Modular Conveyor Belt With Offset Drive Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modular conveyor belts with small belt modules and pitches face challenges in driving force transmission, leading to stability issues and increased wear, while also being cumbersome to clean and prone to contamination.
Innovation Solution
A modular conveyor belt design featuring alternately interlinked rows with offset drive surfaces and middle sections without linking means, allowing for reduced component size and material usage, improved cleanability, and reduced contamination risk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If small belt modules with small pitches are used, then the conveyor belt can handle small products and achieve better flexibility, but the driving teeth cannot be made thin enough leading to breakage and stability problems
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor belt is divided into alternating first rows and second rows of belt modules. The drive sprocket has first teeth engaging with first rows and second teeth engaging with second rows, creating segmented driving zones that distribute mechanical stress and prevent tooth breakage while maintaining small module dimensions
Solution Approach 2:
Linking means are removed from the middle sections of belt modules, creating linking-free zones that reduce complexity and improve cleanability while maintaining structural integrity through the alternating row interlinking design
2Stability of the object's composition
If link ends are intercalated over whole lengths to connect adjacent rows, then stability is improved, but cleaning becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The linking structure is segmented into discrete link ends at module edges rather than continuous intercalation across whole lengths. This creates distinct cleaning zones while maintaining stability through the alternating row interlinking pattern
Solution Approach 2:
Linking means are extracted from middle sections of belt modules, creating linking-free zones that provide unobstructed access for cleaning fluids and tools while maintaining structural stability through the alternating row connection design
3Reliability
If drive sprocket teeth are made thick to prevent breaking, then reliability improves, but the ability to drive small pitch modules effectively decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The drive sprocket is segmented into first teeth for engaging first rows and second teeth for engaging second rows. This segmentation allows each tooth to be optimized for its specific engagement zone, maintaining durability while improving driving efficiency for small pitch modules through distributed force application
Solution Approach 2:
Different teeth configurations are applied to different zones of the drive sprocket. First teeth are designed for engaging first rows while second teeth are designed for engaging second rows, allowing local optimization of tooth geometry for both durability and driving efficiency in small pitch applications
Data Source
AI summary
A modular conveyor belt (10) comprises a plurality of first rows of one or more belt modules (20) and a plurality of second rows of one or more belt modules (40). Each of the first rows comprises a first drive surface (26) for receiving a force-transmitting surface of a first series of force-transmitting surfaces of a drive sprocket, the first drive surfaces (26) of the first rows being arranged along a first line in a direction of belt travel (T). Each of the second rows comprises a second drive surface (48) for receiving a force-transmitting surface of a second series of force-transmitting surfaces of the drive sprocket, the second drive surfaces (48) of the second rows being arranged along a second line in the direction of belt travel (T). The first line and the second line are offset with respect to each other. Each belt module (20) of the first rows comprises a first middle section (22) between two link sections (21), which has a first flat top surface and is arranged adjacent to a second middle section (42) between two link sections (41) of an adjacent belt module (40) of one of the adjacent second rows having a second flat top surface. The first flat top surface and the second flat top surface have a different width in the direction of belt travel (T) at least in adjacent zones and the first and second middle sections (22, 42) are devoid of linking means.