Patent Application
20160257500
The invention relates to a conveyor roller comprising a shaft and a roller body mounted so as to be rotatable about the shaft. The invention further relates to a conveyor system, which comprise's a conveyor roller with a shaft, a roller body mounted so as to tic rotatable about the shaft, a motor disposed in the roller body tot driving the roller body and a connecting cable running out of the roller body and electrically connected to the motor. The conveyor system further comprises two frame profiles extending at a distance apart from one another between which the conveyor roller is disposed, a power supply and/or data line running along a frame profile and a connector box disposed on the frame profile which is electrically connected to the power supply and for data line and to the connecting cable.
A conveyor roller and a conveyor system of this type are known in principle and are widely used for conveying a varied range of objects, especially in warehouses and goods distribution centers. One problem that occurs with the use of conveyor rollers and a conveyor system is that they are exposed to dirt as well as to dripping liquids. For example, in the ease of fragile containers, there is no reliable way of guaranteeing that they still not leak and the liquid contained them will not spill out dun's transport. These liquids can cause serious damage to a conveyor roller or a conveyor system—especially if they are corrosive and/or electrically conductive—if they come into contact with mechanical and/or electrical components of the system. This can result in short-term damage such as short-circuits and faults in the control system, for example as well as long-term damage in the form of rust, corroded contacts and such like, for example.
An objective of the invention is to propose an improved conveyor roller and an improved conveyor system. In particular, the intention is to propose a simple but effective design for preventing damage to a conveyor roller and a conveyor system due to moisture.
This objective is achieved by the invention by means of a conveyor roller of the type outlined above which is additionally provided with a protective cap, comprising
The objective of the invention is also achieved by means of a conveyor system of the type outlined above, comprising a conveyor roller of the aforementioned type and/or in which the connecting cable is run in a curve or a loop to an electrical interface of the connector box, and the lowest point of the curve/loop is located underneath said interface.
On the one hand, the interior of the roller body, for example an internally lying roller bearing or an internally lying electronic circuit, is protected from dripping liquids by the first section of the protective cap and, on the other hand, the components lying underneath, in particular the electrical connector box of the conveyor system, are protected by the second section. The protective cap thereby fulfils a dual function. Generally speaking, the protective cap may be of a single-part or multi-part design and/or may be produced by an injection casting process.
Due to the special way in which the cabling is run, any liquids dripping down onto the connecting cable can be kept away from the connector box because they will drip off the curve/loop. The proposed features may he used individually or in combination with one another and overall will improve protection of the conveyor roller and conveyor system from dripping liquids.
Consequently, fault-free operation of the conveyor roller/conveyor system can be guaranteed if containers containing liquid break when being conveyed on the conveyor system or are already broken on entering the conveyor system. Damage, such as short circuits, faults, rust and corroded contacts for example, can thus be prevented without necessarily having to provide (expensive) seals for the affected areas. The requisite protection class governing safety in standard applications involving conveyor rollers and conveyor systems can therefore be complied with without providing additional seals, for example on plugs, between housing parts of the connector box and such like. Naturally, however, this does not rule out the use of seals.
Other advantageous embodiments and features of the invention may be found in the dependent claims and the description of the drawings.
It is of advantage if the second section of the protective cap extends underneath the roller body when the conveyor roller is in the mounted position. This enables system components lying underneath said section to be protected from dripping liquids. In principle, however, the second section may also be turned into a different position, for example to protect the system from being sprayed.
It is also of advantage if the conveyor roller comprises a motor disposed in the roller body for driving the roller body and a connecting cable running out of the roller body and electrically connected to the motor. This results in a compact design of a conveyor roller. In principle, however, the protective cap may naturally also be used if the conveyor milers are idling rollers (without a motor).
It is of advantage if the second section of the protective cap has a laying device and/or fixing device for the connecting cable. Specifically, this might be provided in the form of a groove in which the connecting cable is laid/fixed. This enables the connecting cable to be laid in a predefined manner. Other means for laying the cable are then no longer necessary. Naturally, the laying device and/or fixing device may also be provided in the form of a cable clip, for example. In many cases, it is desirable to keep the distance of the conveyor roller from the connector box as short as possible, for example in order to keep the height of the frame profiles short and/or to keep the connecting cable short. Nevertheless, the connecting cable should be prevented from rubbing on the rotating conveyor roller. In addition to providing protection against moisture or in addition thereto, the second section of the protective cap based cm this embodiment also fulfils the function of providing mechanical protection for the connecting cable. The reason for using the second section might therefore also be to provide mechanical protection for the connecting cable. The protective cap then fulfils a triple function in the manner specified above.
In this connection, it is of particular advantage if the laying device and/or fixing, device is disposed on the bottom of the second section in the mounted position. If the laying device and/or fixing device is provided in the form of a groove, it is of advantage if the groove in is open towards the bottom when the conveyor roller is in the mounted position. This enables the connecting cable of the conveyor roller to be easily secured in the groove but at the same time it is effectively protected from dripping liquids.
It is also of advantage if the electrical interface between the connecting cable and connector box is disposed underneath the channel-like or roof-like second section of the protective cap. As a result, the interface, which is provided in the form of a plug and socket connection for example, is well protected against dripping liquids and the required safety standards can be met without having to use seals.
It is also of advantage if the connector box has a roof-like projection and the electrical inter face is disposed between the connecting cable and connector box underneath said projection. This also provides effective protection for the interface, for example a plug and socket connection, against dripping liquids and the required safety standards can be met without having to use seals.
Based on one particularly advantageous embodiment of the conveyor system, said projection of the connector box is disposed underneath the channel like or roof-like second section of the protective cap. With this variant, the two features described above can be combined, thereby affording particularly effective protection against dripping liquids because the electrical interface disposed between the connecting cable and connector box is protected on the one hand by the projection of the connector box and on the other hand by the channel-like or roof like second section of the protective cap. The second section of the protective cap advantageously extends above the roof-like projection of the connector box. This enables the required safety standards to be net without having to use seals.
To provide a clearer understanding, the invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the appended drawings. Of these
It should be pointed out that the same parts described in the different embodiments are denoted by the same reference numbers and the same component names and the disclosures made throughout the description can be transposed in terms of meaning to same parts bearing the same reference numbers or same component names. Furthermore, the positions chosen for the purposes of the description, such as top, bottom, side, etc., relate to the drawing specifically being described and can be transposed in terms of meaning to a new position when another position is being described. Individual features or combinations of features front the different embodiments illustrated and described may be construed as independent inventive solutions or solutions proposed by the invention in their own right.
The conveyor roller 1 comprises a shaft 2 and a roller body 3 as well as a protective cap 4. The protective cap 4 comprises a disk-shaped first section 5 for covering the interior of the roller body 3, which is fixedly disposed relative to the shaft 2 and oriented normally to it. The protective cap 4 further comprises a channel-like or roof-like second section 6, which is disposed at a downwardly extending angle with respect to the shaft 2 and which extends across a part length of the roller body 3 spaced radially at a distance apart from it. As viewed from above, the shaft 2 and the longitudinal axis of the second section 6 are congruent with one another in this example. However, this need not necessarily be the case, The longitudinal axis of the second section 6 could extend at a distance apart from and parallel with the shaft 2 or at an angle to it.
Due to the first section 5 of the protective cap 4, the interior of the roller body 3, for example an internally lying roller hearing or an internally lying electronic circuit (not illustrated), is protected. The second section 6 of the protective cap 4 also affords protection for components disposed underneath the conveyor roller 1 (see also
The conveyor roller 1 illustrated as an example comprises a motor (not illustrated) disposed in the roller body 3 for driving the roller body 3 and a connecting cable 7 running out of the roller body 3 and electrically connected to the motor by as first end. In this example, a plug 8 is connected to the connecting cable 7 at a second end.
The second section 6 of the protective cap 4 has an optional laying device and/or fixing device which runs/fixes the connecting cable 7 between the first and second end. This is specifically provided in the form of a groove 9 in which the connecting cable 7 is fixed/laid. In particular, when the conveyor roller 1 is in the mounted position—as illustrated in
Finally,
It should be pointed out in particular that the connecting cable 7 is illustrated in the mounted position in
In the example illustrated in
In the case of the example specifically illustrated, both of the features described above are used and are therefore combined, although they could also be used alone. This means that said projection 16 of the connector box 15 is disposed underneath the channel-like or roof-like second section 6 of the protective cap 4. This results in particularly good protection from dripping liquids because the electrical interface 8, 17 between the connecting cable 7 and connector box 15 is protected by the projection 16 of the connector box 15 on the one hand and by the channel-like or roof-like second section 6 of the protective cap 4 on the other hand. The second section 6 of the protective cap 4 advantageously extends above the roof-like projection 16 of the connector box 15 (towards the front and/or laterally) as may be seen in particular in
In the example illustrated in the drawings, the socket 17 is disposed directly on or in the housing of the connector box 15. It would naturally also be conceivable for the socket 17 to he provided on a cable running out of the housing of the connector box 15. Naturally, instead of the plug 8, it would also be possible for a socket to be provided on the connecting cable 7 and a plug to be provided on the connector box 15 instead of the socket 17.
Another feature to provide protection against dripping liquids, which is illustrated in
In
The embodiments illustrated as examples represent possible variants of a conveyor roller 1 and a conveyor system 12 proposed by the invention, and it should be pointed out at this stage that the invention is not specifically limited to the variants specifically illustrated, and instead the individual variants may be used in different combinations with one another and these possible variations lie within the reach of the person skilled in this technical field given. the disclosed technical teaching. Accordingly, all conceivable variants which can be obtained by combining individual details of the variants described and illustrated are possible and fall within the scope of the invention.
In particular, it should be pointed out that in reality, a conveyor roller 1 respectively a conveyor system 12 may also comprise more or fewer components than those illustrated.
For the sake of good order, finally, it should be pointed out that, in order to provide a clearer understanding of the structure of the conveyor roller 1 respectively a conveyor system 12, they and their constituent parts are illustrated to a certain extent out of scale and/or on are enlarged scale and/or on a reduced scale.
The objective underlying the independent inventive solutions may be found in the description.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| A 50657/2013 | Oct 2013 | AT | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/AT2014/050242 | 10/10/2014 | WO | 00 |
