Parallel Conveyor Belts with Adjustable Tilt for Unstable Products
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing conveyor belt systems struggle to convey unstable products, such as bottles, along arcuate paths without displacement or falling, as they cannot effectively manage centrifugal forces and require complex alterations to accommodate varying product stability.
Innovation Solution
The system employs two parallel conveyor belts with individually adjustable speed and tilt, allowing for a flat configuration and reduced height, which minimizes transverse forces and enables stable conveyance of unstable products by controlling the angle and shape of the conveying surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single conveyor belt with uniform tilt is used to compensate for centrifugal force, then product displacement is prevented, but unstable products cannot be conveyed and the apparatus requires drastic alterations
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is divided into multiple independent conveyor belts (first conveyor belt and second conveyor belt) that can be tilted at different angles. This segmentation allows each belt to be optimized for different product stability requirements, enabling both stable and unstable products to be conveyed simultaneously on different belts without requiring drastic apparatus alterations.
Solution Approach 2:
Different conveyor belts are assigned different tilt angles based on the stability characteristics of the products they carry. Less stable products (e.g., bottles) are conveyed on belts with smaller tilt angles, while more stable products can be conveyed on belts with larger tilt angles. This local optimization of tilt angle allows the system to adapt to varying product stability requirements.
2Reliability
If the conveyor belt is tilted to prevent product displacement on curved paths, then centrifugal force effects are compensated, but the apparatus height increases and conveying length is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor belts are designed with adjustable and independently controllable tilt angles that can be dynamically optimized for different operating conditions. This allows the system to use reduced tilt angles when conveying unstable products, thereby reducing the vertical space requirement and increasing the horizontal conveying length without compromising product displacement prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system arranges multiple conveyor belts in parallel, utilizing the horizontal dimension to provide alternative conveying paths. This allows the apparatus to achieve the required conveying length without relying solely on increased vertical height from uniform tilting, as products can be conveyed across multiple parallel belts at optimized tilt angles.
3Device complexity
If a uniform tilt angle is applied across all conveyor belts, then the structure is simple, but the transverse force on products cannot be optimized across the width of the product flow
Solution Approach 1:
The tilt angle parameter is varied across different conveyor belts to optimize the transverse force compensation for products at different positions in the flow. Each conveyor belt's tilt angle can be independently adjusted based on the specific requirements of the products it carries, allowing for optimized transverse force compensation without requiring a completely complex apparatus structure.
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
This design enhances product stability and flexibility, allowing for longer conveyor lengths and increased buffering capacity while maintaining a flat configuration, suitable for conveying unstable items without the need for drastic apparatus modifications.
Implementation Method 1
Because products traversing an inner curve experience a smaller centrifugal force than products traversing an outer curve, displacement of the products is prevented in the known device by disposing the conveyor belt with a tilt relative to the horizontal plane
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6
Figure 7a~7d
AI summary
An apparatus (1) for conveying products (7) comprises an endless conveyor belt drivable in a conveying direction, which conveyor belt at least partially follows an arcuate path. The conveyor belt comprises a conveying surface for supporting the products (7) thereon. The conveying surface is tilted relative to the horizontal plane in the arcuate part, seen in vertical cross-sectional view of the conveyor belt, about an axis which extends parallel to the horizontal component of the conveying direction. In the apparatus, the conveyor belt makes up a first conveyor belt (3) having a first conveying surface (5). The apparatus (1) further comprises at least a second drivable, endless conveyor belt (4) having a second conveying surface (6), which extends at least substantially parallel to said first conveyor belt (3).