A spiral conveyor system may include a cage associated with a motor; a conveyor belt traveling helically about the cage; the cage including a plurality of drive elements formed of vertically oriented cage bars; a cage bar cap mounted on at least one of the cage bars; the cage bar cap including a vertically oriented rib extending radially from a surface of the cage bar cap; wherein the rib includes at least one drive face; wherein the conveyor belt includes at least one belt surface configured to engage the at least one drive face; wherein the cage includes a ring that extends between the terminus of the rib and the entrance end of the cage; wherein the surface of the cage bar cap from which the rib extends defines a first diameter; and wherein the ring has a ring diameter that is larger than the first diameter.

An apparatus for conveying an object in a conveying direction includes a conveyor comprised of a plurality of modular links adapted for interconnecting to form a chain. At least one of the links comprises a rounded upper portion forming an apical region for contacting and supporting the article for conveyance along at least a forward run in the conveying direction. The at least one link further including a forwardly projecting portion associated with a first transverse connector forming a part of the upper portion and a rearwardly projecting portion associated with a second transverse connector forming part of the upper portion. The first and second connectors may be staggered in the conveying direction and a direction transverse to the conveying direction. Further aspects pertain to a link with an apical engaging structure, and a sprocket with a removable tooth.

A direct-drive spiral conveyor and a method for operating a spiral conveyor in which a sideflexing conveyor belt is positively driven in a helical path about the periphery of a rotating cylindrical drive drum. Parallel drive members extend in length along the periphery from the top to the bottom of the drive drum. The drive members engage drive faces on the inside edge of the conveyor belt and positively drive the inside edges along the helical path. The helical path is steeper at the entrance end—the bottom in an upgoing spiral, the top in a downgoing spiral—than at the opposite exit end and along a majority of the path.

A spiral conveyor system is provided to transport a plurality of articles thereon between at least one first level and at least one second level. The spiral conveyor system includes a conveyor assembly having more than one spiral conveyor. Each spiral conveyor defines a conveying surface for transporting the plurality of articles thereon. Each spiral conveyor is coupled with a support in a helical configuration such that each spiral conveyor is interleaved in an alternating configuration with another spiral conveyor about the support. Each conveying surface can selectively move in an inclining direction and in a declining direction such that the conveying surfaces can be moved simultaneously in the same or opposing directions.

An accumulating conveyor comprises a conveyor belt successively follows a first helical track from a lower end thereof in upward direction to a location below an upper end thereof, a first bridge to a location at a second helical track below an upper end thereof, the second helical track in downward direction to a lower end thereof, a first set of auxiliary guides to the upper end of the second helical track, the second helical track in downward direction, a second bridge to the first helical track, the first helical track in upward direction to the upper end thereof, and the second set of auxiliary guides to the lower end of the first helical track. The bridges are synchronously movable along the first and second helical tracks for varying the effective lengths of the conveyor belt.

A spiral conveyor system may include a drum and a conveyor belt traveling helically about the drum from an entrance end to an exit end of the drum, and a rib associated with the drum, wherein the rib extends radially from a surface of the drum. A length of the rib extends along the length of the drum from a first end of the rib to a terminus of the rib proximate the entrance end of the drum. In addition, a height of the rib above of the surface of the drum varies along the length of the rib. Further, the rib includes at least one drive face, wherein the conveyor belt includes at least one belt surface configured to engage the at least one drive face, and wherein the drum includes a smooth ribless portion between the terminus of the rib and the entrance end of the drum.

An article storage device includes a first conveying line, a second conveying line, and a temporary storage passage, wherein the first conveying line and the second conveying line ascend spirally around the temporary storage passage to form a double spiral structure, and two ends of the temporary storage passage respectively are in communication with the first conveying line and the second conveying line, the first conveying line conveys the article to the temporary storage passage, the temporary storage passage receives the article from the first conveying line and conveys the article to the second conveying line, and the second conveying line receives the article from the temporary storage passage and conveys the article.

An apparatus for conveying an object in a conveying direction includes a conveyor comprised of a plurality of modular links adapted for interconnecting to form a chain. At least one of the links comprises a rounded upper portion forming an apical region for contacting and supporting the article for conveyance along at least a forward run in the conveying direction. The at least one link further including a forwardly projecting portion associated with a first transverse connector forming a part of the upper portion and a rearwardly projecting portion associated with a second transverse connector forming part of the upper portion. The first and second connectors may be staggered in the conveying direction and a direction transverse to the conveying direction. Further aspects pertain to a link with an apical engaging structure, and a sprocket with a removable tooth.

A sensing system (110) positioned relative to the conveyor belt (34) to sense the physical configuration of the belt side links (44) and (46) as well as the inclination or tilt of the side links.

Provided is a conveyor belt including at least two parallel chains each including a plurality of consecutive links; and a plurality of rods extending between the at least two parallel chains for linking the consecutive links. Each rod extends with each end through the corresponding chain linking two consecutive links to each other. One of the two consecutive links is at least axially locked to the rod to avoid movement of the link relative to the rod. The other of the two consecutive links is rotatably arranged around the respective rod. Also provided is at least one device for providing the lock between a rod and a respective link of the conveyor belt. The device includes a body; an insertion hole in which an end of the rod is inserted along an insertion axis, which insertion hole is arranged in the body and a protrusion arranged to the body and extending from the body parallel to and at a distance of the insertion axis; fixing means for fixing the end of the rod in the hole in at least axial direction and preferably also in rotational direction. The respective link is provided with a locking opening through which the protrusion extends.