Roller Cleaning Device With Independent Locking Means
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing roller conveyor cleaning devices require significant vertical movement of the support frame, leading to increased complexity, instability, and limited use in confined spaces, such as ovens for glass sheet heat treatment, due to the integral movement of locking and support frames.
Innovation Solution
A rollers cleaning device with locking means that can move vertically independent of the support frame, allowing for reduced vertical movement and simplified operation, featuring idle rotating elements and a flat bottom surface for sliding, along with adjustable cleaning elements and actuators for precise positioning and force regulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the locking means and support frame are provided integrally, then the locking means can be raised vertically to disengage from the rollers, but the support frame must undergo significant vertical movement which increases device complexity and reduces stability
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into two independent parts: the support frame and the locking means. The locking means can move vertically relative to the support frame independently, allowing disengagement from the rollers without requiring the entire support frame to undergo significant vertical movement. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling locking means operation while minimizing support frame displacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking means are configured with dynamic vertical movement capability relative to the support frame. This allows the locking means to adapt their position vertically to engage or disengage from the rollers independently, while the support frame maintains a more stable position, reducing overall device complexity and improving stability.
2Ease of operation
If the support frame is raised significantly to disengage locking means from rollers, then the locking means can be completely disengaged, but the centre of gravity is raised and device stability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the locking means from the support frame structurally, the invention allows the locking means to be raised independently for disengagement while the support frame remains relatively stable. This prevents the entire device's centre of gravity from being significantly raised, maintaining device stability during operation.
3Ease of operation
If the support frame undergoes significant vertical movement, then the locking means can be disengaged from the rollers, but the overall device volume increases and use in confined spaces is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The independent vertical movement of the locking means relative to the support frame allows disengagement to occur with minimal overall device volume change. Only the compact locking means mechanism needs to accommodate vertical movement, not the entire support frame, thereby reducing the device's overall volume and enabling use in confined spaces like oven tunnels.
4Productivity
If manual cleaning of rollers is performed by operators moving along the conveyor plane, then all rollers can be reached for cleaning, but the operation is lengthy, laborious, and involves safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning device is designed to be self-propelled along the roller conveyor plane using the rollers' own rotation. The cleaning means are carried along automatically as the rollers rotate, eliminating the need for operators to manually move along the conveyor. This provides complete cleaning coverage while making the operation automated, safer, and less laborious.
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 enables efficient and stable cleaning of rollers with reduced vertical movement requirements, enhancing safety and usability in constrained environments by decoupling the movement of locking means and the support frame, thus improving the device's stability and ease of use.
Implementation Method 1
The locking means comprise idle rotating elements, in particular wheels, configured to be inserted in the space between two adjacent rollers
Implementation Method 2
The frame has a flat bottom surface so that when the flat bottom surface is in contact with the rollers, the rollers cleaning device may be moved along the conveying direction of the rollers thanks to the rolling of the rollers themselves
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(c)
Figure 2(a)~2(b)
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a rollers cleaning device (100) comprising: a support frame (1), cleaning means (2) supported by the frame (1) so as to be movable with respect to the frame (1) and configured so as to be put in contact with the rollers (20) and to clean the outer surface thereof; one or more locking means (10) configured so as to fix the frame (1) in a predetermined position with respect to the rollers (20), while the rollers (20) are moved; the locking means (10) are configured so as to be moved vertically with respect to the frame (1). Moreover, the present invention relates to a rollers cleaning method.