Bidirectional Stacked Roller Conveyor Belt Diversion

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional conveyor belts with stacked rollers are limited in diverting articles across sharp trajectories and can cause articles with small footprints to tip over due to gaps between rollers, restricting unidirectional operation and infeed capabilities.

Innovation Solution

A conveyor belt design featuring pivotally connected modules with vertically stacked rollers, where the bottom roller rotates to drive the top roller in an opposite direction, allowing for high-angle diversion and bidirectional operation by adjusting the angle and position of the rollers, enabling transverse and rearward displacement of objects.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional conveyor belts with stacked rollers are used, then articles can be conveyed along the belt, but articles with small footprints can get caught in gaps between rollers and tip over

Engineering Contradiction:

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The conveyor belt is divided into modular plastic rows that can be connected together. Each module contains roller stacks positioned within cavities, creating a segmented structure that maintains article support continuity while allowing modular assembly and configuration adjustments to minimize gap effects.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The roller stacks are positioned vertically within cavities in the belt rows, with rollers extending above and below the belt plane. This vertical dimensionality allows articles to be supported from multiple levels, preventing small-footprint articles from falling through gaps while maintaining stable contact.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Adaptability or versatility

If all roller axes are parallel, then articles are propelled in the same direction, but articles can be diverted off only one side of the belt

Engineering Contradiction:

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The axes of rotation of the rollers are made adjustable rather than fixed. Each roller stack can be oriented at different angles relative to the belt direction, allowing dynamic reconfiguration of diversion paths. This enables articles to be diverted to multiple sides and facilitates bidirectional operation while maintaining ease of use through simple angular adjustments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Ease of manufacture

If top rollers are short and confined to belt row, then modular assembly is simplified, but gaps are formed at hinge joints between consecutive belt rows

Engineering Contradiction:

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The roller stacks are nested within cavities in each modular belt row, with rollers positioned vertically so they extend above and below the belt plane. This nesting arrangement allows short rollers to be contained within compact modules while the vertical extension ensures continuous article support across hinge joints, eliminating gaps without complicating modular assembly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

4Productivity

If stacked rollers are used for sharp trajectory diversion, then articles can be diverted across the conveyor, but the conveyor can only feed from one side

Engineering Contradiction:

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The roller stacks are designed to perform multiple functions: they can actively propel articles rearward for sharp trajectory diversion, passively rotate to ease article induction from either side, and be oriented at different angles to facilitate bidirectional operation. This multi-functionality enables the conveyor to efficiently divert articles while accepting input from multiple sides, greatly enhancing versatility without sacrificing productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables efficient diversion of objects at high angles, including 90°, and bidirectional operation, reducing the risk of articles tipping over and improving infeed capabilities by minimizing gaps between rollers.

Implementation Method 1

The top and bottom rollers contact each other such that when the bottom roller is driven in a first angular direction, the top roller rotates in a second, opposite angular direction

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Data Source

PatentEP3275813B1Conveyor belt having bidirectional stacked rollers

Publication Date: 2019.05.15

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AI summary

A conveyor belt (200) having multiple roller sets (201), each roller set (201) including a bottom roller (204) in contact with an axially elongated top roller (202). Driving the bottom roller (204) in a first direction causes rotation of the top roller (202) in an opposite angular direction. The bottom rollers (204) in first longitudinal lanes (198) are arranged to rotate obliquely toward one side of the belt (200), and the bottom rollers (204) in second lanes (198') are arranged to rotate toward the other side of the belt (200). Either the first lanes of roller sets or the second lanes can be selectively actuated to direct articles conveyed atop the top rollers rearward and toward one side of the belt or the other or to receive articles fed onto the belt from either side.