Roller Conveyor Section Switching to Prevent Material Accumulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing roller conveyors struggle with the issue of conveyed materials accumulating on downstream sections, leading to potential damage and inefficiencies, as they lack effective mechanisms to switch off and on conveying sections based on material accumulation.
Innovation Solution
A roller conveyor system with actuating devices featuring pre-release and release elements that are activated by stationary and moving goods, respectively, allowing switching elements to transition between active and passive positions, thereby controlling the engagement and disengagement of the drive chain with conveyor rollers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the roller conveyor continuously conveys materials through all sections, then productivity is maintained, but material accumulation occurs on downstream sections causing damage and inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The roller conveyor sections are made dynamically controllable through switching devices that can change the state of individual sections between active (driven) and passive (coasting) positions. This allows the conveyor system to adapt its configuration in real-time based on material flow conditions, preventing accumulation while maintaining overall productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor system is divided into multiple independently controllable sections, each with its own switching device. This segmentation allows selective activation or deactivation of specific sections based on downstream conditions, enabling precise control to prevent material accumulation without stopping the entire conveyor system.
2Reliability
If switching devices are added to control individual conveyor sections, then material accumulation is prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The switching devices are designed to be automatically actuated by the conveyed materials themselves through sensor detection. When materials are detected on downstream sections, the system automatically triggers the switching devices to change section states, eliminating the need for external complex control systems and reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Sensor devices detect the presence of materials on downstream conveyor sections and provide feedback signals that automatically trigger the switching devices. This feedback mechanism creates a closed-loop control system that responds to actual material conditions, enabling reliable flow control without requiring complex centralized control architecture.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a roller conveyor (1) for conveying material (2, 3, 4). To further develop the roller conveyor (1) such that a force transmission between the drive chain (8) and the conveyor rollers (5) can be reliably switched on and off by means of the roller conveyor (1), the invention provides that a first actuating device (35) has a first pre-release device (37) and a first release device (39) and can actuate the first switching device (9), wherein the at least one switching element (10) of the first switching device (9) can be changed from the active position to the passive position by moving a pre-release element (47) of the first pre-release device (37) into a pre-release position and a release element (48) of the first release device (39) into a release position.wherein the pre-release element (47) of the first pre-release device (37) can be activated by a conveyed item (2) stationary on the second conveying section (13) and the release element (48) of the first release device (39) can be activated by a further conveyed item (3) located on the first conveying section (13). Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for operating the roller conveyor (1) according to the invention.