than the upper thickness (e1); where said end distance is the distance between a rotational axis (eg) and the end of the link while said upper thickness is the length between said rotational axis (eg) and the upper surface of the link.