Conveyor Arrangement with Integrated Sensor Function Unit

Abstract

The invention relates to a conveyor arrangement (1) for conveying a conveyed material, comprising a motor-driven conveyor roller (100), comprising a roller body (10) mounted so as to be able to rotate about a roller axis (A), a drive unit (20) arranged inside the roller body (10), coupled mechanically to the roller body (10) and an axle element (16) and designed to generate a torque between the axle element (16) and the roller body (10), a sensor function unit (40) arranged inside the roller body (10) and designed to sense a conveyed material to be conveyed by the motor-driven conveyor roller (100), and a control unit (30) that is connected to the sensor function unit (40) in order to transmit signals, wherein the control unit (30) is designed to receive a sensor signal from the sensor function unit and to transmit a control signal to the drive unit (20) depending on the sensor signal, wherein the control signal contains data for driving the motor-driven conveyor roller, in a conveyor mode, with a characteristic profile that is predefined by the control signal.

Claims

1. Conveying arrangement (1) for conveying a conveyed material, comprising a motor-operated conveying roller (100), comprising a roller body (10) mounted rotatably about a roller axis (A), a drive unit (20) which is arranged within the roller body (10) and which is mechanically coupled to the roller body (10) and to an axle element (16) and which is designed to generate a torque between the axle element (16) and the roller body (10), a sensor function unit (40) which is arranged within the roller body (10) and which is designed to detect a conveyed material for conveying by means of the motor-operated conveying roller (100), and a control unit (30) which is connected, for the transmission of signals, to the sensor function unit (40), wherein the control unit (30) is designed to receive a sensor signal from the sensor function unit and to transmit a control signal to the drive unit (20) in a manner dependent on the sensor signal, wherein the control signal comprises data for the drive of the motor-operated conveying roller with a characteristic profile, which is predetermined by the control signal, in a conveying operating mode.

2. Conveying arrangement (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit (30) is arranged within the roller body (10).

3. Conveying arrangement (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor function unit (40) provides an analogue signal as sensor signal.

4. Conveying arrangement (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive unit (20) comprises or is the sensor function unit (40), and/or the sensor function unit (40) comprises or is a sensor separate from the drive unit.

5. Conveying arrangement (1) according to claim 1, comprising an analogue-digital converter unit (31) which is designed to convert the sensor signal into a digital signal, wherein the control unit (30) comprises the analogue-digital converter unit (31), and/or the sensor function unit (40) comprises the analogue-digital converter unit (31).

6. Conveying arrangement (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit (30), for transmitting the sensor signal, is connected directly to the sensor function unit (40) by means of a signal line (41), and/or, for activating the drive unit (20), is connected to the latter via a control line (42), and/or, for receiving the control signals and/or for transmitting operating data of the conveying arrangement (1), is connected to a bus line (43).

7. Conveying arrangement (1) according to claim 1, comprising a power interface for receiving a power supply in the form of a voltage supply with a voltage.

8. Conveying arrangement (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive unit (20) comprises a brushless electric motor (21), and the control unit (30) comprises commutation electronics for activating the electric motor (21).

9. Conveying arrangement (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit (30) has a memory unit (32) in which there are stored one or more characteristics and/or one or more characteristic profiles, wherein each characteristic profile is assigned an individual binary coding, and the control unit (30) is designed to compare a received sensor signal with the individual binary codings and to activate the drive unit (20) with a characteristic profile which is assigned an individual coding that corresponds to the received sensor signal.

10. Conveying arrangement (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit (30) is designed to receive a bus-coded programming signal and, by means of the programming signal, to store a logical dependency between a sensor signal and a characteristic, and/or a logical dependency between a sensor signal and a characteristic profile, and/or a characteristic profile, in a memory unit.

11. Conveying arrangement (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit (30) is designed to switch the drive unit (20) back and forth between a standby operating mode and a conveying operating mode in a manner dependent on a sensor signal and/or a control signal.

12. Conveying arrangement (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive unit (20) switches from the standby operating mode to the conveying operating mode if the sensor signal signals a change from a free space to an occupied space or from an occupied space to a free space in a conveying direction (F), and/or the drive unit (20) switches from the conveying operating mode to the standby operating mode if the sensor signal signals a change from a free space to an occupied space or from an occupied space to a free space in the conveying direction (F).

13. Conveying arrangement (1) according to claim 1, comprising a conveying roller (101) and a belt drive (102), wherein, for the drive of the conveying roller (101), the motor-operated conveying roller (100) is connected to the passively driven conveying roller (101) by means of the belt drive.

14. Conveying device (2) for conveying a conveyed material, comprising one or more conveying arrangements (1) according to claim 1.

15. Motor-operated conveying roller (100) for conveying a conveyed material, comprising a roller body (10) mounted rotatably about a roller axis (A), a drive unit (20) which is arranged within the roller body (10) and which is mechanically coupled to the roller body (10) and to an axle element (16) and which is designed to generate a torque between the axle element (16) and the roller body (10), a control unit (30) which is arranged within the roller body (10) and which is designed to receive a control signal and, in a manner dependent on the control signal, to activate the drive unit (20) for drive with a characteristic predetermined by the control signal, a sensor function unit (40) arranged within the roller body (10), wherein the control unit (30) is designed to receive a sensor signal of the sensor function unit (40) via a signal line (41), and wherein the control unit (30) comprises an analogue-digital converter unit (31) in order to convert the sensor signal received via the signal line (41) into a digital signal and in order to transmit the sensor signal, which has been converted into a digital signal, from the roller body (10) preferably via a bus line (43).

16. Method for conveying a conveyed material, comprising the steps: providing a conveying device (1) according to claim 15, and/or detecting a conveyed material for conveying, and/or switching one or more conveying arrangements from a standby operating mode to a conveying operating mode, and/or conveying the conveyed material.

17. Method according to claim 16, wherein the conveying comprises conveying in a single discharge mode or conveying in a block discharge mode.

18. Method according to claim 16, wherein the conveying of the conveyed material for conveying comprises, in a manner dependent on the selected characteristic profile, conveying with a substantially constant speed, and/or with a speed which increases from an actual speed to a setpoint speed, and/or with a speed which decreases from an actual speed to a setpoint speed.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] Preferred embodiments of the invention will be discussed by way of example on the basis of the appended figures. In the figures, identical or substantially functionally identical or similar elements are denoted by the same reference designations. In the figures:

[0060] FIG. 1 shows a longitudinally sectioned view of a preferred exemplary embodiment of the conveying arrangement according to the invention,

[0061] FIG. 2 shows a longitudinally sectioned view of a further preferred exemplary embodiment of the conveying arrangement according to the invention,

[0062] FIG. 3 shows a schematic plan view of a further preferred exemplary embodiment of the conveying arrangement according to the invention, and

[0063] FIG. 4 shows a schematic plan view of a conveying device according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0064] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conveying arrangement 1 having a motor-operated conveying roller 100 is shown, which has a roller body 10, out of which, at the respective end sides, a first axle element 15 and a second axle element 16 project. The motor-operated conveying roller can be mounted by means of these axle elements in a frame 103 that extends along a conveying path. Here, the two axle elements 15, 16 are mounted fixedly in terms of torque in the frame 103. The roller body 10 is mounted rotatably about said axle elements 15, 16. This rotatable mounting is realized by means of a first rolling bearing 17, which is fastened in an end cap 13 inserted at the first end 11 of the roller body and which mounts the roller body 10 rotatably on the first axle element 15. Furthermore, at the second end 12 of the roller body, there is inserted an end cap 14 in which there is mounted a second rolling bearing 18 which mounts the roller body 10 rotatably on the second axle element 16. Here, the second end cap 14 additionally has, integrally therewith, a circumferential surface which projects axially out of the roller body and which, by means of multiple encircling grooves 14a, allows a torque to be output by means of a poly-V belt 102 to other adjacently situated conveying rollers 101 that do not have a dedicated motor drive. In this way, the motor-operated conveying roller 100 can be used in a conveying zone with multiple passively driven rollers 101, and serves for driving said passively driven conveying rollers 101 in the conveying zone. In the present exemplary embodiment, a conveying arrangement 1 is a conveying zone.

[0065] In the interior space of the roller body 10, there is furthermore arranged a drive unit 20 which can generate a torque between one of the two, or both, axle elements 15, 16 and the roller body 10. The axle on which the roller body 10 is rotatably mounted is formed in the embodiment shown by the two axle elements 15, 16, which are in the form of axle stubs. It would alternatively also be possible for a continuous axle that extends through the roller body to be provided. The drive unit 20 may comprise an electric motor 21 which directly generates the torque and which is consequently coupled by means of the stator fixedly in terms of torque to one or both axle elements 15, 16 and by means of the rotor coupled fixedly in terms of torque to the roller body 10. The drive unit 20 may furthermore also comprise a transmission 22 in order to step down the rotational speed of the electric motor 21 and increase the torque thereof. For example, planetary transmissions or spur-gear transmissions may be used and jointly incorporated into the torque-transmitting chain between the axle stub or the axle elements 15, 16 and the roller body 10 with the electric motor 21.

[0066] The drive unit 20 is activated by a control unit 30 in a manner dependent on a sensor function unit 40. Said control unit 30 may, in the case of a brushless electric motor 21, have commutation electronics. In particular, the control unit 30 is however designed to make logical control decisions on the basis of a received sensor signal and possibly in a manner dependent on operating data. Such a control unit 30 may be arranged, on the one hand, as in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, outside the roller body 10 or, on the other hand, as in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, within the roller body 10. As can be seen from FIG. 1, from the control unit 30 that is situated outside, a signal line 41 is led through a longitudinal bore in the axle element 15 to a sensor function unit 40 that is situated within the roller body. Furthermore, a line 42 is led through the axle element 15 to the electric motor 21, which line supplies power to, and activates, the electric motor. It is basically possible for said lines 41, 42 to be in the form of analogue signal lines and to correspondingly transmit analogue signals from the control unit to the electric motor and from the sensor to the control unit—and vice versa. Alternatively, the signal transmission between control unit and sensor or electric motor respectively may take place in the form of a digital signal and in particular in the form of a bus signal, which then necessitates the presence of corresponding decoding circuits at the sensor and electric motor within the roller body.

[0067] The control unit 30 shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2 comprises a memory unit 32. In the memory unit 32, invariant characteristic values of the motor-operated conveying roller 100, such as the serial number thereof or the step-down ratio of the transmission thereof, may be stored and serve for data transmission to further motor-operated conveying rollers or to a further, for example superordinate control unit. Furthermore, sensor signals provided by the sensor function unit 40 may be stored. Furthermore, in the memory unit 32, there may be stored variable operating data of the motor-operated conveying roller 100, such as the number of operating hours thereof, characteristic values for characterizing operating temperatures, such as maximum temperature reached, and likewise characteristic values for characterizing rotational speeds, torques and the like. These stored data may serve for being transmitted from the roller body in order to transmit characteristic data relating to the motor-operated conveying roller to a signal receiver, for example of a control unit of a further conveying arrangement, situated outside the roller body.

[0068] Furthermore, in the memory unit 32, one or more control sequences may be stored in a manner dependent on a characteristic profile, in accordance with which control sequences the control unit activates the drive unit 20 in a dependent manner and in accordance with logical combination of sensor data of the sensor function unit 40 and possibly operating data of a motor-operated conveying roller 100. For example, a control sequence for a single discharge mode may be stored, a control sequence for a block discharge mode may be stored, or these two types of control sequences may be stored with different characteristics, for example conveying speeds, acceleration ramps, drive torque profile and the like. On the one hand, these different control sequences are externally programmable into the control unit 30 by means of a corresponding feed of data, and the control unit may correspondingly, for programming, be designed to receive a corresponding programming signal. In particular, by means of the programming signal, a logical dependency between a sensor signal and a characteristic, a logical dependency between a sensor signal and a characteristic profile and also a control sequence, can be programmed and stored in a memory unit 32. Alternatively, the characteristic profile may also be stored in the memory unit 32 and, as a result of a receipt of a corresponding sensor signal, read out of the memory unit 32 by the control unit 30 and then used for the control sequences of the drive unit 20. In this case, each control sequence is assigned a corresponding sensor signal, and the control unit 30 is designed to carry out a corresponding comparison. For the logical data processing and sequence control, the control unit comprises a data processing unit (CPU) 33 with commutation electronics for the brushless electric motor 21.

[0069] For this purpose, the control unit 30 is connected by means of a bus line 43 to one or more further conveying arrangements, as shown in FIG. 4. For this purpose, the bus line 43 is led through the first axle element 15, which is designed as a hollow axle. Furthermore, a power line 44 is arranged through the hollow axle, which power line provides a transmission of electrical power for the drive unit 20, the control unit 30 and the sensor function unit 40. The electric motor 21 is connected by means of a line 42 to the control unit, and the sensor function unit 40 is connected by means of a signal line 41 to the control unit, and said line or signal line may be designed for analogue or digital transmission.

[0070] In particular, the sensor function unit 40 comprises a sensor for detecting the presence and absence of a conveyed material for conveying. For example, the sensor of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 detects the presence of the conveyed material for conveying from a change in weight as soon as the conveyed material engages with the motor-operated conveying roller 100. The control unit then activates the drive unit in a manner dependent on said sensor signal and in a manner dependent on a predetermined characteristic profile to be selected, for example with a particular drive torque profile to a particular conveying speed. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the electric motor 21 is itself the sensor function unit 40. In this preferred exemplary embodiment, the sensor signal is a magnetic field strength of the electric motor 21. By virtue of the conveyed material engaging with the motor-operated conveying roller 100, the roller body 10 rotates together with the rotor relative to the stator of the electric motor 21 and thus leads to a changing sensor signal. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, an analogue-digital converter unit 31 integrated in the control unit converts the analogue sensor signal into a digital signal for the activation of the drive unit.

[0071] Furthermore, the sensor function unit 40 may comprise a further sensor, for example a temperature sensor, which is designed to detect the temperature prevailing in the roller body and to signal this to the control unit. The temperature sensor serves for example for detecting an overload of the roller and for allowing the control unit to carry out a corresponding logical reaction, with outputting of corresponding control signals to the drive unit, on the basis of temperature data.

[0072] FIG. 3 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a conveying arrangement based on the conveying arrangement shown in FIG. 2. For this purpose, three passively driven conveying rollers 101 in the form of non-motor-operated conveying rollers form a conveying zone together with a motor-operated conveying roller 100. Like the motor-operated conveying roller 100, the passively driven conveying rollers 101 are mounted rotatably in a frame 103. The motor-operated conveying roller 100 drives the passively driven conveying rollers 101 by means of a poly-V belt 102. Through activation of a single motor-operated conveying roller 100, it is thus possible for the total of in each case three conveying rollers 101 in the respective conveying zone to be collectively set in rotation. By means of this arrangement, in each conveying zone, there is provided at least one sensor function unit that can detect the presence of a conveyed material for conveying in the respective conveying zone.

[0073] Furthermore, the passively driven conveying rollers 101 can signal a sensor signal for the activation of the drive unit 20. When the first conveying roller 101 in the conveying direction F enters into engagement with a conveyed material for conveying, this leads to a rotation of said conveying roller 101. The belt drive 102 transmits this rotational movement to the motor-operated conveying roller, which rotational movement can be detected by a rotational speed sensor, and the control unit can activate the drive unit correspondingly.

[0074] Finally, FIG. 4 shows a preferred exemplary embodiment of a conveying device 2 comprising two conveying arrangements 1 according to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3 arranged in series in the conveying direction F.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0075] 1 Conveying arrangement [0076] 2 Conveying device [0077] 10 Roller body [0078] 11 First end of the roller body [0079] 12 Second end of the roller body [0080] 13 End cap [0081] 14 End cap [0082] 14a Encircling grooves [0083] 15 Axle element, axle stub [0084] 16 Axle element [0085] 17 Rolling bearing [0086] 18 Rolling bearing [0087] 20 Drive unit [0088] 21 Electric motor [0089] 22 Transmission [0090] 30 Control unit [0091] 31 Analogue-digital converter unit [0092] 32 Memory unit [0093] 33 CPU, commutation electronics [0094] 40 Sensor function unit [0095] 41 Signal line [0096] 42 Control line [0097] 43 Bus line [0098] 44 Power line [0099] 100 Motor-operated conveying roller [0100] 101 Passively driven conveying roller [0101] 102 Poly-V belt [0102] 103 Frame [0103] A Roller axis [0104] F Conveying direction