Abstract
A continuous conveyor is used as a sorting apparatus, for example, and includes a drive element that is guided over at least two drums and pulls a plurality of carriages. Entrainment of the carriages is implemented using permanent magnets, which are preferably disposed on the drive element, and the pulling force of which is transferred to the carriages using drivers affixed to them.
Claims
1. A continuous container comprising: (a) first and second drums; (b) a drive element that circulates over the first and second drums, said drive element having a tension belt side and an outer side forcing away from the first and second drums; and (c) a plurality of carriages pulled by the tension belt side of the drive element, said carriages having a bottom side; wherein on the outer side, the drive element has longitudinally distributed first magnetic action devices; and wherein on the bottom side, the carriages have second magnetic action devices that interact with the first magnetic action devices.
2. The continuous conveyor according to claim 1, wherein (a) the first magnetic action devices are permanent magnets and the second magnetic action devices are permanent magnets or are formed from a ferromagnetic driver, or (b) the second magnetic action devices are permanent magnets and the first magnetic action devices are permanent magnets or formed from a ferromagnetic driver.
3. The continuous conveyor according to claim 2, wherein the drive element comprises a drive belt and the permanent magnets have at least one installation bore and are attached to the drive belt using a fastener.
4. The continuous conveyor according to claim 3, wherein the at least one installation bore is disposed in a recess for accommodating a head of the fastener.
5. The continuous conveyor according to claim 3, wherein the permanent magnets are connected with the drive belt by at least one screw connection comprising a screw and a nut.
6. The continuous conveyor according to claim 5, wherein the first and second drums are formed from multiple parallel friction disks, spaced apart from one another, wherein the at least one screw connection of the permanent magnets is disposed in interstices between the friction disks.
7. The continuous conveyor according to claim 2, wherein the permanent magnets are attached to the drive element via a glued connection, a welded connection, or a soldered connection.
8. The continuous conveyor according to claim 2, further comprising an impact-resistant sheathing associated with the permanent magnets.
9. The continuous conveyor according to claim 8, wherein the impact-resistant sheathing is produced from rubber or aluminum.
10. The continuous conveyor according to claim 3, wherein the drive element has friction strips on at least sections of the outer side.
11. The continuous conveyor according to claim 10, wherein the friction strips have at least approximately the same height as the permanent magnets.
12. The continuous conveyor according to claim 10, wherein the friction strips are disposed circumferentially on the drive belt.
13. The continuous conveyor according to claim 12, wherein the friction strips are disposed in strip form in a longitudinal direction of the drive belt, and wherein the permanent magnets are arranged in at least one row between two of the friction strips.
14. The continuous conveyor according to claim 3, wherein the permanent magnets are embedded in depressions on the drive belt.
15. The continuous conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the drive element is a drive belt, a drive chain, a hinged belt, a plastic link belt or a V-belt.
16. The continuous conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the drive element is a drive belt reinforced with steel wire.
17. The continuous conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the second magnetic action devices of the carriages are configured as a bottom sheet.
18. The continuous conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the continuous conveyor is a steel belt conveyor or a bulk material conveyor having a conveyor belt embedded with steel elements or steel cables.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed as an illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.
[0027] In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:
[0028] FIG. 1 shows in a top view, a continuous conveyor having a sorting segment that is closed in itself, which runs in a horizontal plane and possesses two straight sections, in each instance, and semi-circular arc-shaped sections at their ends, which connect the ends of the straight sections with one another;
[0029] FIG. 2 is a cross-section through the continuous conveyor, corresponding to the section line II-II in FIG. 1, wherein a cross-belt sorter is used as a carriage and a drive belt having permanent magnets is used as a drive element;
[0030] FIG. 3 shows in a view according to Arrow III in FIG. 2, carriages coupled with one another in articulated manner, by means of a link chain, as well as a magnetic belt drive having permanent magnets that engage on the carriages on the underside;
[0031] FIG. 4 is a lateral top view from the perspective of the opposite side relating to FIG. 2;
[0032] FIG. 5 is a top view of the drive belt deflected by way of a deflection drum, having permanent magnets and friction strips;
[0033] FIG. 6 is a lateral cross-sectional view of the drive belt according to FIG. 5 through a row of permanent magnets;
[0034] FIG. 7 is a detail top view of a drive belt with square permanent magnets in an offset arrangement;
[0035] FIG. 8 is a lateral cross-sectional view of a permanent magnet screwed onto the drive belt;
[0036] FIG. 9 shows a variant of FIG. 8, in which an impact-resistant sheathing has been added to the permanent magnet;
[0037] FIG. 10 shows a further variant of FIG. 8, in which the permanent magnet is embedded in a belt depression;
[0038] FIG. 11 shows a variant of FIG. 2, showing a bulk material conveyor in a cross-sectional representation;
[0039] FIG. 12 shows in a detail side view, guidance of carriages coupled with one another, in different planes;
[0040] FIG. 13 shows in a top view of a continuous conveyor, a sorting segment having a segment progression that deviates from FIG. 1; and
[0041] FIG. 14 shows in a cross-sectional view, a chain link of a multi-strand roller chain having permanent magnets attached at the side, as an alternative drive element.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0042] The continuous conveyor 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 possesses a sorting segment 11, which is closed in itself, runs in a horizontal plane, and has two straight-line sorting sections 12 as well as two arc-shaped sorting sections 13 that connect the straight-line sorting sections 12 with one another. At least one loading station and, consecutively, multiple ejection stations with lateral ejection chutes are disposed along the sorting segment 11. The loading station and the ejection stations having the said ejection chutes are not illustrated in the drawing.
[0043] The constant conveyor 10 furthermore comprises, as a drive element, a drive belt 50 having a plurality of permanent magnets 51 disposed on it, which magnets can pull the carriage shown in FIG. 2, in the form of a cross-belt sorter 30, on a driver in the form of a bottom sheet 32. By means of rotation of the drive drum 23, the drive belt 50 is pulled forward as the result of friction engagement between parallel friction disks that form the drive drum 23, and the inside of the drive belt 50. The permanent magnets 51 situated on the outside of the drive belt 50 enter into contact with a driver, here a bottom sheet 32, in this connection, and pull this sheet along with them, thereby putting the cross-belt sorter 30 into motion.
[0044] Each of the cross-belt sorters 30 possesses two rollers 31 that are spaced apart from one another on both sides in the conveying direction, in each instance, which rollers are guided on running rails 25, fixed in place on the apparatus and at a lateral distance from one another, in a manner that is not of further interest here, in detail. On the cross-belt sorter 30, a belt band that can be driven transverse to the sorting segment 11 is disposed, in each instance. The belt bands of the cross-belt sorter 30 are guided by way of deflection rolls, in each instance, which rolls have an axis of rotation that extends in the conveying direction. The transverse drive of the belt bands of the cross-belt sorters 30 takes place by means of drive means that can optionally be brought into interaction in the ejection stations; their composition and function is also of no further interest here.
[0045] As shown in FIG. 3, the cross-belt sorters 30 that are guided to be movable consecutively along the sorting segment 11 are coupled with one another by way of articulated couplings 33, so that the cross-belt sorters 30 can thereby pass through sections 12, 13 of the sorting segment 11 shown in FIG. 1, which sections are configured to be straight-line and arc-shaped, but furthermore can be transferred to sorting sections that are elevated or lowered. For each section of the sorting segment 11, in each instance, a carriage is situated in the region of the drive belt 50, the tension belt side 26 of which, with the permanent magnets 51 attached to it, stands in engagement with the drivers of the cross-belt sorters 30. The empty belt side 27 is guided back on the underside, at a distance from the cross-belt sorters 30. A deflection drum 24 ensures the required tension of the drive belt 50 and the required friction engagement for transferring the force of the drive 22 to the drive belt 50 by way of the drive drum 23.
[0046] FIG. 4 shows, in greater detail, a cross-belt sorter 30 set onto the drive belt 50, which sorter has a bottom sheet 32 with which it lies on the permanent magnets 51 of the drive belt 50. A drive 22 mounted on transverse support 21 of floor stand 20 (see FIG. 2) drives the drive drum 23, which cannot be seen here, but over which drum the drive belt 50 is stretched, by way of a drive axle 28.
[0047] A plurality of friction strips 52, which are shown in FIG. 5, ensures better protection on the drive belt 50, in detail. These strips are disposed, in the present concrete example, centered and on both edges of the drive belt 50, on its outer side, and connected with the drive belt 50 there by means of gluing or welding. The permanent magnets 51 are disposed in rows between the protective or friction strips 52, and therefore in a belt depression 57 formed by the friction strips 52, and thereby doubly ensure entrainment of a carriage placed on the drive belt 50. First, entrainment takes place on the basis of the magnetic holding force of the permanent magnets 51, but this entrainment is additionally supported by the friction engagement that forms between the friction strips 52 and the bottom sheet 32. In the region of the drive drum 23 or of the deflection drum 24, the permanent magnets 51 move away from the drivers of the carriages, because of the arc described by the drive belt 50, so that the carriages come out of engagement with the drive belt in simple and noise-free manner. This feature can further be seen in FIG. 6, where the deflection in FIG. 5 is shown from the side, as a cross-section through one of the rows of permanent magnets 51.
[0048] FIG. 7 shows an alternative embodiment of the arrangement and shaping of the permanent magnets 51 on a section of the drive belt 50. In the variant shown here, the permanent magnets 51 are rectangular in their basic shape.
[0049] FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 show three variants of a permanent magnet 51 screwed onto the drive belt 50, in a cross-sectional representation. The permanent magnets 51 have a recess 55, for simplified attachment to the drive belt 50, in the center of which recess a bore is disposed, through which bore a screw 53 passes through the permanent magnet 51 and, at the same time, also the drive belt 50, and is secured with nut 54. The recess 55 is so deep that the screw head does not project beyond the surface of the permanent magnet 51 and thereby does not cause interference when contact is made with the carriage.
[0050] In FIG. 9, the permanent magnet 51 additionally has an impact-resistant sheathing 56, which can be used to absorb impacts against the brittle material of the permanent magnet 51, so that the durability of the permanent magnet 51 is improved.
[0051] Finally, in FIG. 10 it is shown how the permanent magnet 51 according to FIG. 7 is set into a belt depression 57, so that the drive belt 50, which surrounds the permanent magnet 51, can enter into friction engagement with the carriage that lies above it and is not shown in any detail here, while at the same time, the permanent magnet 51 enters into magnetic force engagement with the carriage.
[0052] Analogous to FIG. 3, FIG. 11 shows a further embodiment of the invention, which works with a bulk material conveyor 40, however. This conveyor runs at a distance above the drive belt with the material to be sorted. In contrast to the arrangement shown in FIG. 3, in FIG. 11 the tension belt side is the lower part of the drive belt 50, which experiences a transfer of force by the drive 22, by way of the drive axle 28 and the drive drum 23, while the upper part represents the empty belt side. The bulk material conveyor 40, which runs back empty, is in engagement with the permanent magnets on the underside of the drive belt 50, wherein the drivers, in this case, are steel cables 41 embedded in the bulk material conveyor 40.
[0053] FIG. 12, in a schematic side view, illustrates a continuous conveyor 10 of the type stated, in which the sorting segment 11 accommodated on the floor stand 20, which is only indicated here, is elevated in certain sections.
[0054] The sorting segment 11 illustrated in FIG. 13 also possesses two straight-line sorting sections 12 that run at a distance from one another, and two arc-shaped sorting sections 13 that connect these straight-line sorting sections 12 with one another, but the arc-shaped sorting sections 13 are configured approximately as a three-quarter circle. The continuous conveyor 10 described, along with semi-circular arrangements, can easily overcome narrow curve arrangements, because the design of the drivers of the individual carriages is not subject to any special geometric requirements.
[0055] In a further variant, this invention is also very advantageous for other cases of use. For example, instead of a drive belt, strong drive elements such as drive chains 58, hinged steel belts, plastic link belts, V-belts and the like can also be used. The permanent magnets 51 are then attached to the drive element in similar manner as shown in FIG. 14.
[0056] Thus, a continuous conveyor has been described above, the carriages of which are driven by way of a drive element, to which a plurality of magnetic means of action are assigned, and that makes contact, with force engagement, with magnetic counter-means of action, by way of magnetic coupling. This arrangement allows both a simple and effective, low-noise design.
[0057] Although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
