Clean room roller conveyor with motors between and torquing drive roller pairs
View Patent ↗A clean room conveyor comprises a first guide rail and a plurality of motors coupled to the first guide rail, and a plurality of drive roller pairs. Each drive roller pair comprises two drive rollers, with a corresponding one of the plurality of motors disposed between the two drive rollers and applying torque to both of the two drive rollers.
1. A conveyor comprising:
a first guide rail;
a plurality of motors coupled to the first guide rail; and
a plurality of drive roller pairs, each drive roller pair comprising two drive rollers, with a corresponding one of the plurality of motors disposed directly between the two drive rollers and aligned with an axis of rotation that is common to the two drive rollers and applying torque to both of the two drive rollers.
2. The conveyor of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of motors is a stepper motor.
3. The conveyor of claim 1 further comprising a second guide rail, and wherein each of the plurality of motors is disposed between the first guide rail and the second guide rail.
4. The conveyor of claim 3 wherein each of the plurality of drive roller pairs is disposed between the first guide rail and the second guide rail.
5. The conveyor of claim 4 wherein the plurality of drive roller pairs comprises a first conveyor path between the first guide rail and the second guide rail, and further comprising a third guide rail, and a second conveyor path between the second guide rail and the third guide rail.
6. The conveyor of claim 1 wherein a maximum width of the conveyor, measured in a width direction that is normal to the first guide rail, is less than 85 mm.
7. The conveyor of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of idle rollers to which the plurality of motors do not apply torque, each of the plurality of idle rollers being free to independently rotate, and each of the plurality of idle rollers being disposed on the first guide rail and spaced away from every one of the plurality of drive roller pairs.
8. The conveyor of claim 7 wherein each of the plurality of idle rollers defines an idle roller diameter, and each of the plurality of drive roller pairs defines a drive roller diameter, and wherein the idle roller diameter is less than the drive roller diameter.
9. The conveyor of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of sensors, each of the plurality of motors being responsive to a signal from at least one of the plurality of sensors.
10. The conveyor of claim 9 wherein each of the plurality of motors is reversibly driven, so that the conveyor is a bi-directional conveyor.
11. The conveyor of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of motors is attached to the first guide rail.