Phase Adjustable Transport Drive System for Carton Conveyors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing carton transport conveyor systems face challenges in efficiently adjusting phase and axial distances between drive members to accommodate cartons of varied length and depth, with current methods being either cumbersome, costly, or lacking in precision and accessibility for adjustment from a single point.
Innovation Solution
The system employs two sets of lug chain drive sprockets, with one set indirectly coupled to a phase adjustment hub, allowing for synchronized but angularly phased operation, and includes an axial positioning system for transverse adjustment, enabling precise phase and axial adjustments from a single location without requiring direct manipulation of drive sprockets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If long keyways are cut into the drive shaft and sprockets with radial slots mounted to keyed hubs for phase adjustment, then phase adjustment is enabled, but the adjustment process becomes cumbersome and calibration is crude and often not repeatable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical keyway and keyed hub system with a spline and splined hub system. The splined interface allows for smoother, more precise phase adjustment by enabling rotational movement without the need for manual keyway manipulation, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining adaptability for phase adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a phase adjustment mechanism that changes the angular position parameter of the drive sprockets relative to the drive shaft. By using a adjustable phase relationship between the drive sprockets and the drive shaft, the system can accommodate various carton lengths through controlled parameter change rather than manual mechanical adjustment.
2Ease of operation
If four individual servo motors are used to drive each drive member separately, then access and calibration requirements are solved, but the system becomes cost prohibitive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a single servo motor that drives a common drive shaft with multiple drive sprockets mounted on it. This universal drive system allows one motor to control multiple drive members (leading and trailing lug chains) through the phase adjustment mechanism, reducing the number of motors from four to one while maintaining the ability to adjust and calibrate the system effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the drive functions of multiple individual motors into a single integrated drive system. By combining the drive shaft, phase adjustment hub, and multiple drive sprockets into one unified mechanism, the system achieves the operational flexibility of multiple motors at a fraction of the cost and complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If lead screws are used for multiple point adjustment, then axial adjustment is enabled, but a chain or belt is required to connect multiple screws to synchronize movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the synchronization function from separate connected lead screws and integrates it directly into the phase adjustment hub mechanism. The phase adjustment hub inherently synchronizes the axial movement of multiple drive sprockets through its mechanical connection to the drive shaft, eliminating the need for external chains or belts to synchronize multiple adjustment points.
Data Source
AI summary
A transport drive system for a carton transport conveyor includes a shaft, a first pair of drive members, a second pair of drive members, and a phase adjustment hub connected to the shaft. A first set of drive members includes a drive member of the first pair and a drive member of the second pair, and the first set of drive members is rotationally fixed with respect to the shaft. A second set of drive members includes another drive member of the first pair and another drive member of the second pair, and the second set of drive members is rotationally fixed with respect to the phase adjustment hub. The phase adjustment hub is angularly adjustable with respect to the shaft to adjust the angular phase of the sets, while the pairs are adjustably spaced one from the other.