Jam Prevention Diverter Wheels for Roller Conveyors
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor systems face issues with jamming due to items exceeding the safe width, leading to unnecessary shock and potential damage, as existing diverter wheels often contact articles unintentionally, causing friction and momentum transfer.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of jam prevention diverter wheels, positioned at a selected angle between adjacent rollers and extending above the conveyor surface, which engage and divert items wider than a certain threshold, preventing jamming by mechanically rotating with power derived from the main conveyor rollers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If diverter wheels are positioned to contact articles on the conveyor, then articles can be diverted to side conveyors, but wide items or misaligned items may jam the conveyor
Solution Approach 1:
The diverter wheel is positioned to protrude above the conveyor surface in advance, creating a preliminary barrier that contacts wide or misaligned items before they can cause jamming downstream. This preemptive contact diverts problematic items off the conveyor at the first opportunity.
Solution Approach 2:
The diverter wheel acts as an intermediary element between the main conveyor and side conveyors. It selectively interacts with articles based on their dimensions and alignment, serving as a mediator that redirects only those items requiring diversion while allowing properly sized items to pass through unaffected.
2Ease of operation
If diverter wheels extend above the conveyor surface to divert articles, then diversion is achieved, but unnecessary shock and damage are imparted to articles even when diversion is not desired
Solution Approach 1:
The diverter wheel is designed with selective engagement characteristics, protruding only enough to contact items that exceed the safe width threshold. Articles within the acceptable width range pass by without contact, experiencing no shock or damage, while only oversized items are diverted.
Solution Approach 2:
The diverter wheel protrudes slightly above the conveyor surface - just enough to engage wide or misaligned items, but not so much that it contacts properly sized articles. This partial protrusion provides the necessary diversion capability while minimizing harmful contact.
3Reliability
If roller spacing is reduced to prevent packages from falling between rollers, then safety is improved, but the conveyor cannot accommodate wider items without jamming
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is segmented into two functional zones: the main roller section with close spacing for safe package containment, and the diverter wheel section that provides selective width control. This segmentation allows the conveyor to maintain safety while accommodating a range of item widths through the diverter mechanism.
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
Effectively prevents jamming by diverting wide or misaligned items, minimizing resistance and damage, while ensuring safe and efficient conveyance of articles up to a certain width, reducing operational costs through the use of inexpensive glide plates and diverter wheels.
Implementation Method 1
Power to drive the diverter wheels is mechanically 'frictionally' derived from the conveyor rollers of the main conveyor
Data Source
AI summary
Roller conveyors can only safely convey articles up to a certain width to downstream conveyors without jamming. The present invention utilizes at least one and preferably a plurality of jam prevention diverter wheels disposed at a selected angle between adjacent rollers of a conveyor with a portion of the diverter wheels extending above the surface of the conveyor rollers to contact items and limit the width of items that can pass through without jamming the conveyor. The diverter wheels are rotated with power mechanically derived from the main powered conveyor rollers. A portion of diverter wheels extend above the skewed roller conveyor surface a selected distance and at a selected angle to contact conveyed articles and only allow items up to a certain size to pass diverting wide items or misaligned items having a width wider than desired for passing through to a downstream conveyor. Jam prevention is the point. If an item width exceeds a given threshold width the diverter wheels come into contact with the term and engage the item pulling the item away from the conveyor stream.