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US 10,308,439 B2Granted
Chain monitoring system
AssigneeStewart Systems Baking, LLC
InventorsScott C. McCally, Jay K. Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A monitoring and feedback system may provide real-time feedback on the bearings in the chain of a proofer/oven conveyor system. The system may detect a bearing seizure before any damage can occur to the track and/or may provide for improper lubrication detection. Accordingly, a chain section or a bearing may be pulled out of the conveyor system for repair/replacement, thereby prolonging the life of the conveyor system as a whole, including the conveyor chain and bearings.
Claims16
A chain monitoring system comprising:
- a conveyor arranged to move from an upstream position to a downstream position;
- a plurality of pitches provided along the conveyor, wherein each of the plurality of pitches contains a horizontal bearing and a set of two vertical bearings;
- a first array of thermocouples for the horizontal bearing, and a second and a third array of thermocouples for the set of two vertical bearings arranged downstream of a lubrication system, wherein thermal trends of each bearing are monitored and tracked;
- and
- a chain provided along the conveyor, the chain separated into a plurality of chain sections, wherein each of the plurality of chain sections is capable of being removed from the chain.
2 more elements
A conveyor system, comprising:
- a conveyor arranged to move from an upstream position to a downstream position;
- a plurality of pitches provided along the conveyor, wherein each of the plurality of pitches contains a horizontal bearing and a set of two vertical bearings;
- a feedback mechanism arranged to continuously monitor thermal trends of any of the horizontal bearing and the set of two vertical bearings and compare upstream and downstream data;
- a proofer or an oven including a load-on position and a load-off position, wherein the load-on position is the starting point for the conveyor and the load-off position is the ending point;
- and
- a chain provided along the conveyor, the chain separated into a plurality of chain sections, wherein each of the plurality of chain sections is capable of being removed from the chain.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.