Curved belt conveyor

A curved belt conveyor comprising:

• a conveyor belt comprising a hooking element associated with an outer periphery of the conveyor belt;
• a plurality of pair of rollers guiding the hooking element of the conveyor belt;
• a plurality of supporting elements placed in correspondence of the outer periphery of the conveyor belt each for supporting at least one pair of rollers, at least a holding space for the hooking element of the conveyor belt being defined among each pair of rollers and the corresponding supporting element;
• wherein
• at least one main roller of at least one pair of rollers of each supporting element is movable along a rectilinear trajectory extending along a rotation axis of the main roller, also extending along a longitudinal development of a corresponding main roller shaft, between a releasing position, wherein the rollers are distant from each other defining a corresponding intermediate space allowing passage of the hooking element of the conveyor belt to and/or from the corresponding holding space, and a retaining position, wherein the rollers of the corresponding pair of rollers are close to each other so that the corresponding intermediate space does not allow the passage of the hooking element of the conveyor belt at least from the corresponding holding space through the corresponding intermediate space, a movement of the main roller from the retaining position to the releasing position is defined by a rectilinear translation of the main roller along the corresponding longitudinal axis approaching the corresponding supporting element and moving away from a longitudinal axis of the other roller of the corresponding pair of rollers, whereas movement of the main roller from the releasing position to the retaining position is defined by rectilinear translation along the corresponding longitudinal axis, in an opposite direction, moving away from the corresponding supporting element and approaching the longitudinal axis of the other roller of the corresponding pair of rollers.

A retaining element for a curved belt conveyor comprising:

• at least one pair of rollers for guiding a hooking element of a conveyor belt;
• a supporting element for supporting the at least one pair of rollers, at least a holding space for the hooking element of the conveyor belt being defined among the at least one pair of rollers and the supporting element;
• wherein
• the supporting element comprises a plate-like structure aligned to corresponding longitudinal axis of the rollers of the corresponding pair of rollers, the plate-like structure being placed and lying on a median plane of each roller of the at least one pair of rollers;
• at least one main roller of at least one pair of rollers is movable along a trajectory between a releasing position, wherein the rollers are distant from each other defining a corresponding intermediate space allowing passage of the hooking element of the conveyor belt to and/or from the corresponding holding space, and a retaining position, wherein the rollers are close to each other so that the corresponding intermediate space does not allow passage of the hooking element of the conveyor belt at least from the corresponding holding space through the corresponding intermediate space;
• the trajectory substantially lying on the median plane of each roller and being in either rectilinear or curved, for example an arc of a circle.

A curved belt conveyor comprising:

• a conveyor belt comprising a hooking element associated with an outer periphery of the conveyor belt;
• a plurality of pair of rollers guiding the hooking element of the conveyor belt;
• a plurality of supporting elements placed in correspondence of the outer periphery of the conveyor belt each for supporting at least one pair of rollers, at least a holding space for the hooking element of the conveyor belt being defined among each pair of rollers and the corresponding supporting element;
• wherein
• at least one main roller of at least one pair of rollers of each supporting element is movable along a trajectory extending along a rotation axis of the main roller, also extending along a longitudinal development of a corresponding main roller shaft, between a releasing position, wherein the rollers are distant from each other defining a corresponding intermediate space allowing passage of the hooking element of the conveyor belt to and/or from the corresponding holding space, and a retaining position, wherein the rollers of the corresponding pair of rollers are close to each other so that the corresponding intermediate space does not allow the passage of the hooking element of the conveyor belt at least from the corresponding holding space through the corresponding intermediate space, wherein the main roller of the corresponding pair of rollers of each supporting element is provided with at least one elastic element adapted to move the main roller towards the retaining position, wherein the elastic element is operatively interposed between the main roller of the corresponding pair of rollers of each supporting element and the corresponding supporting element, the elastic element opposing a movement of the main roller of the corresponding pair of rollers of each supporting element from the retaining position to the releasing position and pushing the main roller of the corresponding pair of rollers of each supporting element from the releasing position to the retaining position when no force towards the releasing position is applied on the corresponding main roller or no force equal or higher than the push of the elastic element towards the releasing position is applied on the corresponding main roller.

A curved belt conveyor comprising:

• a conveyor belt comprising a hooking element associated with an outer periphery of the conveyor belt;
• a plurality of pair of rollers guiding the hooking element of the conveyor belt;
• a plurality of supporting elements placed in correspondence of the outer periphery of the conveyor belt each for supporting at least one pair of rollers, at least a holding space for the hooking element of the conveyor belt being defined among each pair of rollers and the corresponding supporting element;
• wherein
• at least one main roller of at least one pair of rollers of each supporting element is movable along a trajectory extending along a rotation axis of the main roller, also extending along a longitudinal development of a corresponding main roller shaft, between a releasing position, wherein the rollers are distant from each other defining a corresponding intermediate space allowing passage of the hooking element of the conveyor belt to and/or from the corresponding holding space, and a retaining position, wherein the rollers of the corresponding pair of rollers are close to each other so that the corresponding intermediate space does not allow the passage of the hooking element of the conveyor belt at least from the corresponding holding space through the corresponding intermediate space, wherein each supporting element comprises a plate-like structure aligned to a corresponding longitudinal axis of the rollers of the corresponding pair of rollers, wherein the plate-like structure of each supporting element is made in one piece or is made by two or more plates joined together according to a superimposed relation so that to substantially form a single body.

A curved belt conveyor comprising:

• a conveyor belt comprising a hooking element associated with an outer periphery of the conveyor belt;
• a plurality of pair of rollers guiding the hooking element of the conveyor belt;
• a plurality of supporting elements placed in correspondence of the outer periphery of the conveyor belt each for supporting at least one pair of rollers, at least a holding space for the hooking element of the conveyor belt being defined among each pair of rollers and the corresponding supporting element;
• wherein
• at least one main roller of at least one pair of rollers of each supporting element is movable along a trajectory extending along a rotation axis of the main roller, also extending along a longitudinal development of a corresponding main roller shaft, between a releasing position, wherein the rollers are distant from each other defining a corresponding intermediate space allowing passage of the hooking element of the conveyor belt to and/or from the corresponding holding space, and a retaining position, wherein the rollers of the corresponding pair of rollers are close to each other so that the corresponding intermediate space does not allow the passage of the hooking element of the conveyor belt at least from the corresponding holding space through the corresponding intermediate space, wherein each supporting element comprises a plate-like structure, wherein the plate-like structure of each supporting element is made in one piece or is made by two or more plates joined together according to a superimposed relation so that to substantially form a single body, wherein the plate-like structure of each supporting element is aligned to corresponding longitudinal axis of the rollers of the corresponding pair of rollers and is placed and/or lies on a median plane of each roller of the corresponding pair of rollers.

A curved belt conveyor comprising:

• a conveyor belt comprising a hooking element associated with an outer periphery of the conveyor belt;
• a plurality of pair of rollers guiding the hooking element of the conveyor belt;
• a plurality of supporting elements placed in correspondence of the outer periphery of the conveyor belt each for supporting at least one pair of rollers, at least a holding space for the hooking element of the conveyor belt being defined among each pair of rollers and the corresponding supporting element;
• wherein
• at least one main roller of at least one pair of rollers of each supporting element is movable along a trajectory extending along a rotation axis of the main roller, also extending along a longitudinal development of a corresponding main roller shaft, between a releasing position, wherein the rollers are distant from each other defining a corresponding intermediate space allowing passage of the hooking element of the conveyor belt to and/or from the corresponding holding space, and a retaining position, wherein the rollers of the corresponding pair of rollers are close to each other so that the corresponding intermediate space does not allow the passage of the hooking element of the conveyor belt at least from the corresponding holding space through the corresponding intermediate space, wherein each supporting element comprises a plate-like structure, wherein the plate-like structure of each supporting element is made in one piece or is made by two or more plates joined together according to a superimposed relation so that to substantially form a single body, wherein the plate-like structure of each supporting element is provided with at least one pair of supporting protrusions for supporting the corresponding rollers of the corresponding pair or rollers, wherein the supporting protrusions develop, at least partially cantilevered, from one portion of the plate-like structure of the corresponding supporting element.