Patent Application
20070125624
This patent is directed to a conveyor, and, in particular, to a vibratory conveyor.
In one aspect, a vibratory conveyor includes a trough, a linear-stroke exciter mass assembly coupled to the trough at a central region thereof, first and second vibration generators attached to the trough on opposite sides of the exciter mass assembly, and isolators coupled to and supporting the trough.
Additional aspects of the disclosure are defined by the claims of this patent.
Although the following text sets forth a detailed description of different embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that the legal scope of the invention is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment of the invention since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims defining the invention.
It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined in this patent using the sentence “As used herein, the term ‘______’ is hereby defined to mean . . . ” or a similar sentence, there is no intent to limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication, beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not be interpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in any section of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To the extent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent is referred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning, that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader, and it is not intended that such claim term be limited, by implication or otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally, unless a claim element is defined by reciting the word “means” and a function without the recital of any structure, it is not intended that the scope of any claim element be interpreted based on the application of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph.
As illustrated in
As mentioned above, the conveyor 20 includes a trough assembly 22 having an elongated, generally horizontal bed 24 for supporting objects to be transported. A curved path 26 extends along the bed 24 between first and second ends 28, 30 of the bed 24. As best illustrated in
A central region 40 may be provided intermediate the first and second bed ends 28, 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the central region 40 is located generally equidistant from the first and second bed ends 28, 30. According to certain embodiments, the central region 40 may define a loading area for receiving objects to be transported. However, the loading area may be located in other positions; for example, the loading area may be disposed at 42, near the second end 30, as illustrated.
Extending upwardly from the bed 24 are inner and outer rails 46, 48. The rails 46, 48 are best seen in
Returning to
As is illustrated in
As seen in
Thus, as is also illustrated in
Coupled between the mount 120 and the end assemblies 102, 104 are two pluralities of resilient members 130, 132 attached to opposing surfaces of the mount 120. As seen best in
Also coupled to the exciter end assemblies 102, 104 are resilient members 150, which may be in the form of compression springs, as shown, and which may function as isolation springs or isolators for the conveyor 20 similar to the resilient members 72, 74. In particular, the resilient members 150 may be coupled at a first end 152 to one of the masses 102, 104 and at a second end 154 to an anchor plate 156 that may be coupled to the supporting surface, such as a floor, by anchor bolts (not shown), for example. Optionally, the resilient members 150 may be replaced with legs, which legs may have an I-shaped cross-section.
The vibration generators 90, 92 produce vibratory forces that may be transmitted through the frame 58 and that may be transmitted through the subframes 60, 62, mounting brackets 50, 54, the trough assembly 22 and the mounting bracket 52 to the exciter mass assembly 100. The motion of the exciter mass end assembly 100 under the influence of this transferred vibration increases the vibration of the conveyor 20 over that which would be possible if the conveyor 20 were driven by the generators 90, 92 alone. That is, the resilient members 130, 132 may have a resonant frequency in an axial direction such that, when the generators 90, 92 are operated at or near this resonant frequency, a horizontal component of the vibratory forces is amplified by the springs 130, 132.
The conveyor 20, as thus assembled, may have several advantages relative to other conveyors, both curved and straight, known to the skilled practitioner.
Initially, the conveyor 20 does not require the motors 90, 92 to “brute force” the trough assembly 22 and the exciter mass assembly 100. Instead, the motors 90, 92 need only brute force the trough assembly 22. As a consequence, the motors 90, 92 may be smaller than in a conveyor where the. motors 90, 92 must brute force both the trough assembly 22 and the exciter mass assembly 100.
Moreover, the use of smaller motors 90, 92 leads to a shift of the center of gravity to closer to the trough assembly 22, which leads to a more compact conveyor. Also, the upward shift of the center of gravity results in the requirement for a smaller counterweight. The smaller counterweight may lead to an overall reduction in the weight of the conveyor 20.
Further, the use of two motors 90, 92 spaced from the center of trough assembly 22, as opposed to one motor positioned substantially at the center of the trough assembly 22, may permit greater flexibility in positioning the vertical component of the stroke on the center of gravity of the conveyor 20. In particular, this positioning may be performed substantially without offsetting the motors and the motor wheels. As a consequence, the motors 90, 92 may be run closer to full wheel, which may lead to reduced complexity in wheel fabrication and settings.
Additionally, the use of a linear-stroke exciter mass assembly 100 may lead to further weight reduction through enhanced efficiency. That is, it is believed that the linear-stroke exciter permits more efficient use of the mass of the exciter mass assembly 100 in operating the conveyor 20. Consequently, a smaller mass assembly 100 may be used than with other conveyors that do not use a linear-stroke exciter to produce a similar action. The smaller mass of the exciter mass assembly 100 may also lead to easier fabrication of the assembly 100, and overall reduction in the size of the conveyor 20.
