Modular Roller Conveyor Drive Assembly for Simplified Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing roller conveyor systems are complex to assemble and maintain, requiring laborious adjustment of drive wheel positions and loss of torque settings during disassembly, with high bending elasticity leading to misalignment and increased wear.
Innovation Solution
Combining the second drive wheels and slip clutches into a separate drive assembly that can be assembled as a whole, with a non-rotatable and longitudinally displaceable drive shaft, eliminating the need for pivot bearings and allowing for easy replacement and adjustment of limit torque during production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the drive shaft is made thin to reduce weight and space, then the structural complexity is reduced, but the bending elasticity increases causing misalignment of bevel gears
Solution Approach 1:
The drive system is segmented into modular drive units, each comprising a second drive wheel and an associated pivot bearing. This segmentation allows each module to be independently supported by its own pivot bearing, eliminating the need for a long, thin drive shaft and preventing gear misalignment while maintaining structural simplicity.
2Device complexity
If the second drive wheel is integrated with the drive shaft, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of repair worsens due to difficulty in replacing the drive shaft assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The drive system is divided into modular drive units that can be independently replaced. Each drive unit includes the second drive wheel and pivot bearing assembly, allowing replacement without dismantling the entire drive shaft system, thus maintaining low device complexity while significantly improving ease of repair.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular drive units are pre-assembled with the second drive wheel and pivot bearing as an integrated module. This preliminary assembly allows the entire drive unit to be replaced as a single component, eliminating the need for complex disassembly and reassembly operations during maintenance.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple pivot bearings are provided along the drive shaft, then the gear mesh alignment is improved, but the device complexity and assembly time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot bearing is merged with the second drive wheel to form an integrated modular drive unit. This combination eliminates the need for separate pivot bearing installations along the drive shaft, reducing device complexity and assembly time while maintaining precise gear mesh alignment through the modular design.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the slip clutch is designed with adjustable limit torque, then the adaptability is improved, but the ease of manufacture worsens due to laborious adjustment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The slip clutch limit torque is pre-adjusted to the required value during the manufacturing of the modular drive unit. This preliminary adjustment eliminates the need for laborious field adjustments during conveyor assembly, reducing assembly labor while maintaining the adaptability of the system through pre-configured torque settings.
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
Simplifies assembly and maintenance by fixing the drive assembly position relative to the conveyor roller, reducing misalignment and wear, and allowing for efficient replacement of drive assemblies, thereby saving time and reducing operational complexity.
Implementation Method 1
the second drive wheel is rotatably mounted on the drive shaft, being urged by a spring 32 against a stop 24 fixedly attached to the drive shaft. The spring force results in a certain limit torque at which the transition from static to sliding friction takes place between the second drive wheel and the associated stop.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~3a
AI summary
The conveyor (10) has conveyor rollers (20) provided at a frame (11), where the conveyor rollers are rotatably supported at the frame and define a conveyor surface. Drive wheels are arranged at a rotatable drive shaft. The drive wheels stand in rotary drive connection with the drive shaft by a friction clutch. The drive wheels and the friction clutch are combined to a separate drive component that is mounted as a whole. The drive component is rotatably supported at the frame, and the drive shaft is accommodated in the drive component in a torque-proof and longitudinally movable manner.