This invention relates to conveyor belts. More particularly, it relates to an endless belt conveyor driven by a driving mechanism mounted on the underside of the belt.
Most prior art conveyor belts are power-driven by side mounted chains. In the case of multi-sectional belt conveyors as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,238, a belt roller on a transverse roller shaft engages a continuous conveyor belt and is driven by a motor. Such a multi-sectional belt has received wide spread commercial acceptance in industries requiring portable low cost, lightweight conveyors. The search continues for less complicated and less costly belt conveyors that will enhance the pulling power of the conveyor.
The present invention provides an improved low cost endless belt conveyor system that provides additional choices to businesses requiring conveyors capable of carrying varying weight loads at enhanced pulling power over conventional conveyors.
The improved endless belt conveyor system utilizes an endless belt with a drive engaging component attached to a bottom surface of the belt. Retaining clips are mounted within a plurality of pockets permanently attached in a row to a bottom surface of the endless belt. Feet on the retaining clip fit into the pockets and downwardly depending arms engage a link on a link chain. The link chain is mounted at about the mid-section of the conveyor belt lower surface and is electrically or hydraulically driven by sprockets mounted in a groove on the conveyor housing top surface.
The invention can be best understood by those having ordinary skill in the conveyor belt art by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Throughout the following detailed description, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in all figures.
Referring to
The motor driven sprockets 16 engage within the openings of link chain 34 or 34A to move belt 12. The clips 26 or 26A are centered in a row on the underside of belt 12. However, if two chains 34 or 34A are desired, there will be two lines of parallel clips offset from the center line. Of course, there would be two lines of drive sprockets 16 in the conveyor housing 14 contiguous with the two link chains 34 or 34A.
The polyvinyl chloride belt 12 can have a cloth backing adhered to the polyvinyl chloride belt for added strength.
The endless conveyor belts are manufactured with different lengths as required by customers. Two or more endless belts can be butted together, raised or lowered with respect to another endless belt as desired for use. The sprockets 16 are driven by a motor 19 in the manner shown in
In an alternate embodiment the top surface 15 of the slider bed can contain instead multiple free moving rollers 36 to decrease friction as the belt 12 moves over the conveyor system. See
The sprockets 16 can be made of stainless steel or a heavy duty polymer and the retention clips 26 and 26A are made of a high strength polymer such as nylon or TEFLON® with flexible feet 24.
The housing 14 can constitute two sections 46 and 48 spaced apart, but tied together with sprockets occupying the space 38 between the housing halves 46 and 48 as shown in
The endless belt of this invention can carry loads up to several thousand pounds, the weight carrying capacity being generally dependent on the size of the gears, power of the drive motor and size of the sprockets and chain.
Equivalent elements can be substituted for the elements employed in this endless belt conveyor to produce substantially the same results in substantially the same way to achieve substantially the same function.
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