Modular conveyor belt with cam flights
View Patent ↗A modular plastic conveyor belt of the type made up of a multiplicity of module rows connected by interdigited link ends secured by pins has camming members at selected locations on the bottom surface of the belt to provide a flight dynamically. The camming members preferably are connected to two successive connecting pivot pins and hang down below the belt at an oblique angle during regular belt travel, sliding through grooves formed in the supporting track. At locations where a raised flight is desired to move products along with the belt, the camming member engages track structure so as to raise two module rows into an upwardly pitched roof-like configuration to form a flight. Hold-downs preferably are included before and after the location of the two involved module rows, to hold the belt flat to the support track or platform except at the flight itself.
1. In a modular plastic conveyor belt of the type made of a multiplicity of module rows each containing one or more belt modules having link ends at fore and aft ends, the link ends being interdigited with link ends of preceding and succeeding module rows and connected together by connecting pins, an improvement to provide raised flights to engage and move along products being conveyed on the belt while also providing for the ability to flatten the belt surface for removal of products or cleaning, comprising:
at least one camming member connected to a lower side of the belt by two successive connecting pins, the camming member having a bottom surface which is angled obliquely downwardly and rearwardly relative to a direction of travel of the belt when the belt is in a generally planar configuration and not producing a raised flight at the location of the camming member, and
hold-down devices positioned forward of and aft of the camming member in the belt, for engagement with a longitudinal groove of a supporting track or platform below the belt to hold module rows down against the track or platform both forward and aft of two adjacent module rows creating the raised flight,
whereby the conveyor belt can cooperate with the track or platform at the position of each angled camming member such that each camming member resides down in the groove in portions of the belt travel where a raised flight is not desired, permitting clearing of conveyed products by scraping them off the non-raised surface of the belt or permitting cleaning by wiping the belt surface, and whereby, in locations where a raised flight is desired across the width of the belt, the groove is essentially absent so that the bottom surface of the camming member pivots and rises to a flat and essentially horizontal orientation along the track or platform surface, pushing upwardly one connecting pin along the width of the belt and thus creating a roof-shaped raised flight from the two adjacent module rows for moving conveyed products along with the belt, with the belt held generally flat forward and aft of the raised flight by the hold-down devices.
2. The improvement of claim 1 , wherein the hold-down devices each comprise structures connected to the bottom side of the conveyor belt by a pair of successive connecting pins, and each having a roller positioned on an axis generally transverse relative to the belt and spaced below the bottom of the belt, for engaging under track structure as the belt moves along.
3. The improvement of claim 2 , in combination with a track or platform including a groove to receive the hold-down device with the roller positioned beneath the groove.
4. The improvement of claim 1 , wherein the hold-down devices are connected to the belt module rows such that the roller is directly beneath a module row.
5. The improvement of claim 1 , wherein the hold-down devices are positioned immediately fore and aft of the two adjacent module rows creating the raised flight.
6. The improvement of claim 1 , wherein the belt includes at least two such camming members connected via said two successive connecting pins, the camming members being spaced apart and in generally parallel relationship.
7. In a modular plastic conveyor belt of the type made of a multiplicity of module rows each containing one or more belt modules having link ends at fore and aft ends, the link ends being interdigited with link ends of preceding and succeeding module rows and connected together by connecting pins, an improvement to provide raised flights to engage and move along products being conveyed on the belt while also providing for the ability to flatten the belt surface for removal of products or cleaning, comprising:
at least one camming member connected to a lower side of the belt so as to push the belt upwardly at one connecting pin causing two adjacent module rows to form into a roof-shaped configuration by engagement of the camming member with a surface of a track or platform, and
hold-down devices positioned forward of and aft of the camming member in the belt, for engagement with a longitudinal groove of a supporting track or platform below the belt to hold module rows down against the track or platform both forward and aft of two adjacent module rows creating the raised flight,
whereby the conveyor belt can cooperate with the track or platform at the position of the camming member such that each camming member resides down in the groove in portions of the belt travel where a raised flight is not desired, permitting clearing of conveyed products by scraping them off the non-raised surface of the belt or permitting cleaning by wiping the belt surface, and whereby, in locations where a raised flight is desired across the width of the belt, the groove is essentially absent so that the camming member engages against the track or platform and pushes upwardly one connecting pin along the width of the belt to thus creating a roof-shaped raised flight from the two adjacent module rows for moving conveyed products along with the belt, with the belt held generally flat forward and aft of the raised flight by the hold-down devices.
8. The improvement of claim 7 , wherein the hold-down devices each comprise structures connected to the bottom side of the conveyor belt by a pair of successive connecting pins, and each having a roller positioned on an axis generally transverse relative to the belt and spaced below the bottom of the belt, for engaging under track structure as the belt moves along.
9. The improvement of claim 8 , in combination with a track or platform including a groove to receive the hold-down device with the roller positioned beneath the groove.
10. The improvement of claim 7 , wherein the hold-down devices are connected to the belt module rows such that the roller is directly beneath a module row.
11. The improvement of claim 7 , wherein the hold-down devices are positioned immediately fore and aft of the two adjacent module rows creating the raised flight.
12. The improvement of claim 7 , wherein the belt includes at least two such camming members connected via said two successive connecting pins, the camming members being spaced apart and in generally parallel relationship.
13. In a modular plastic conveyor belt of the type made of a multiplicity of module rows each containing one or more belt modules having link ends at fore and aft ends, the link ends being interdigited with link ends of preceding and succeeding module rows and connected together by connecting pins, and including a track or platform on which the conveyor belt rests and travels, an improvement to provide raised flights to engage and move along products being conveyed on the belt while also providing for the ability to flatten the belt surface for removal of products or cleaning, comprising:
at least one camming member connected to a lower side of the belt so as to push the belt upwardly at one connecting pin causing two adjacent module rows to form into a roof-shaped configuration by engagement of the camming member with a surface of the track or platform, and
hold-down devices positioned in the belt forward of and aft of the camming member, engaged with the track or platform below the belt to hold module rows down against the track or platform both forward and aft of two adjacent module rows creating the raised flight,
the supporting track or platform having a longitudinal groove in a position of alignment with each angled camming member such that each camming member resides down in the groove in portions of the belt travel where a raised flight is not desired, permitting clearing of conveyed products by scraping them off the non-raised surface of the belt or permitting cleaning by wiping the belt surface, and, in locations where a raised flight is desired across the width of the belt, the groove being essentially absent so that the bottom surface of the camming member pivots and rises to a flat and essentially horizontal orientation along the track or platform surface, pushing upwardly one connecting pin along the width of the belt and thus creating a roof-shaped raised flight from the two adjacent module rows for moving conveyed products along with the belt, with the belt held generally flat forward and aft of the raised flight by the hold-down devices.
14. The improvement of claim 13 , wherein the hold-down devices each comprise structures connected to the bottom side of the conveyor belt by a pair of successive connecting pins, and each having a roller positioned on an axis generally transverse relative to the belt and spaced below the bottom of the belt, engaged under track structure as the belt moves along.
15. The improvement of claim 14 , with the track or platform including a groove to receive the hold-down device with the roller positioned beneath the groove.