HK1123265B - Modular belt link having a detachably fixed reinforcement link - Google Patents

Description

Modular belt coupling with removably secured reinforcement link

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Is free of

Statement regarding federally sponsored research

Is free of

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to modular conveyor belts and chains, and more particularly to modules having removably secured reinforcement links.

Background

Modular conveyor belts and chains are commonly used in different industries to help transport parts and products. Modular conveyor belts and chains include adjacent modules cross-connected to each other at a link end. Typically, one link end extends from the leading edge of the module and the other link end extends from the trailing edge of the module. The leading and trailing link ends include holes that mate with the link pins. The leading edge of one module engages the trailing edge of an adjacent module so that the coupling pin can be coaxially inserted into the aperture of the adjacent coupling end. A number of modules are connected in this way until the desired conveyor belt arrangement is formed. The belt is supported by a conveyor frame or arm and a drive pulley is used to drive the belt along a slide bed and idler pulleys.

The conveyor belt or chain is under stress and tension during operation. The weight of the modules, the weight of the products being transported, the friction between the modules and the support surface, as well as thermal variations, among other factors, combine to create stresses and tensions in the conveyor belt or chain. The reinforcement links are in series with the modules to better handle the stresses and maintain dimensional stability and accuracy of each module and thus the entire conveyor.

Reinforcement links are used in modules in several ways. One approach requires the reinforcement link to be an integral part of the module. This may be accomplished, for example, by co-molding the reinforcement links within a plastic module. Another approach simply places the reinforcement links in series in the module so that as the overall belt tension increases, the reinforcement links assume increased tension to prevent significant deformation of the module.

These two stress-responsive approaches present several practical problems of assembly and repair. By co-molding the reinforcement links with the modules, the cost of the modules increases, and when a module fails, the reinforcement links that are made integral are either discarded or laboriously removed.

The use of reinforcement links in series, while reducing the recycling problems caused by co-molding, introduces significant problems during initial assembly or subsequent repair of the modular conveyor belt system. As previously mentioned, the conveyor belt assembly includes a plurality of modules having intermeshing link ends integrally connected by hinge pins. To assemble the conveyor, all of the link ends must be engaged, the reinforcement links and link ends held in alignment, and a hinge pin inserted into the resulting device at the link ends. As the width of the belt increases, often in multiples of a ruler, the difficulty of this process is greatly increased.

Aligning each block of the conveyor belt assembly can be very cumbersome. This presents the greatest difficulty since the reinforcement link will easily shift from the aligned position. When the belt breaks off the line, the failure is amplified, the technician must replace the broken module, the conveyor stops, the reinforcement links fall on the ground, the parts break off from the alignment, and the technician begins to sweat.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a conveyor apparatus including modules with detachably secured reinforcement links to simplify and improve assembly, disassembly, and repair of modular conveyor belts. The module includes a first link end extending in a first direction from a leading edge and a second link end extending in a second direction from a trailing edge. The first link end includes a first aperture for receiving a first link pin that connects the module with an adjacent module. The second link end includes a second aperture for receiving a second link pin for connecting the module to another adjacent module. The reinforcement link is removably secured to the module. The reinforcement link includes a third aperture aligned with the first aperture that receives the first link pin. And, the reinforcement link includes a fourth aperture aligned with the second aperture that receives the second link pin.

It is an object of the present invention to provide conveyor belt modules and modular conveyor belt devices that are economical and easy to assemble, disassemble and repair. This object is achieved by providing a module comprising a detachably fixed reinforcement link.

The objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description. In the following detailed description, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. These preferred embodiments do not represent the full scope of the invention; rather, other embodiments of the invention are possible. Reference should be made to the claims herein for interpreting the breadth of the invention.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a partially modular conveyor belt according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a partially modular conveyor belt according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the portion of the modular conveyor belt shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a partially modular conveyor belt;

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of a module of the second embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the module of FIG. 5 taken along line A-A;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the module of FIG. 5 taken along line B-B;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a reinforcement link;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a module according to a third embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the module of FIG. 9 taken along line C-C;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the module of FIG. 9 taken along line D-D;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a module according to a fourth embodiment;

fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a part of a module according to a fifth embodiment.

Detailed Description

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the modular conveyor belt assembly 10 of the present invention includes a plurality of adjacent modules 12, 14. Adjacent modules 12, 14 are assembled end-to-end to form a continuous modular conveyor belt assembly 10. Hinge pins 25 pivotally connect adjacent modules 12, 14. Reinforcement links 26, which are removably secured to the modules 12, 14, increase the load carrying capacity of the conveyor belt assembly and simplify the use of hinge pins 25 to connect adjacent modules 12, 14.

The modules 12, 14 are preferably formed by methods known in the art, such as injection molding, using materials known in the art, such as acetal, polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon (polyamide), and the like. However, the modules 12, 14 may be made of different materials (e.g., steel, aluminum, carbon fiber, plastic, etc.) depending on the end use. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand and make the choice of materials in this context.

In the embodiment disclosed herein, the modules 12, 14 are substantially identical in construction and structure. For clarity, the structure of one module will be described, it being understood that all modules are similar. However, the modules may differ in size, shape, structure and function without departing from the scope of the invention. The module 12 shown in fig. 1 and 2 includes a first link end 16, a second link end 18, and a width defined between a first edge 27 and a second edge 31. The first link end 16 extends in a first direction 17 from a front edge 19. The second link end 18 extends from the trailing edge 23 in the second direction 21. The first link end 16 includes a first aperture 20 and the second link end 18 includes a second aperture 22. The central axes of the apertures 20, 22 are parallel to the leading edge 19 and the trailing edge 23 respectively. Although the terms "leading end" and "trailing end" are used to identify features of the module 12, the modules 12, 14 described herein may be used in any direction or orientation without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Adjacent modules 12, 14 are intermeshed. The first link end 16 of the module 12 is laterally offset from the second link end 18 to allow the second link end 18 of an adjacent module 14 to engage the first link end 16 of the module 12. When the first and second link ends 16, 18 of a module 12 and an adjacent module 14 are engaged, the first aperture 20 of the module 12 and the second aperture 22 of the adjacent module 14 are substantially coaxial along the hinge axis 24 to receive the hinge pin 25 therethrough to pivotally connect the modules 12, 14 and the reinforcement link 26.

Preferably, each module 12 preferably includes at least one reinforcement link 26 pivotally connected to another reinforcement link 26 removably secured to an adjacent module 14. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the reinforcement link 26 has a first reinforcement link face 30 and a second reinforcement link face 32 that are substantially parallel, spaced apart planes. The reinforcement link faces 30, 32 are connected by reinforcement link top 33, bottom and end 37. The reinforcement link 26 has a third aperture 36 and a fourth aperture 38. The reinforcement link 26 includes a flex that is located at about 2/3 from the third aperture 36 to the fourth aperture 38, offsetting the two ends 37 of the reinforcement link from each other. The reinforcement link faces 30, 32 are offset from one another such that the first reinforcement link face 30 near the end of the fourth aperture 38 is substantially coplanar with the second reinforcement link face 32 near the end of the third aperture 36. This allows adjacent reinforcement links 26, 28 to be assembled in a linear fashion and the modules 12, 14 to be interchangeable.

As discussed below, the reinforcement links 26, 28 may take on additional configurations, and one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the reinforcement links 26, 28 may take on different geometries and configurations. The reinforcement links 26, 28 are preferably made of metal, however other materials, such as plastics and fiber composites, may be used in appropriate circumstances.

The reinforcement links 26 are removably secured to the modules 12, 14 to simplify the pivotal connection of the modules 12, 14 using hinge pins 25. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the first, second and third resilient fingers 48, 50, 52 are used to removably secure the reinforcement link 26 to the module 12. The first and second resilient fingers 48, 50 are disposed on the first reinforcement link face 30 and are substantially square in cross-section. The third resilient finger 52 is disposed on the second reinforcement link face 32 and is substantially rectangular in cross-section. The ends of the first, second and third resilient fingers 48, 50, 52 include angled heads 49, 51, 53. The angled heads 49, 51, 53 are wedge-shaped to allow the reinforcement link 26 to flex the first and second resilient fingers 48, 50 relative to the third resilient finger 52 upon insertion. The resilient fingers 48, 50, 52 flex slightly from position a to position B to allow the reinforcement link to be securely installed once it passes the wedge-shaped end. The resilient fingers 48, 50, 52 are sized to mate with the reinforcement link 26. This configuration allows the reinforcement link 26 to snap over the resilient fingers 48, 50, 52 so that the reinforcement link 26 is retained by the tapered ends of the resilient fingers 48, 50, 52.

The geometry of the reinforcement link 26 and resilient fingers 48, 50, 52 can be varied to allow selective removal of the reinforcement link 26, to prevent removal of the reinforcement link 26, or to provide some moderate restriction. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various combinations and geometries of the resilient fingers 48, 50, 52 may be used to achieve the desired functionality. Further, while the preferred embodiment depicts three resilient fingers 48, 50, 52, any number of resilient fingers may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The resilient fingers 48, 50, 52 in the embodiments disclosed herein are configured to restrain and align the third and fourth apertures 36, 38 of the reinforcement link 26 with the first and second apertures 20, 22, respectively. When the reinforcement link 26 is engaged with the resilient fingers 48, 50, 52, the third aperture 36 is substantially coaxial with the first aperture 20 of the first link end 16 and the fourth aperture 38 is substantially coaxial with the second aperture 22 of the second link end 18. The reinforcement link 26 may be restrained by friction between the resilient fingers 48, 50, 52 and the reinforcement link 26. Alternatively, or in addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the reinforcement link 26 may have a notch 54 configured to mate with a complementary protrusion 56 extending from one or more of the resilient fingers 48, 50, 52. It is noted that either the reinforcement link 26 or the resilient fingers 48, 50, 52 may include either a notch 54 or a protrusion 56. Such a configuration helps prevent the reinforcement link 26 from shifting from a desired alignment. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various modifications may be used to help align and restrain the reinforcement links 26, 28.

A hinge pin 25 is inserted along hinge axis 24 substantially coaxial with first aperture 20 of module 12, second aperture 22 of an adjacent module 14, third aperture 36 of a reinforcement link of module 12, and fourth aperture 38 of a reinforcement link 18 of an adjacent module 14 to pivotally connect modules 12, 14 and adjacent reinforcement links 26. The engagement of each adjacent module 12, 14 is connected in this manner until a modular conveyor belt assembly 10 of the desired length is achieved.

The conveyor belt assembly 10, including a plurality of modules 12, 14 as described above and shown in fig. 1, 2 and 3, is assembled by axially aligning the first aperture 20 of the first link end 16 with the third aperture 36 of the reinforcement link 26, axially aligning the second aperture 22 of the second link end 18 with the fourth aperture 38 of the reinforcement link 26, and releasably securing the reinforcement link 26 and the module 12 by compressing the reinforcement link 26 between the resilient fingers 48, 50, 52. This process is repeated with adjacent modules 14 to form at least modules 12, 14 that can be easily pivotally connected.

The modules 12, 14 and adjacent reinforcement links 26, 28 are pivotally connected by axially aligning the second aperture 22 of the adjacent module 14 with the first aperture 20 of the module 12 and then inserting the first link pin 25 into the first aperture 20 of the module 12, the second aperture 22 of the first adjacent module 14, the third aperture 36 of the reinforcement link 26, and the fourth aperture 38 of the reinforcement link 28. This process is repeated until a modular conveyor belt assembly 10 of the desired length is obtained.

In a second embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 5, a straight reinforcement link 110 includes a substantially flat strip having a third aperture 112 and a fourth aperture 114. The straight reinforcement link 110 is inserted into a cavity 116 formed in a module 118 and extends between link ends 111 and 113.

The cavity 116 is a substantially elongated downwardly opening slot having rounded first and second coupling ends 111, 113. Fig. 6 shows the cavity 116 in detail along the line a-a. In this embodiment, a resilient finger 120 is positioned within the cavity 116 and is configured to retain the straight reinforcement link 110 between the sidewalls 122, 124, the top wall 126, and the wedge-shaped resilient finger end 128 of the cavity 116. FIG. 7 (a cross-sectional view B-B of FIG. 5) illustrates how the straight reinforcement link 110 is constrained by the top wall 126 of the cavity 116 and the wedge-shaped resilient clevis end 128.

FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative configuration of a reinforcement link 130 having a T-shape suitable for use in the module 118 shown in FIG. 5. The T-shaped reinforcement link 130 includes third and fourth apertures 134, 136 at the upper end of the T-shaped reinforcement link 130. The fifth hole 132 is located at the base of the T-shaped reinforcement link 130. The fifth aperture 132 includes additional means for accommodating a plurality of conveyor belt accessories. Although described as a T-shaped reinforcement link, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate possible variations of the reinforcement link, such as the reinforcement link fifth aperture being at an angle to the line between the third and fourth apertures 134, 136.

In a third embodiment, shown in FIG. 9, the notched reinforcement link 210 is inserted into a cavity 212 formed within a module 217. The cavity 212 includes substantially parallel offset resilient fingers 214, 216 extending normal to the module 217 (as shown in fig. 10). Turning to FIG. 10, the staggered resilient fingers 214, 216 are configured to engage a T-shaped groove 218 located in the notched reinforcement link 210. The notched reinforcement link 210 is primarily constrained by the staggered arrangement of the resilient fingers 214, 216 and the sidewalls 220, 222, 224, 226 (224, 226 are shown in FIG. 11) of the cavity 212.

Fig. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of another cavity depicting another embodiment of the present invention. An angled resilient finger 310 extends from the module 312 at an angle 314. The complementary angled slot 324 receives the angled resilient finger 310. The slots 316 in the module 312 allow the notched reinforcement link 318 to be easily inserted into either the first or second link ends 320, 322. This can facilitate installation under the module 312 where space or access is limited.

Fig. 13 presents another different embodiment of the present invention by showing another cavity in combination with a resilient finger 410 and a substantially rigid pin 412 extending normal to the module 414. The notched reinforcement link 416 has an L-shaped notch 418 located within the notched reinforcement link 416. When the notched reinforcement link 416 is inserted, the resilient first finger 410 flexes until it reaches the vertical portion of the L-shaped notch 418 in the reinforcement link 416. Once in place, the resilient first finger 410 springs back to the rest position, thereby securing the notched reinforcement link 416. The substantially rigid second pin 412 helps align and retain the reinforcement link 416.

It should be noted that the reinforcement link 26 need not always contain a female connection, such as a groove, and the modules 12, 14 need not always contain a male connection, such as a pin, as described in the preferred embodiment. The reinforcement link 26 may comprise a male connection and the module a female connection.

While there have been shown and described what are at present considered the preferred embodiments of the invention, various changes and modifications as will be obvious to those skilled in the art may be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, as shown in fig. 1, the conveyor belt assembly 10 may be assembled to have a width equal to the width of the individual modules 12, 14, or the conveyor belt assembly may be assembled in a brick-and-mortar fashion such that the width of the conveyor belt assembly is greater than the individual modules 12, 14.

Claims (19)

1. A conveyor belt module for use in a conveyor apparatus, the module comprising:

a first link end extending from the leading edge in a first direction and a second link end extending from the trailing edge in a second direction, the first link end including a first aperture for receiving a first link pin connecting the module and an adjacent module, the second link end including a second aperture for receiving a second link pin connecting the module and another adjacent module; and

a reinforcement link removably secured to the module independently of the first and second coupling pins such that the reinforcement link remains removably secured to the module prior to installation of the first and second coupling pins in the first and second bores, the reinforcement link including a third bore aligned with the first bore receiving the first coupling pin and a fourth bore aligned with the second bore receiving the second coupling pin.

2. The conveyor belt module of claim 1, comprising at least one finger for removably securing the reinforcement link to the module.

3. The conveyor belt module of claim 2, comprising a protrusion extending from one of the at least one finger and the reinforcement link, the protrusion engaging a notch formed in the other of the at least one finger and the reinforcement link.

4. The conveyor belt module of claim 2, the at least one finger extending on the first face of the reinforcement link along a normal to the module and another finger extending on the second face of the reinforcement link along a normal to the module to removably secure the reinforcement link to the module.

5. The conveyor belt module of claim 1, wherein the reinforcement link is T-shaped and includes a fifth aperture configured to accommodate at least the first conveyor belt accessory.

6. The conveyor belt module of claim 1, wherein the reinforcement link includes a groove that engages the module, removably securing the reinforcement link to the module.

7. The conveyor belt module of claim 1, further wherein the reinforcement link is received within a cavity formed in the module.

8. The conveyor belt module of claim 7, wherein at least one finger disposed within the cavity engages the reinforcement link and secures the reinforcement link to the module.

9. The conveyor belt module of claim 2, wherein the at least one finger extends from the module at an obtuse angle.

10. A modular conveyor apparatus, comprising:

a first module having a first coupling end extending in a first direction from a first front edge, the first coupling end including a first aperture for receiving a coupling pin for connecting the first module to a second module and having a first reinforcement link removably secured to the first module independently of the coupling pin such that the first reinforcement link remains removably secured to the first module prior to installation of the coupling pin in the first aperture, the first reinforcement link including a third aperture aligned with the first aperture receiving the coupling pin;

the second module having a second link end extending in a second direction from a second front end edge, the second link end including a second aperture for receiving the link pin connecting the first module to the second module and having a second reinforcement link removably secured to the second module independently of the link pin such that the second reinforcement link remains removably secured to the second module prior to installation of the link pin in the second aperture, the second reinforcement link including a fourth aperture aligned with the second aperture receiving the link pin; and

a coupling pin extending through the first, second, third, and fourth apertures of the first module, the second module, the first reinforcement link, and the second reinforcement link.

11. The modular conveyor apparatus of claim 10, comprising at least one finger removably securing the first reinforcement link to the first module.

12. The modular conveyor apparatus of claim 11, comprising a protrusion extending from one of the at least one finger and the first reinforcement link, the protrusion engaging a groove formed on the other of the at least one finger and the first reinforcement link.

13. The modular conveyor apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one finger extends on a first face of the first reinforcement link along a normal to the first module and another finger extends on a second face of the first reinforcement link along a normal to the first module to removably secure the first reinforcement link to the first module.

14. The modular delivery device of claim 10, wherein the first reinforcement link includes a groove that engages the first module that removably secures the first reinforcement link to the first module.

15. The modular delivery device of claim 10, wherein the first reinforcement link is received within a cavity formed in the first module.

16. The modular conveyor apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one finger extends from the first module at an obtuse angle.

17. A method of assembling a conveyor belt, comprising:

providing a module having a first link end extending in a first direction from a first leading edge and a second link end extending in a second direction from a trailing edge, the first link end including a first aperture and the second link end including a second aperture, the reinforcement link including a third aperture and a fourth aperture;

axially aligning the first bore of the first coupling end and the third bore of the reinforcement link for receiving a first coupling pin;

axially aligning the second bore of the second link end and the fourth bore of the reinforcement link for receiving a second link pin; and

removably securing the reinforcement link to the module independently of the first and second coupling pins extending through the apertures such that the reinforcement link remains removably secured to the module prior to the first and second coupling pins being installed in the first and second apertures.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein removably securing the reinforcement link to the module includes engaging a finger extending from one of the reinforcement link and the module with the other of the reinforcement link and the module.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein removably securing the reinforcement link to the module includes inserting the reinforcement link into a cavity formed in the module.