Modular Conveyor Belt Brush Assembly With Interlocking Base
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing brush modules for conveyor belts face challenges such as assembly difficulty, high manufacturing costs, weight, and increased power requirements due to the need for a thick support plate to secure bristles.
Innovation Solution
A brush module design featuring a base with complementary protrusions and holes for easy assembly and reinforcement, allowing multiple modules to be joined with high tensile and shear strength, and enabling self-supporting modular belts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a thick support plate is used to secure bristles, then the bristles are firmly fixed, but the weight of the brush module increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional thick rigid support plate with a thin flexible base plate that has integrated reinforcement elements. The base plate maintains sufficient structural strength through its design (thickness of 2-5mm) while being significantly lighter than conventional thick plates, directly resolving the contradiction between fixation strength and weight.
2Area of stationary object
If multiple brush modules are joined together, then a larger conveyor surface is created, but the assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor belt is divided into modular brush modules that can be independently manufactured and then easily assembled. Each module has standardized connection features (protrusions and recesses) that simplify the joining process, allowing complex large-area conveyors to be built from simple repeating units, thus reducing overall assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The base plate integrates multiple functions into a single component: it supports the bristles, provides structural strength, and incorporates connection features for module assembly. This integration eliminates the need for separate reinforcement pieces or complex joining mechanisms, significantly simplifying the assembly process while enabling large conveyor surfaces.
3Strength
If a thick support plate is used to secure bristles, then the bristles are firmly fixed, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The thin flexible base plate requires less material than thick support plates, directly reducing material costs. The integrated design also reduces manufacturing steps and assembly operations, further lowering production costs while maintaining adequate fixation strength through optimized plate geometry and reinforcement features.
4Use of energy by moving object
If the brush module weight is reduced, then the power required to move the conveyor belt decreases, but the bristle fixation strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The thin flexible base plate achieves optimal balance between weight and strength. Its reduced thickness (2-5mm) significantly lowers weight and power consumption, while integrated reinforcement elements and optimized geometry maintain sufficient fixation strength for industrial applications, resolving the contradiction between energy efficiency and structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
Brush module for conveyor belts (1) a base (5) and a plurality of bristles (4), and also comprises a plurality of complementary protrusions (2) and holes (3) for their engagement with one or more adjacent brush modules (1). Preferably, said holes (3) and protrusions (2) are located in a complementary and opposite manner on additional sections (6) arranged at the ends or sides of the base (5).It allows providing a brush module in which multiple units of the same can be easily joined together, providing great tensile and shear strength, and that in turn can have complementary thicknesses to facilitate assembly while maintaining the final thickness.