Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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WRA 28943
CONVEYOR SYSTEM FOR TRANSPORTING GOODS
Background of the Invention:
Field of the Invention:
The invention relates to a conveyor system for transporting
goods by means of a conveyor belt or the like, with two
spaced-apart support tracks and with an endless conveyor
1o belt which is embodied with beams or the like spaced apart
from one another in the conveying direction; rollers are
provided on lateral ends of the beams along the support
tracks.
Prior art conveyor systems of that kind.comprise an endless
conveyor belt, guided over deflection rollers at both ends,
and carrying rollers, on which the conveyor belt comes to
rest. The carrying rollers are disposed below the upper run
of the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt must have
2o sufficient tensile strength to withstand the tensile forces
dictated by the conveying motion on the one hand and the
tensile forces exerted on it, on the other hand, by the
weight of the goods being conveyed. The tensile strains on
the conveyor belt caused by the weight of the goods being
conveyed are reduced, when the spacing between the carrying
rollers located below the upper run of the conveyor belt is
reduced.
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Moreover, the carrying rollers of those prior art systems
roll relative to the conveyor belt and the conveyor belt
slides over the carrying rollers. This causes extraneous
tensile strain on the conveyor belt, and wear on the
conveyor belt.
In such prior art conveyor systems, there is accordingly a
need either to provide a conveyor belt with very high
1o tensile strength, in which case the carrying rollers can be
spaced farther apart from one another and a reduced number
of conveying rollers can be provided over the full length of
the conveying apparatus, or to provide a large number of
carrying rollers which are spaced more closely. In the
latter case, the tensile strains on the conveyor belt caused
by the weight of the goods being conveyed are reduced. The
conveyor belt may thus be-embodied with lower tensile
strength. However, a large number of carrying rollers must
be provided, which raises the structural expense.
zo
Summary of the Invention:
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a
conveyor system for transporting goods, which overcomes the
above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known
devices and methods of this general type and which utilizes
conveyor belts with relatively low tensile strength, without
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the need closely spaced support rollers or other support
devices which entail major structural expense.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is
provided, in accordance with the invention, a conveyor
system for transporting goods, comprising:
an endless conveyor belt for transporting goods along a
conveying direction; the conveyor belt being formed with a
1o plurality of transverse beams spaced apart from one another
in the conveying direction, carrying rollers supported on
the transverse beams; and
two support tracks, disposed one above the other, for
is supporting the conveyor belt; the support tracks being
formed with carrying cables supporting the rollers and
carrying the weight of the conveyor belt.
In other words, the objects of the invention are satisfied
2o with two support tracks located one above the other, in the
form of (pairs of) carrying cables, on which the conveyor
belt rollers are supported such that the the weight of the
conveyor belt is transferred onto the carrying cables.
25 In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the
transverse beams have an underside, the conveyor belt being
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secured to the underside of the beams, the beams dividing
the conveyor belt into individual segments.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention,
s the conveyor belt is a corrugated edge conveyor belt having
a support face and having corrugated edges, the support face
of the conveyor belt being secured to the undersides of the
carrying beams, segments of the corrugated edges being
disposed between the beams and having ends -secured to the
1o forward and rear faces of the beams (as seen in the
conveying direction). In the embodiment as a corrugated-
edge conveyor belt, the belt can be deflected around the
deflection rollers at the end points of the system.
1s In a particularly advantageous embodiment, a height of the
beams and a height of the corrugated edges are approximately
equal.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the
zo transverse beams carry the rollers at the lateral end faces
thereof.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention,
there are provided guide rails at the terminal ends of the
z5 conveyor belt, the guide rails guiding an upper pair of the
carrying cables outwardly, laterally away from the conveyor
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YTRA 28943
belt, and a dead-end drum on which the upper pair and a
lower pair of the carrying cables are wrapped.
As a result of this kind of conveyor system, only rolling of
the rollers relative to the support tracks occurs, and as a
result the tensile strain of the conveyor belt is reduced.
The belt, therefore, may be embodied with substantially
reduced tensile strength. Since moreover the conveyor belt
does not slide over carrying rollers, it does not undergo
1o any abrasion. Another advantage is that the rollers, which
require maintenance or are subject to abrasion, periodically
reach the end stations of the conveyor system, and as a
result stationary maintenance or stationary replacement can
be performed. Hence there is no need to carry out
maintenance work or perform replacement of components over
the length of the conveyor system.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for
the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
zo
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein
as embodied in a conveyor system for transporting goods, it
is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details
shown, since various modifications and structural changes
may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the
invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of
the claims.
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The construction of the invention, however, together with
additional objects and advantages thereof will be best
understood from the following description of the specific
s embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying
drawings.
Brief Description of the Draw
Fig. 1 is a patial side elevational view of one end of a
io conveyor system;
Fig. 2 is an elevational view a detail of the conveyor
system, viewed in the conveying direction;
15 Figs. 3a is a side elevational view of a support pillar;
Fig. 3b is an elevational view thereof, viewed in the
conveying direction;
2o Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the conveyor system,
outside of a support pillar;
Fig. 5a is a partial side elevational view of the conveyor
system outside a support pillar; and
Fig. 5b is a plan view thereof.
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Description of the Preferred Embodiments:
Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and
first, particularly, to Fig. 1 thereof, there is seen a
conveyor system according to the invention with two pairs of
carrying cables 1 (la, lb) and 2 (2a, 2b), located at
different heights, which extend over the entire length of
the conveyor system. The cables la, lb and 2a, 2b are
carried, similarly to a carrying cable of a cable car
io system; by pillars 3 and they are-firmly anchored to the
ground or to a base or the like at the ends of the conveyor
system.
The two pairs of carrying cables 1 and 2 are associated with
a endless conveyor belt 4, which is guided over deflection
rollers 71 at the ends of the conveyor system. At least one
of the deflection rollers 71 is driven. A tension device 72
is provided for the conveyor belt 4. A feed device 73, by
way of which the goods to be conveyed are placed on the
zo conveyor belt 4, is illustrated at the beginning of the
conveyor system.
The conveyor belt 4 is embodied with lateral rollers 6,
which run onto and leave the carrying cables la, lb and 2a,
2s 2b at the ends of the conveyor system. The rollers 6 run on
and are supported by the carrying cables 1 and 2 the entire
extent of the conveyor system, except for the ends. As a
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WRA 28993
result, the strain presented by the weight of the goods
being conveyed is absorbed by the carrying cables 1 and 2,
so that the conveyor belt 4 is relieved accordingly. The
only motion is a roll-off motion.
At the ends of the conveyor system, the conveying cables 1
and 2 are placed in guide rails 11 and 12, wound multiple
times around a dead-end drum 10, and anchored in a base 30.
Since in this region of the conveyor-system the path of
1o motion of the conveyor belt 4 intersects the guide rails 11,
the guide rails 11 are extended laterally to the outside, as
can be seen from Fig. 2.
Figs. 3a and 3b show a support pillar 3 in more detail.
is With reference to Fig. 3b, the support pillars 3 have two
transverse struts 31 at different heights. Bearing blocks
32 that support the carrying cables 1 and 2 from below are
disposed on the struts 31. Platforms 33 that can be used
for assembly and maintenance work can also be provided on
2o the support pillars 3.
Figs. 4, 5a and 5b illustrate the conveyor belt 4 and the
carrying rollers 6 in more detail. Spaced-apart beams 5 are
provided over the course of the conveyor belt 4. The bottom
2s face 41 of the conveyor belt 4 is secured to the underside
of the beams 5. Corrugated edges 42 (or fan walls or the
like) of the conveyor belt 4, extending laterally of the
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conveyor belt 4, are secured to the side faces of the beams
5. The corrugated edges 42 together with the beams define
individual conveyor segments. The rollers 6, which roll off
along the carrying cables Ia, lb and 2a, 2b, are supported
on the free ends of the beams 5. The goods 40 to be
conveyed are located on the conveyor belt 4. Because of the
corrugated edges 42, the conveyor belt 4 can be passed over
the deflection rollers 71 at its ends.
1o The lion share of the strain exerted on the conveyor belt 4
by the goods 40 is transferred to the carrying cables 1 and
2. Accordingly, only the tensile force required for its own
motion needs to be absorbed by the conveyor belt 4.
Moreover, the conveyor belt is embodied with carrying
rollers 6, which are movable along the cables la and lb, and
as a result the strains caused by the goods being conveyed
need not be absorbed by the conveyor belt. As a result,
conveyor systems of very great length can be manufactured.
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