Roller-belt sorter with booster for tire momentum
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing roller-top belt sorting systems in the tire industry face challenges in efficiently sorting tires of varying sizes and types, as the momentum of tires may not be sufficient to cross wide cross conveyors, leading to incomplete sorting.
Innovation Solution
A sorting conveyor system with a bidirectional roller-top conveyor belt and a booster mechanism, such as a motorized assist roller, air manifold, or linear-motor-driven rollers, to ensure tires have sufficient momentum to cross the conveyor and reach designated destinations, with control systems to adjust speeds and apply forces as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the cross conveyor is made much wider than the diameter of a tire, then more sorting destinations can be accommodated, but the tire's momentum becomes insufficient to cross the cross conveyor
Solution Approach 1:
The booster mechanism is activated before the tire reaches the cross conveyor to pre-accelerate the tire and provide additional momentum. This preliminary action ensures the tire has sufficient force to traverse the wide cross conveyor without requiring the tire to generate all the momentum on its own
Solution Approach 2:
The booster acts as an intermediary between the infeed conveyor and the cross conveyor, transferring additional momentum to the tire. This intermediary mechanism bridges the gap between the tire's natural momentum and the requirement to cross a wide conveyor
2Adaptability or versatility
If the roller-top belt is raised above the level of the main conveyor for diversion, then sorting to left or right destinations is enabled, but the system complexity increases with multiple height positions
Solution Approach 1:
The roller-top belt's height position is made dynamic rather than static, allowing it to be raised or lowered based on the specific sorting destination requirements. This dynamic adjustment enables the same conveyor to serve multiple functions (straight-through, left diversion, right diversion) without requiring separate fixed conveyors for each destination
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 system effectively sorts tires across wide cross conveyors by providing additional force and control, ensuring accurate and efficient sorting into multiple destinations, even when tire momentum is insufficient, thereby improving sorting efficiency and accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
A booster disposed between the exit of the infeed conveyor and the first side of the cross conveyor is selectively operable to apply a force in the first direction to selected articles exiting the infeed conveyor to push the selected articles across the width of the roller-top conveyor belt
Implementation Method 2
Article-supporting belt rollers in the roller-top belt are freely rotatable in the first direction
Data Source
AI summary
A sorting conveyor system (46) comprising a main conveyor line (48) intersected by cross conveyors (18) having roller-top conveyor belts (20). The roller-top conveyor belts, which can be driven bidirectionally perpendicular to the conveying direction of the main conveyor line, have article-supporting belt rollers (22) that can rotate freely in the main conveying direction (14). Articles (38) fed from the main conveying line onto the cross conveyor can be sorted to the left or the right by the conveyor belt. Articles destined for sorting downstream pass over the stopped roller-top conveyor belt atop the freely rotatable belt rollers and back onto the main conveyor line. A booster (40), such as a motorized roller (40), between the main conveyor line and the cross conveyor applies a force in the main conveying direction against articles destined to cross the cross conveyor.