Friction Roller Catch-Up Conveyor With Constant Spring Bias
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor devices using friction roller type driving devices for catch-up experience accelerated wear of the friction roller due to slippage and increased burden on the speed reducer, particularly when a spring is used as the biasing unit, leading to inefficiencies and environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor device with a friction roller type driving device supported by a guide unit and biased by a spring-based biasing unit, featuring a biasing force adjustment mechanism to maintain a constant biasing force, reducing slippage and wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an air cylinder is used as the biasing unit to maintain constant biasing force, then slippage between the friction roller and the following carriage is reduced, but the device complexity and cost increase due to requiring air pressure generation devices and piping work
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the air pressure generation system (air compressor, relief type regulator, air pipes) from the biasing unit, replacing it with a spring-based system. This removes the complex piping infrastructure while maintaining the essential function of providing biasing force to the friction roller.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the pneumatic system (air cylinder) with a mechanical spring-based system. The spring provides the necessary biasing force through elastic deformation, substituting the complex pneumatic infrastructure with a simple mechanical component that requires no external power source or piping.
2Reliability
If an air compressor is used to generate air pressure for the biasing unit, then constant biasing force can be maintained, but energy consumption increases and CO2 emissions rise
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-based biasing unit is self-service, utilizing elastic potential energy stored during compression to automatically provide the necessary biasing force. The system requires no external power source, operates autonomously, and eliminates energy consumption associated with air compressors and relief type regulators.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the energy-consuming pneumatic system with a passive mechanical spring system. The spring stores and releases energy through elastic deformation, providing continuous biasing force without requiring external power input or generating CO2 emissions.
3Device complexity
If a spring is used as the biasing unit to eliminate air pressure devices, then the system becomes airless and energy-saving, but the biasing force cannot be maintained substantially constant due to spring deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dynamic adjustment mechanism that allows the spring pre-compression amount to be adjusted based on operational conditions. This enables the system to adapt to varying loads and maintain optimal biasing force constancy, transforming the static spring system into a dynamically adjustable one.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of spring pre-compression amount, allowing it to be adjusted to optimize the biasing force. By modifying this parameter, the system can compensate for spring deformation characteristics and maintain substantially constant biasing force during operation.
4Reliability
If the biasing force is increased to prevent slippage, then friction roller wear is reduced, but the burden on the speed reducer increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a feedback mechanism through the adjustable pre-compression amount of the spring. The system can be adjusted to provide the minimum necessary biasing force to prevent slippage under normal conditions, and the adjustment mechanism allows optimization of the balance between slippage prevention and speed reducer burden.
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 achieves energy savings by eliminating the need for air compressors, reduces CO2 emissions, and prevents friction roller wear by maintaining a consistent biasing force, enhancing the device's durability and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing unit that applies a biasing force to the friction roller type driving device to bias the friction roller type driving device in a downstream direction
Implementation Method 2
the biasing unit includes a spring that is a generation source of the biasing force
Implementation Method 3
a friction roller type driving device including a friction roller that is rotationally driven and pressed against a drive surface of a following carriage
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a conveyor device including a friction roller type driving device for catch-up, a guide unit that supports the friction roller type driving device to be movable along a conveyance direction of a carriage, and a biasing unit that applies a biasing force to the for biasing the friction roller type driving device to bias it in a downstream direction, the friction roller type driving device moving in the upstream direction against the biasing force by a force in the upstream direction acting on the friction roller type driving device when a following carriage separated from a rear end carriage of a conveyance line in the upstream direction catches up with the rear end carriage. The biasing unit includes a spring that is a generation source of the biasing force, and a biasing force adjustment mechanism that adjusts the biasing force and maintains the magnitude of the biasing force substantially constant.