Conveyor Pop-Up Roller with Separable Axial Flux Drive
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor rollers can lead to jam points, causing injury or damage to products and equipment, as they do not effectively address the issue of foreign objects getting stuck between rollers or conveyor belts.
Innovation Solution
A powered roller system with a separable drive mechanism, comprising a fixed stator and a detachable rotor, which can pop up in case of jams, utilizing an axial flux motor with a disc-shaped rotor and stator configuration to prevent attractive forces and allow easy ejection of the roller from its support structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a powered roller is used to actively drive the conveyor, then conveying efficiency is improved, but the risk of jam points and damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The powered roller is divided into separable components: a stationary drive mechanism and a movable roller assembly that can be quickly detached and replaced. This segmentation allows the roller to be easily removed during jams, converting a potentially harmful fixed component into a replaceable one that minimizes damage and downtime.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a fixed drive mechanism is used for the roller, then operational stability is improved, but ease of repair and replacement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The drive mechanism is segmented into a fixed stationary part and a movable roller assembly. The stationary drive mechanism provides stable power transmission, while the separate roller assembly can be easily removed and replaced without affecting the drive mechanism itself, thus maintaining operational stability while improving repairability.
Solution Approach 2:
The roller assembly is extracted as a separate removable component from the drive mechanism. This allows the roller to be taken out and replaced independently when jams occur, while the stationary drive mechanism remains in place, providing stable operation and easy maintenance.
3Reliability
If traditional rollers are used, then conveying function is maintained, but safety and damage reduction deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The roller assembly is designed to be dynamically removable rather than fixed. During normal operation, it functions as a standard powered roller maintaining conveying reliability. During jams, it can be quickly removed to prevent damage and injury, thus dynamically adapting to different operational conditions to reduce harmful factors while maintaining reliability.
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 enhances safety by allowing the roller to be easily displaced during jams, reducing damage and downtime, with quick replacement and low maintenance, while maintaining operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
an axial flux motor with a disc-shaped rotor and stator configuration
Data Source
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AI summary
A conveyor includes a powered pop-up roller driven by separable drive components. A first drive component is rigidly coupled to the frame of the conveyor. The first drive component induces motion driving the roller in a second drive component, which is fixed to the roller but separable from the first drive component.