Shaft-mounted conveyor assembly
AssigneeLaitram, L.L.C.
InventorsMartin A. Dwornick, Jake A. Mohan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A shaft-mounted conveyor assembly (10) comprises a series of scroll modules (100, 102) arranged in series on a shaft (12) to form a helix having a peripheral surface for contacting a conveyor belt. Each scroll module includes an open hub (120) for receiving the shaft and a webbed scroll portion (110) defining the peripheral surface. The shaft includes L-shaped mounting slots (30) in mounting regions for mounting the scroll modules. A snap-on locking collar (200) prevents axial movement of the scroll modules after installation on the shaft.
Claims18
A scroll module for a conveyor, comprising:
- a clamp portion having an open hub forming a shaft-receiving opening for seating a shaft of the conveyor;
- a webbed scroll portion extending from the clamp portion having a body that arcs and twists from a first edge to a second edge to form a half-coil of a helix, wherein the first edge is straight and extends radially from the clamp portion perpendicular to the axis of the shaft-receiving opening and the second edge is straight and extends from the clamp portion perpendicular to the axis of the shaft-receiving opening;
- a cut out between the second edge and the open hub;
- and
- a protruding face formed diagonally opposite the cut out between the first edge and the open hub and extending below the first edge.
An assembly for a conveyor comprising:
- a shaft having a plurality of L-shaped mounting slots formed in a series of mounting regions;
- a series of scroll modules mounted to the shaft using the L-shaped mounting slots to form a helical pulley;
- and
- a locking collar for limiting axial movement of the series of scroll modules along the shaft.
A method of assembling a scroll assembly on a shaft in a conveyor, the shaft comprising a plurality of mounting regions, each mounting region including an L-shaped mounting slot on each side of the shaft, the method comprising the steps of:
- installing a first scroll module on the shaft in a first mounting region by sliding fingers in a hub portion of the first scroll module over peripheral flats in a first pair of L-shaped mounting slots and then moving the first scroll module in an axial direction to seat ledges in the first pair of L-shaped mounting slots in bends in the hub portion;
- and
- installing a second scroll module on the shaft, by sliding fingers in a hub portion of the second scroll module over peripheral flats in a second pair of L-shaped mounting slots, and then moving the second scroll module in the axial direction to seat ledges in the second pair of L-shaped mounting slots in bends in the hub portion,
- wherein the first scroll module and second scroll module together form a complete turn of a helix.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.