Slotted Conical Hinge Pin for Modular Conveyor Belt Links
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hinge pin designs for modular conveyor belt links are difficult to remove without damaging the links, and they often accumulate debris, making cleaning and maintenance challenging, leading to potential malfunction and hygiene issues.
Innovation Solution
A hinge pin with a central cylindrical section and conical ends featuring three or more radially extending slots, allowing for easy cleaning and requiring drilling for removal, ensuring authorized access and minimizing wear by allowing replacement of only the conical sections, with color differentiation for easy identification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conical section with large outer circumference is used to maintain the hinge pin in position, then the hinge pin can be firmly held between eye parts, but it becomes difficult to remove and may damage the eye part
Solution Approach 1:
The conical section is divided into multiple conical part sections by radially extending slots, allowing the sections to move relative to each other. During insertion, the slots allow the conical part sections to compress, reducing the outer circumference to pass through the aperture. During removal, the slots enable the conical part sections to expand independently, distributing the removal force and preventing eye part damage while maintaining reliable retention during operation.
2Reliability
If a conical section is used to maintain the hinge pin in position, then firm positioning is achieved, but cleaning becomes difficult due to intimate contact with the eye part
Solution Approach 1:
The conical section is segmented into multiple conical part sections by radially extending slots. These slots create gaps between the conical part sections and the eye part during operation, allowing cleaning tools to access the interface areas. The slots enable water and cleaning agents to flow through, preventing debris accumulation while the conical sections maintain their retention function when assembled.
3Ease of operation
If a slot is provided in the hinge pin to allow deformation, then insertion becomes easier, but the slot accumulates debris and is difficult to clean
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of a single horizontal slot, the invention uses multiple radially extending slots that divide the conical section into separate conical part sections. This segmentation creates multiple narrow gaps rather than one wide horizontal cavity, reducing debris accumulation. The radial orientation allows gravity and water flow to naturally drain debris downward, and the gaps permit cleaning tools to reach all surfaces effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The slots extend radially from the center outward, creating a three-dimensional cleaning pathway. This radial arrangement allows cleaning fluids to flow along the length of the slots from the apex toward the base, utilizing gravity and pressure to flush debris out of the slots rather than allowing it to pool horizontally as in the prior art design.
4Ease of operation
If the hinge pin is made removable by closing the slot, then unauthorized removal becomes possible, but this compromises the security of the conveyor structure
Solution Approach 1:
The conical section is divided into multiple conical part sections that can move independently. To remove the hinge pin, all conical part sections must be simultaneously compressed inward, which requires applying force to multiple points around the circumference. This multi-point compression requirement prevents casual or unauthorized removal while still allowing authorized removal when proper tools and force are applied to all slots simultaneously.
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
Facilitates thorough cleaning, prevents unauthorized removal, reduces wear, and allows for easy identification of worn-out parts, ensuring the conveyor belt's integrity and hygiene standards are maintained.
Implementation Method 1
due to the resilient characteristics of the material from which the hinge pin is made, the resiliency will make the conical section bounce back such that the outer diameter of the conical section will be larger than the diameter of the aperture provided in the eye part
Data Source
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AI summary
Hinge pin or part of hinge pin for use when connecting two adjacent modular conveyor belt links of the type where the belt links are provided with projecting eye parts, where the eye parts are provided with a transverse aperture, such that a hinge pin may be inserted through overlapping eye parts through the apertures hingely connecting two adjacent modules, wherein the hinge pin is shorter than the width of the belt links perpendicular to the intended travelling direction, and that the hinge pin has a central section having a cylindrical shape in the axial direction and where the ends of the hinge pin comprises a conical section, said conical section having an outer circumference larger than the axial section of the pin, where the conical section is provided with three or more radially extending slots, where each slot has a depth in the axial direction of the hinge pin being equal to or less than the extent in the axial direction of the conical section, where the width of each slot is such that when the three or more conical sections abut, the circumference is equal to or less the circumference of the cylindrical part of the hinge pin.