Oblique Roller Conveyor Lateral Article Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor systems with obliquely oriented rollers experience accelerated roller wear and increased belt tension due to non-frictionless contact, leading to high backline pressure on accumulated articles, making them unsuitable for applications requiring single-file or side-by-side accumulation.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor design featuring rollers that rotate on axes oblique to the belt travel direction, with a retractable stop that blocks articles and causes the rollers to rotate opposite to the belt direction, reducing backline pressure and guiding articles toward a side guide without contacting the conveyor's underlying structure, thus minimizing wear and tension.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If rollers rotate on oblique axes to guide articles sideways, then articles are directed toward the side guide, but roller wear accelerates and belt tension increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the bearing surfaces from the downstream conveyor section, extracting the source of friction and wear. This allows rollers to rotate freely without contact resistance, eliminating the wear and tension problems while maintaining the article guidance function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the bearing surface configuration dynamic by having it present in the upstream section but absent in the downstream section. This dynamic configuration allows different operational modes: guided rotation upstream and free rotation downstream, optimizing both guidance and reducing wear.
2Productivity
If rollers rotate on oblique axes to push articles forward, then articles are moved in conveying direction, but accumulated articles experience high back line pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the roller rotation direction in the downstream section. Instead of rollers rotating to push articles forward (which creates back line pressure), the rollers rotate in the opposite direction when articles are blocked, pushing them sideways without creating forward thrust and thus reducing back line pressure.
3Ease of operation
If a retractable stop blocks articles to enable lateral movement, then articles can be accumulated and aligned, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retractable stop serves multiple functions: it blocks articles to enable lateral movement, acts as a reference point for alignment, and can be positioned at different locations along the conveyor. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by providing versatile accumulation and alignment capabilities.
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
The solution effectively accumulates and aligns articles with reduced backline pressure and wear, enhancing the conveyor's suitability for applications like palletizing by allowing for efficient lateral movement and alignment of articles.
Implementation Method 1
because contact between the rollers and the bearing surface is not frictionless, roller wear accelerates and belt tension increases
Implementation Method 2
The rotation of the rollers on their oblique axles provides a sidewise component of force directing conveyed articles atop the rollers toward a side guide flanking the belt
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~6
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A conveyor (10) using a roller belt (12) with rollers (42) arranged to rotate on oblique axes (44) to urge articles toward a side guide (54). The conveyor includes an oblique-roller belt (12) supported on a carryway (38). Rollers (42) extend above an outer conveying surface of the belt without contacting the carryway. Each roller rotates on an axis (44) oblique to the direction of belt travel and intersects the side guide (54) downstream of the roller. A retractable stop (60) is moveable to and from a blocking position along the carryway. In the blocking position, the stop blocks the conveyed articles from advancing in the direction of belt travel. The rollers underlying the blocked articles rotate as the belt runs by contact with the articles. The rotating rollers provide a force to the blocked articles directed toward the side guide (54) to push the articles against the side guide or other articles as they accumulate upstream of the stop.