Modular Wheel Conveyor with Segmented Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wheel conveyors face issues with small articles dropping between rollers, fixed wheel holding structures requiring dedicated space, wheel shafts easily disengaging, cumbersome assembly and disassembly processes, and difficulties in installing them at inclines.
Innovation Solution
A wheel conveyor design featuring rotatably supported wheels with a modular assembly system, plate-shaped stays with slide engagement grooves, and a reinforcement member acting as feet, allowing for compact storage, reduced risk of wheels falling, and simplified assembly and disassembly, as well as adjustable height for incline installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed wheel holding structure is used, then wheel stability is improved, but storage flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel holding structure is divided into modular wheel units that can be independently assembled and disassembled. Each wheel unit contains a fixed internal holding mechanism, while the overall structure allows flexible reconfiguration by connecting multiple units together, thus maintaining both wheel stability and storage flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel holding structure transitions from a completely fixed design to a dynamic modular system. The wheel units can be easily assembled and disassembled, allowing the conveyor to be reconfigured or compacted for storage while maintaining structural integrity during operation.
2Ease of manufacture
If wheel shaft sections are engaged only from above, then assembly simplicity is improved, but wheel retention reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of engaging the wheel shaft from above only, the holding structure uses a dual-directional engagement mechanism where the shaft is retained from both above and below through the wheel unit structure, preventing upward disengagement while maintaining assembly simplicity.
3Strength
If rod-shaped transverse members are used with bolt fastening, then structural strength is improved, but assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transverse members are integrated into modular wheel units rather than being separate rod-shaped components requiring individual bolt fastening. This segmentation allows the structural elements to be pre-assembled and connected through simpler interfaces, reducing assembly time while maintaining structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple structural functions are merged into the wheel unit module. The wheel unit combines the wheel holding function, the transverse member function, and the connection function into a single integrated component, eliminating the need for separate bolt fastening operations for each element.
4Reliability
If conventional wheel conveyor structure is used, then wheel support stability is improved, but compactness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel units are designed to nest together when not in use, with each unit containing the wheel and holding structure in a compact configuration. Multiple units can be stacked or arranged in a space-efficient manner while maintaining their structural integrity and wheel support stability during operation.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The present invention is a wheel conveyor comprising side frames (1), plate-shaped stays (2) provided with wheel unit attachment grooves at an upper surface, and wheel units (3) having fixed projections (43) capable of being inserted into the wheel unit attachment grooves provided on an upper surface of the plate-shaped stays (2), the wheel units (3) comprising two wheel attachment bodies (4), and a wheel (5) rotatably provided between the two wheel attachment bodies (4), wherein, on plate-shaped stays (2) provided spanning in a longitudinal direction across the side frames (1), one or a plurality of wheel units (3) are detachably attached in a line arrangement in a longitudinal direction of the side frames (1), and one or a plurality are detachably attached in a line or interleaved arrangement in a widthwise direction.