Modular Conveyor Belt Puller Using Hinge-Rod End Joining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing belt pullers struggle to efficiently join the ends of modular conveyor belts, especially for long, wide, and heavy belts with little or no open area, as manual pulling is difficult and conventional tools are ineffective.
Innovation Solution
A belt puller system comprising a puller body with aligned eyelets and a rod that extends through the hinge elements, allowing for easy attachment and connection of belt ends using a ratchet strap or other pulling tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional belt pullers with hooks are used to pull belt ends together, then they work well with belts having plenty of open area, but they are ineffective for belts with little or no open area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces hinge elements as intermediary components that connect to the belt structure. These hinge elements serve as mediators between the puller mechanism and the belt, enabling the puller to effectively attach to and pull various belt types including those with minimal open area, thus resolving the adaptability issue while maintaining ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The puller system is divided into separate functional components: the puller body, the rod, and the hinge elements. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function and enables adaptation to different belt configurations, particularly solving the problem of working with belts that have little or no open area
2Device complexity
If manual pulling is used to join belt ends, then no special tool is needed, but it is difficult especially for long, wide, and heavy belts
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge elements are designed to connect to the belt's own structural components (the hinge joints between modules), allowing the belt structure to serve itself as the attachment point. This eliminates the need for complex external attachment mechanisms while enabling effective pulling of heavy belts through the belt's inherent structure
3Stability of the object's composition
If the belt weight is allowed to pull ends apart, then the belt remains in natural state, but the two ends are pulled apart making joining difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The puller mechanism applies a counteracting force to the gravitational force pulling the belt ends apart. By attaching to the hinge elements and using the rod to transmit pulling force, the system creates an opposing force that overcomes the belt's self-weight, enabling the ends to be drawn together for joining
Data Source
AI summary
A method for pulling a modular conveyor belt and a belt puller for performing the method. The belt puller has eyelets on one end that interleave with hinge elements on an end of a modular conveyor belt. A rod through the eyelets and the hinge elements connects the belt to the puller, which can then be used to pull the belt. Two ends of an unconnected belt can be pulled together by connecting a belt puller to each end, joining the belt pullers with a ratchet strap or other pulling tool, and tightening the strap to pull the ends together.