Displaceable Conveyor for Fire Protection Wall Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transport devices for container treatment plants face issues with safely and cost-effectively transporting containers through fire protection walls, as they often jam fire protection doors due to container placement and require expensive separate drives for foldable conveyors.
Innovation Solution
A transport device with at least three conveyors, where a displaceable conveyor is designed to move through a wall opening, eliminating the need for a free drive control and ensuring containers are pushed out of the way, preventing jamming of fire protection doors, and using a locking and displacement unit for automatic switching to safe operation during fires.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a roller transition is used between adjacent conveyors to enable folding, then the conveyor can be folded down to close the fire protection door, but containers remain standing on the transition and fall into the fire protection door area causing jamming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the problematic roller transition element from the conveyor system and replaces it with a displaceable conveyor section that can be actively moved. This removes the source of the jamming problem (containers standing on transition) while maintaining the fire protection function through active displacement rather than passive folding.
Solution Approach 2:
The displaceable conveyor is moved to a retracted position before the fire protection door needs to close, preventing containers from falling into the door area. This preliminary action eliminates the jamming risk before it can occur, rather than reacting to it afterward.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a driven chain with free drive control is used in foldable conveyors, then the conveyor can be folded for fire protection, but the system becomes very expensive due to separate drive requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the displacement function into the existing conveyor drive system. The displaceable conveyor section utilizes the same drive mechanism that moves containers, eliminating the need for separate drive units and free drive control systems. This integration maintains fire protection capability while dramatically reducing system complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor drive system is designed to perform multiple functions: it both transports containers along the conveyor path and displaces the conveyor section for fire protection. This multi-functionality eliminates redundant drive components and reduces overall system complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If containers are transported through a wall opening with a fire protection door, then room separation is achieved, but containers may jam the fire protection door when it needs to close
Solution Approach 1:
The displaceable conveyor is automatically retracted to a safe position before the fire protection door closes, ensuring containers are positioned away from the door area. This preliminary action prevents the harmful effect of door jamming before it can occur, while maintaining continuous container transport capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates detection devices that monitor the position of containers and the state of the fire protection door. This feedback mechanism ensures containers are properly positioned on the displaceable conveyor before door closure, preventing jamming while maintaining fire protection functionality.
Data Source
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AI summary
A transport device and a transport method is provided for a container treatment plant. The transport device comprises at least one transporter for transporting containers to or away from a treatment station of the container treatment plant, wherein at least one transporter is positioned displaceable in relation to another one of the transporters to provide a closeable spatial separation between the at least one displaceable transporter and the other transporter.