Conveyor Chain Self-Cleaning via Segmented Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor chains used for transporting food and dust-producing products face challenges in cleaning, particularly at reverse turn areas where dirt accumulates, leading to blockages and operational issues, as existing solutions do not effectively address the auto-cleaning of internal and external surfaces during reverse turns.
Innovation Solution
The conveyor chain incorporates a male coupling device with protruding edges acting as scrapers and an arched upper notch that seals during operation, combined with a deflector roller for auto-cleaning, and enlarged notches for dirt expulsion, allowing for effective cleaning using compressed air or water, ensuring continuous operation even with granulated or dust-producing products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional male-female coupling devices with narrow bottleneck openings are used, then the chain structure is compact and stable, but dirt accumulates inside the joints and blocks chain movement
Solution Approach 1:
The male coupling device is segmented into multiple protruding edges instead of a solid cylindrical segment. This segmentation creates channels between the edges that allow dirt to be expelled during reverse turns, preventing accumulation while maintaining structural integrity and chain stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the reverse turn motion, which normally causes dirt accumulation, to create beneficial scraping action. The protruding edges scrape against the female coupling surface during reverse turns, automatically expelling dirt and converting the harmful blocking motion into a useful self-cleaning mechanism.
2Adaptability or versatility
If channels are added to enable reverse turns, then the conveyor can handle elevation and tightening applications, but the channels become difficult to clean and block movement
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor chain performs self-cleaning through its own operational motion. The protruding edges on the male coupling devices automatically scrape and expel dirt from the channels during normal reverse turns, eliminating the need for external cleaning mechanisms and maintaining continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning action is dynamically integrated into the chain's operational cycle. During reverse turns, the relative motion between male and female couplings creates automatic scraping and dirt expulsion, making the cleaning function dynamic and continuous rather than static and periodic.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the chain uses a sealed joint design to prevent dirt entry, then hygiene is improved, but dirt accumulates inside and blocks the tilting movement between links
Solution Approach 1:
The joint sealing and dirt expulsion operate in periodic cycles corresponding to the chain's forward and reverse motion. During forward motion, the arched notch seals to prevent dirt entry; during reverse turns, the sealing opens slightly to allow dirt expulsion through the protruding edges, creating a periodic seal-expel cycle that maintains both hygiene and mobility.
4Productivity
If the chain is designed for bulk product transport, then productivity increases, but granulated products dirty the inside of joints and block operation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the dirt removal function from the joint structure itself. The protruding edges act as extraction elements that actively remove granulated products and dust from the joint interior during reverse turns, preventing accumulation and maintaining operational reliability while allowing bulk transport.
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
The solution enables efficient auto-cleaning of the conveyor chain during operation, preventing blockages and ensuring proper rotation, even with bulk products, by effectively removing dirt from both internal and external surfaces during reverse turns, thus maintaining hygiene and operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the deflector roller for auto-cleaning... effectively removing dirt from both internal and external surfaces during reverse turns
Implementation Method 2
male coupling device with protruding edges acting as scrapers... enabling efficient auto-cleaning of the conveyor chain during operation
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The type that uses links (1) joined directly and hinged to each other using male-female coupling devices that allow for a certain tilting angle between them; their male coupling devices (3) are configured in such a way to include protruding edges (5) for improving the cleaning of the female coupling devices (2), and also creating chambers (6) which also help to improve the cleaning functions. Arched notches (8) are located between links, which are closed using arched partitions (9), which enables to use the conveyor chain for transporting bulk products without dirtying up the chain since chambers (8) are formed that remain completely closed and are nullified when the links tilt opposite the normal operation of the chain during the chain's return phase with the aid of deflector rollers. An auto-cleaning effect is accomplished in this way, which maintains the chain in optimum conditions of cleanliness.