Integrated Roller Holder Guard for Conveyor Pinch Gaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional conveyor belt systems face challenges in ensuring operational safety by preventing pinch gaps that can trap human limbs or objects, while retrofitting safety guards is cumbersome and may be omitted during maintenance, and existing solutions disrupt the conveying process or require additional parts that can be lost.
Innovation Solution
An integrated anti-contact protection system where the safety guard is formed with the roller holder, ensuring it is always attached during operation, and a modular, extendable protective element that minimizes pinch gaps without increasing the conveying gap size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a safety guard is retrofitted to a conveyor belt system, then operational safety is improved, but device complexity and installation effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The safety guard is merged with the roller holder to form a single integrated component. The guard forms part of the roller holder structure, eliminating the need for separate mounting operations and reducing device complexity while maintaining safety functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The roller holder is designed to serve multiple functions: it holds the roller, provides belt tension adjustment capability, and incorporates the safety guard function. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed in the system
2Reliability
If a safety guard is retrofitted to a conveyor belt system, then operational safety is improved, but installation time and material effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
By combining the safety guard and roller holder into a single integrated component, the installation process is simplified to one mounting operation rather than multiple separate installations, significantly reducing installation time and material effort
Solution Approach 2:
The safety guard is pre-integrated into the roller holder structure during manufacturing, so that when the roller holder is mounted to the conveyor belt system, the safety guard is already in place and properly positioned, eliminating the need for separate installation steps
3Productivity
If the guard rail is made shorter in the transport direction, then productivity is improved, but safety protection effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The safety protection is extended from the longitudinal direction (transport direction) to the transverse direction by having the protective element extend beyond the belt radius. This dimensional shift allows adequate safety coverage without requiring a long guard rail in the transport direction, thus maintaining productivity
4Reliability
If conventional safety guards are used, then safety protection is provided, but additional parts are required that can be lost during maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The safety guard and roller holder are merged into a single integrated component, eliminating the need for separate fastening parts such as mounting screws or clips. This reduces the number of parts that could potentially be lost during maintenance operations
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated roller holder with safety guard is designed as a removable assembly that can be taken off as a single unit for maintenance purposes, eliminating the need for multiple separate parts to be handled during belt replacement operations
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
A guard (H) for covering a clamping gap formed between two components, a) wherein one of the components is a conveyor belt (F) of a belt conveyor (K) extending along a conveying direction (X), a transverse direction (Y) orthogonal thereto, and a vertical direction (Z) orthogonal to both directions (X, Y), b) and wherein the conveyor belt (F) is deflected by a roller (R) attached to a belt body (B) of the belt conveyor (K) by means of a roller holder (T), which is rotatable about a roller axis (A) extending in the transverse direction (Y), characterized in that the guard (H) is designed for attachment to the roller holder (T) or is formed integrally with the roller holder (T).