Modular Drive Shaft Assembly for Roller Conveyor Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing roller conveyor systems require significant space and are cumbersome to maintain, especially when replacing drive shafts or conveyor rollers, as the drive shaft must be disassembled from all bearing assemblies, which is impractical in confined production line environments.
Innovation Solution
The drive shaft is connected to a separate third bearing assembly, allowing the drive shaft assembly to be assembled or disassembled without displacing it in the conveying direction, with bevel gears facilitating easy engagement and disengagement, and the use of modular components like U-shaped covers and snap connections for alignment and protection, enabling easier handling and alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If the drive shaft is integrated into the conveyor system with fixed bearing assemblies, then the conveyor structure is stable and reliable, but the drive shaft cannot be easily disassembled for maintenance without requiring significant space in the conveying direction
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing assemblies are divided into two distinct types: first bearing assemblies that are fixed to the frame, and second bearing assemblies that are movable along the drive shaft. This segmentation allows the drive shaft to remain integrated with the conveyor structure while enabling easy disassembly of individual roller units for maintenance without requiring significant space in the conveying direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The second bearing assemblies are designed to be movable relative to the drive shaft, allowing them to be easily removed and repositioned. This dynamic design enables maintenance personnel to access and replace drive shaft components or conveyor rollers without disassembling the entire drive shaft or requiring extensive space in the conveying direction, thus improving ease of repair while maintaining compact dimensions.
2Ease of operation
If the drive shaft is made movable relative to bearing assemblies for easy maintenance, then the ease of operation improves, but the alignment precision between drive wheels and conveyor rollers deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The second bearing assemblies act as intermediary components between the drive shaft and the conveyor rollers. These bearing assemblies include alignment features that ensure precise positioning of the drive wheels relative to the conveyor rollers, even when the bearing assembly is moved along the drive shaft for maintenance purposes. This intermediary structure maintains alignment precision while enabling easy maintenance operations.
3Ease of repair
If a separate third bearing assembly is added to the drive shaft system, then the drive shaft assembly can be easily assembled and disassembled as a module, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The third bearing assembly is integrated with the second bearing assembly to form a combined modular unit. This merging allows the drive shaft assembly to be easily assembled and disassembled as a complete module, replacing multiple components simultaneously. While this adds a bearing assembly component, the modular design simplifies the overall maintenance process and reduces the need for separate adjustment mechanisms, thereby balancing the increase in component count with improved ease of repair.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~3a
AI summary
The rolling conveyor (10) has multiple feed rollers (20) that define a conveyor surface, in which the feed rollers are joined on end regions rotatably to two bearing assemblies. A drive shaft is joined rotatably to a third bearing assembly, which is embodied separately from former and latter bearing assemblies, such that a drive shaft assembly has the drive shaft. The third bearing assemblies are joined as a unit detachably to the rolling conveyor.