System and method for controlling conveyor system tension
AssigneeFPS Food Process Solutions Corporation
InventorKin Hung Jeffrey Chang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for controlling tension in a belt of a conveyor system. The method involves: driving the belt along a path from an intake region to a discharge region using an intake motor adjacent the intake region and a discharge motor adjacent the discharge region; measuring a tension in the belt using an intake belt sensor that moves with the belt proximate the intake region to generate an intake belt signal; measuring a tension in the belt using a discharge belt sensor that moves with the belt proximate the discharge region to generate a discharge belt signal; monitoring the intake and discharge belt signals; and adjusting at least one of the intake motor and the discharge motor based on the intake and discharge belt signals to maintain the tensions in the belt within a pre-defined range.
Claims32
A method for controlling tension in a belt of a helical conveyor system, the method comprising:
- driving the belt along a helical path about a rotatable drum from an intake region to a discharge region using an intake motor adjacent the intake region and a discharge motor adjacent the discharge region;
- measuring a tension in the belt using an intake belt sensor mounted to a periphery of the rotatable drum and which rotates with the rotatable drum and moves with the belt proximate the intake region to generate an intake belt signal;
- measuring a tension in the belt using a discharge belt sensor mounted to the periphery of the rotatable drum and which rotates with the rotatable drum and moves with the belt proximate the discharge region to generate a discharge belt signal;
- monitoring the intake belt signal and the discharge belt signal;
- and
- adjusting at least one of the intake motor and the discharge motor based on the intake belt signal and the discharge belt signal to maintain the tensions in the belt within a predefined range.
A helical conveyor system comprising:
- a belt movable along a helical path about a rotatable drum from an intake region to a discharge region;
- an intake motor adjacent the intake region and a discharge motor adjacent the discharge region engageable with the belt to drive the belt along the helical path;
- an intake belt sensor mounted to a periphery of the rotatable drum for rotation with the rotatable drum and for movement with the belt proximate the intake region, wherein the intake belt sensor is configured to measure tension in the belt to generate an intake belt signal;
- a discharge belt sensor mounted to the periphery of the rotatable drum for rotation with the rotatable drum and for movement with the belt proximate the discharge region, wherein the discharge belt sensor is configured to measure tension in the belt to generate a discharge belt signal;
- and
- a control system configured to:
- receive the intake belt signal and the discharge belt signal;
- generate adjustment signals configured to adjust at least one of the intake motor and the discharge motor based on the intake belt signal and the discharge belt signal to maintain the tensions in the belt within a predefined range;
- and
- transmit the adjustment signals to the at least one of the intake motor and the discharge motor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.