Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
This invention relates to a belt conveyor, more
precisely to a conveyor of the kind which comprises a convey-
ing belt supported in a stand, for example, in the form of
spaced-apart posts, and comprising energy-absorbing elements
designed integrally with the belt in spaced relationship to
each other, and a flexible intermediate member between the
energy-absorbing elements, and with carrier rollers provided
in the conveyor stand and cooperating with the energy-
absorbing elements to carry the belt in an endless path, and
with drive rollers provided in said stand for driving the
belt in said path.
At belt conveyors of the aforesaid kind, and also
at conventional belt conveyors consisting of a reinforced
rubber belt running on slightly V- or U-shaped roller stands
of tight relationship, it is difficult, and at some construc-
tions entirely impossible to guide the conveying belt in a
path, which is curvy in horizontal projection, and especially
in narrow curves, without subjecting the conveying belt,
which usually consists of an elastomer, for example, rubber,
to exceptionally heavy wear or destroying the belt in some
other way relatively rapidly. As one consequence thereof,
known belt conveyors could not be given a path leading about
an obstacle and, therefore, not be utilized for transporting
goods over long distances, as it is possible, for example,
with a cable overhead conveyor, unless a plurality of reload-
ing stations were provided. The belt conveyor, therefore,
has been used only for short-distance goods transport.
At belt conveyors of the kind disclosed, for
example, in the patent specification Great Britain 1,351,132,
the goods are transported more or less enclosed in the upper
load-carrying run of the conveying belt, because the run is
suspended bag-shaped on carrying rollers. This implies a
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great advantage as the goods are held enclosed during its
transport, but in spite of this advantage, belt conveyors of
this ~ind are used to a very limited extent and, as mentioned
above, only for goods transported over very short distances.
One reason, which has contributed to said limited utilization,
has been the failure in so~ving the problems of driving the
conveying belt so that no sliding will arise between the belt
and drive rollers. This problem has not been solved in said
British patent specification either, where instead a compli-
cated drive system with separate drive wires is used, whichrenders the conveyor substantially more expensive and limits
its possibilities of utilization and application.
The present invention, therefore, has the object to
solve these and other problems involved with the use of the
type of belt conveyor concerned and to bring about such a
belt conveyor, at which the driving power efficiently and
slide-proof is transferred directly from the drive rollers
to the conveying belt, and which further can be used for the
transport of goods even over long distances and along curved
paths.
According to the invention, a conveyor is proposed
which comprises a conveying belt with energy-absorbing ele-
ments carried in a stand, the elements being integral with the
belt and spaced apart from each other and including a flexible
intermediate portion therebetween. The conveyor stand rollers
are arranged to cooperate with the energy-absorbing elements
and to carry the belt in an endless path, and also driving
rollers are arranged in the stand for driving the belt in the
path. The energy-absorbing elements have a section projecting
at least from the lower surface of the belt with a width
preferably increasing to the belt, and at least one driving
roller for driving the belt includes at least one groove for
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driving engagement with one of the sections of the belt.
These and other characterizing features of the
present invention are explained in greater detail in the
following descriptive part where reference is made to the
accompanying drawings, which show some embodiments of the
invention, but only by way of example:
Fig. 1 is a section in a schematic manner through
the conveying belt of the present belt
conveyor and through a roller stand for
carrying the belt substantially horizontally,
Fig. 2 is a similar section as in Fig. 1, but
through a possible return run of the endless
conveying belt of the conveyor,
Fig. 3 shows a roller stand for carrying the belt in
a closed bag-shaped way,
Fig. 4 shows a roller stand for carrying the belt
vertically suspended at one of its edges,
Fig. 5 is a vertical section in a schematic manner
through a drive station for the conveying
belt,
Fig. 6 is a horizontal view in a schematic manner
of a second drive station for the conveying
belt,
Fig. 7 is a section along the line VII-VII in Fig. 8,
Fig. 8 is a schematic view from above of a portion of
a belt curve for a substantially horizontally
located belt,
Figs. 9 and 10 are sections in a schematic manner
along the line IX-IX and, respectively, X-X
in Fig. 8,
Figs. 11 and 12 are views substantially along the
line XI-XI and, respectively, XII-XII in
41~
Fig. 8;
Fig. 13 is a lateral view in a schematic manner of
a belt conveyor according to the invention
with at least one terminal drive station of
the type shown in Fig. 5;
Fig. 14 shows schematically a slightly modified
embodiment of the present conveyor with a
supporting wire for carrying the conveying
belt between posts;
Fig. 15 is a vertical section along substantially
the line XV-XV in Fig. 14; and
Fig. 16 shows an intermediate drive station for the
conveying belt at any one of the embodiments
shown.
In the drawings, the numeral 1 designates an endless
conveying belt comprised in the belt conveyor according to the
invention, which belt consists of a flexible cloth of a dense,
loose or network-like fabric, or of elastomer material, for
exam~le, synthetic or natural rubber, and is provided with
longitudinal energy-absorbing elements or runs 2 in the form
of V-belt sections. Said sections 2, which are provided with
a reinforced core 3, are formed integral with the cloth and
located in spaced relationship to each other at the lower
surface of the belt. The V-belt sections 2 can be located
at and form the longitudinal edges of the belt, as shown in
the Figures, but they may also be located at some distance
from the same and form sealing lips at the outside of the
sections 2. The reinforced V-belt sections 2 of the belt
are capable to entirely take up the forces required for
driving and supporting the belt, while it is the object of
the flexible intermediate portion 4 of the belt located
between the energy-absorbing sections to carry the goods 5
to be transported. Owing to the flexibility of said inter-
mediate portion, the belt also can be folded or bent to
closed shape, as shown in Fig. 3, so that it encloses the
goods in a substantially dust-proof way.
The belt 1 is supported by the belt conveyor accor-
ding to the present invention in a closed or endless path
by means of one or several roller stands 6 in each of mutually
spaced suspension points 30 in the belt conveyor stand, which
may comprise posts, columns, poles or the like 31, as, for
example, shown in Fig. 13. In this Figure, the conveying
belt 1 is shown by way of example only to extend in an end-
less path between a driven roller 16 in a drive station of the
type shown in greater detail in Fig. 5 and also shown designed
as a delivery station 32, and an idle roller 33, which, how-
ever, may be driven and comprised in a drive station of said
type, in connection thereto a loading station 34 associated
with the conveyor is shown.
~ ach roller stand 6 supporting the conveying belt 1
comprises two rollers. Each roller has a running surface 8
substantially in parallel with the axle 7 of the roller and
is either a carrying roller 9 and a pressing roller 10 (see,
for example, Figs. 1 and 2) or two carrying rollers 9 (see,
for example, Fig. 3), depending on how the belt is to be
- supported in the path between driving stations arranged in the
path and required for driving the belt.
Fig. 1 shows roller stands 6, which are located
directly in front of each other and provided with carrying
and guide rollers 9, 10. Said stands carry between themselves
the conveying belt 1 in a substantially plane state in such a
manner that their carrying rollers 9 abut the inside 11 of
the respective V-belt sections and cooperate therewith, and
their pressing rollers 10 abut the upper surface 12 of the
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respective V-belt sections and cooperate therewith. The load
on the belt 1 caused by goods possibly lying on the belt is
taken up by the carrying rollers 9, while the pressing rollers
lO prevent the V-belt sections 2 of the belt to slide upward
from the running surface 8 of the carrying rollers. In order
to prevent the intermediate portion 4 of the belt to contact
the carrying rollers, said rollers can be designed with
thrust collars 14 to cooperate with the lower surface 13 of
the respective V-belt sections.
In Fig. 2 the same roller stand arrangement is
shown as in Fig. 1, which, however, is intended for a possible
return run of the endless conveying belt 1 in the present belt
conveyor. Also in this case, the carrying rollers 9 cooperate
with the inside ll of the respective V-belt section, and the
pressing rollers lO cooperate with the upper surface 12 of
the respective V-belt section which here faces downward and
rests against the underlying pressing roller lO. By reducing
the distance between the roller stands 6, the belt both in its
return run or load-carrying run can be given a more or less
deep trough or groove shape.
As already mentioned, the belt l, due to its
flexible intermediate portion 4, can be folded or bent to a
closed or substantially closed bag-shaped cross-section. For
supporting the belt l in this shape, each roller stand as
shown in Fig. 3 and also in Fig. 15 comprises two carrying
rollers 9, each carrying one of the V-belt sections 2 of the
belt abutting or substantially abutting each other, the said
intermediate portion 4 of the belt suspending down like a
bag between the carrying rollers 9 due to the fact that the
rollers with their running surfaces 8 cooperate with the
inside ll of the respective V-belt section. The load arising
on the belt owing to the goods 5 enclosed therein also tends
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to draw the V-belt sections toward each other, because the
contact surfaces between the running surfaces 8 of the carry-
ing rollers and the V-belt sections 2 of the belt are
inclined relative to the vertical plane. Thus, a certain
locking is obtained therebetween by increased friction, which
prevents a certain relative movement between the V-belt sec-
tions facing toward each other, and at the same time the
possible pressure is reduced which the V-belt sections with
their bottom surface 13 may exert on the thrust collar 14 of
the carrying rollers. This has a certain importance especial-
ly in narrow curves where the load on the carrying rollers
located on the inside of the curve is greater than in straight
portions of the path.
In order to render it possible to empty the belt 1
from the goods 5 enclosed therein at any place where necessary
along the path, and not only at the terminal positions of the
path, at least one roller stand 6 of the type shown in Fig. 4
is provided in the direction of movement of the path in suit-
ably spaced relationship after a suspension point comprising
one or more roller stands of the type shown in Fig. 3.
Through said roller stand 6 the belt 1 runs only with one V-
belt section 2, the second V-belt section being allowed to
move downward with the belt and thereby opening the belt.
Thereafter said second V-belt section is re-united with the
V-belt section 2 carrying the belt in a subsequent roller
stand of, for example, the type shown in Fig. 3. Also in this
case, the carrying roller 9 takes up the load from the belt,
while the pressing roller 10 with its substantially vertical
axle prevents the V-belt section 2 supported by the carrying
roller 9 from sliding off its carrying roller 9. By this
roller stand, thus, a very simple emptying device for the belt
conveyor in question is obtained, which device in an easy way
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can be arranged at any place desirecl along the path. Roller
stands of the type shown in Fig. 4 can be used, besides their
use as emptying or discharge device, for carrying the convey-
ing belt, and preferably its possible return run suspending
vertically from one V-belt section, as shown in Fig. 4. The
return run of the belt arranged in this way results in that
the return run need not be located beneath the load-carrying
run of the conveying belt, but can be suspended to the side
of and on the same or on a higher or lower level than the
load-carrying run, for example, at 36 in Fig. 15, along
longer or shorter portions of its extension, and that the belt
conveyor can be laid with considerably narrower curves than
would be possible with a planely supported return run. In
curves the pressing roller 10 of each such roller stand must
be located on the inside of the curve, so that the tension in
the belt caused by the curving of the belt is taken up by the
pressing roller 10 and not by the thrust collar 14 of the
carrying roller, which is the case if the carrying roller is
located on the inside of the curve.
For supporting the return run of the conveying belt
in plane state, the run, instead of being supported by the
roller stand arrangement shown in Fig. 2, can be supported by
a roller 37 (Fig. 15) provided at least in every suspension
point 30, on which roller the belt 1 is fixed by means of
guide rollers 39, which are provided with grooves 38 corres-
ponding to the V-belt section 2 of the belt, in which grooves
38 the V-belt sections 2 of the belt run.
All roller stands 6 of the present belt conveyor
have in common, that their rollers 9, 10 are arranged so that
the axle 7 of each roller is in parallel with that side of the
V-belt section, to which the roller abuts with its running
surface 8. It is hereby ensured that the energy-absorbing
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or more rollers 16 of the type shown in Fig. 5, i.e., rollers
with grooves formed for the V-belt sections 2 of the belt and
pressing rollers 18 for maintaining the V-belt sections
engaged with the grooves of the ro7ler during the movement of
the belt thereover.
When the goods consist of bulk goods or the like,
the belt can be loaded also by means of a pipe inserted down-
ward between V-belt sections of the belt with thrust rollers
arranged diametrically for keeping the V-belt sections 2 of
the belt apart and for preventing sliding movement between the
same and the charging pipe (not shown).
At long and/or steeply ascending belt transports,
an intermediate driving station can be provided in one or more
of the suspension points 30 of the conveying belt and prefer-
ably in the poles 31, instead of roller stands. Such an
intermediate driving station 40 is shown in Fig. 16 and may
comprise a driving roller 43 driven by a driving unit 41 and
provided with V-belt grooves 42, and a counter-hold roller 44
located directly in front of said driving roller 43 and pro-
vided with V-belt grooves 42, which counter-hold roller may
but need not be driven. Between the rollers 43, 44, the belt
in bag-shaped state is supported in the same way as by the
rollers 20, 22 in Figs. 6 and 7 and runs with its V-belt
sections 2 in driving engagement with the grooves 42 of the
rollers, whereby driving power is transferred to the V-belt
sections 2 from each driven roller 43, 44.
At least the roller stands supporting the conveying
belt in bag-shape, like each intermediate driving station,
should be hingedly suspended. An example thereof is shown in
Figs. 3 and 15 where the carrying rollers 9 of the roller
stand are hingedly suspended about an axle 46 in a console 47,
which in its turn is suspended pivotally about an axle 48,
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vertically suspended position, as shown in Fig. 4, whereby
the risk of belt damages caused by objects following with the
return run is completely eliminated. Due to the elasticity
of the intermediate portion 4 of the belt, also the risk of
belt damages caused by objects possibly following with the
return run in between the same and the driving roller is
reduced.
In Figs. 6 and 7 a modified driving station is
shown, which comprises a driving wheel 20 driven by a motor
(not shown) and having a vertical axle 19, which wheel has a
relatively large diameter and is formed with a peripheral V-
belt groove 21 and with a plurality of non-driven pressing
rollers 22 located outside the driving wheel 20 and also
formed with V-belt grooves 23. This station, thus, is
arranged to drive the belt 1 in its closed bag-shaped state
with the V-belt sections 2 abutting each other. Of these V-
~ belt sections, thus, one is caused to drivingly engage with
;~ the V-belt groove 21 of the driving wheel by means of the
pressing rollers 22 coacting with the other V-belt section of
the belt and pressing against the same, which rollers 22 are
not driven but only follow along and can be radially attached
to the driving roller for control of the forces, by which the
V-belt sections are pressed against each other, and into the
groove 21 of the driving roller. From this driving station
the belt passes out also in bag-shaped state and thus can take
along its load through the driving station. When the belt is
emptied from its load before such a driving station, the belt
can be utilized also after this station for the return trans-
- port of goods, which can be supplied to the belt, because the
belt during a certain distance is supported and maintained
entirely or partially spread, for example, by means of a
roller stand of the type shown in Fig. 1 or by means of one
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11~9411
or more rollers 16 of the type shown in Fig. 5, i.e., rollers
with grooves formed for the V-belt sections 2 of the belt and
pressing rollers 18 for maintaining the V-belt sections
engaged with the grooves of the roller during the movement of
the belt thereover.
s When the goods consist of bulk goods or the like,
the belt can be loaded also by means of a pipe inserted down-
, ward between V-belt sections of the belt with thrust rollers
arranged diametrically for keeping the V-belt sections 2 of
the belt apart and for preventing sliding movement between the
same and the charging pipe (not shown).
At long and/or steeply ascending belt transports,
an intermediate driving station can be provided in one or more
of the suspension points 30 of the conveying belt and prefer-
ably in the poles 31, instead of roller stands. Such an
s intermediate driving station 40 is shown in Fig. 16 and may
comprise a driving roller 43 driven by a driving unit 41 and
, provided with V-belt grooves 42, and a counter-hold roller 44
!F located directly in front of said driving roller 43 and pro-
vided with V-belt grooves 42, which counter-hold roller may
but need not be driven. Between the rollers 43, 44, the belt
in bag-shaped state is supported in the same way as by the
rollers 20, 22 in Figs. 6 and 7 and runs with its V-belt
sections 2 in driving engagement with the grooves 42 of the
rollers, whereby driving power is transferred to the V-belt
sections 2 from each driven roller 43, 44.
At least the roller stands supporting the conveying
belt in bag-shape, like each intermediate driving station,
should be hingedly suspended. An example thereof is shown in
Figs. 3 and 15 where the carrying rollers 9 of the roller
stand are hingedly suspended about an axle 46 in a console 47,
which in its turn is suspended pivotally about an axle 48,
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:.
which need not be in parallel with the axle 46, but especially
in curves should be arranged perpendicularly in relation to
the axle 46. In Fig. 15 the console 47 is shown suspended in
a structure 49, in which also the rollers 37 and 39 for the
return run of the belt are shown provided. Said structure 49,
as shown in Fig. 14, may be suspended on a wire 50, which is
secured on a carrying wire 51 extending between the poles 31.
With such a carrying wire 51, the poles 31 can be positioned
at great distance from each other, with one or more suspension
points between the poles. When the tensile stress is concen-
trated to the V-belt sections 2 of the belt, and said sec-
tions in their turn run on rollers, a long distance also can
be held between the suspension points 30, thereby rendering
possible a belt conveyor of low cost compared with conven-
tional belt conveyors.
According to the present invention, it is also
possible to drive the belt 1 in entirely or partially plane
`j state through a curve, as illustrated in Fig. 8. The outer
` V-belt sections 2 of the belt are for this purpose supported
' ~ 20 in roller stands 25 of the type shown to the left in Fig. 1,
I ~
which stands are located in substantially the same plane, and
at which the carrying roller 9 abuts the inside of the V-belt
section, while the pressing roller 10 of each roller stand
acts on the upper surface 11 of the V-belt section. In a
similar way, corresponding roller stands 24 (Fig. 10), i.e.,
roller stands of about the type shown to the right in Fig. 1,
are arranged at the inner edge of the belt, and length adjust-
ing means are provided at the belt edge facing toward the
inside of the curve to balance the difference in length
between the outer and the inner edge of the belt. Said means
consists of every second roller stand at the inner edge of
the belt being located on a higher or lower level than the
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adjacent roller stand, which in its turn can be located on
the same or on a higher or lower level than the roller stands
at the outer edge of the belt. The belt thus is caused to
move with its inner edge along a substantially sinus-shaped
path, and in this way the difference in length and speed
between the outer and the inner edges of the belt are compen-
sated for. The belt hereby can be caused to move through a
curve also in spread state and in this state can be used as
loading and discharge station.
The present invention is not restricted to what is
described above and shown in the drawings, but can be modi-
fied, changed and completed in many different ways within the
~-` invention idea as it is defined in the accompanying claims.
~, A belt conveyor according to the invention, thus, may comprise
one or more of the details described above and shown in the
drawings and by means of these details be so varied, that
substantially all objects desired with respect to goods
transports of the kind concerned can be achieved.
The term V-belt section is to be understood here
as every section having a width increasing to the belt and
which can be formed with teeth for meshing engagement with
the driving rollers.
, ':
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