Zone-actuated inline dual-stacked roller belt conveyor

A conveyor belt module comprising:

• a base and a roller assembly slidably attached to the base;
• wherein the base extends in a length direction from a first end to a second end and laterally in a width direction from a first side to a second side and includes:
• a bottom side and an upper deck;
• a first set of hinge elements spaced apart along the first end and a second set of hinge elements spaced apart along the second end;
• a cavity opening onto the bottom side and the upper deck;
• bosses on the upper deck;
• wherein the roller assembly includes:
• a cradle having at least one pair of side-by-side roller beds and end supports at opposite ends of the roller beds;
• upper rollers in the roller beds;
• a lower roller disposed in the cavity and having a salient portion extending below the bottom side and having a lower-roller axle and;
• upper-roller axles supported by the end supports and extending laterally through the upper rollers and defining a lateral axis of rotation for the upper rollers;
• wherein the cradle further includes openings in the roller beds for the bosses;
• wherein raising the lower roller pushes against the upper rollers to raise the cradle away from the upper deck so that the bosses do not extend through the openings into the roller beds and so that rotation of the lower roller in one direction causes the upper rollers to rotate in the opposite direction, and wherein lowering the lower roller allows the cradle to rest against the upper deck with the bosses extending through the openings into the roller beds and against the upper rollers to brake the upper rollers from rotating.

A roller actuation assembly comprising:

• an actuator base;
• a bearing unit slidably attached to the actuator base and including:
• a pair of bearing blocks having top bearing faces extending in length in a first direction from a first end to a second end;
• an intermediate portion connected to the pair of bearing blocks and having a top face below the level of the top bearing faces;
• an actuator mounted in the actuator base and coupled to the bearing unit to move the bearing unit between a lowered position and a raised position.

A conveyor comprising:

• a conveyor belt including:
• a bottom side;
• multiple roller assemblies arranged in lanes extending in a direction of belt travel, wherein each of the roller assemblies includes:
• a lower roller having a salient portion that protrudes below the bottom side;
• a pair of upper rollers forming a support surface for conveyed articles;
• wherein the lower roller and the upper rollers are rotatable on axes perpendicular to a direction of belt travel;
• wherein rotation of the lower roller in one direction causes the upper rollers to rotate in the opposite direction when the lower roller is in contact with the upper rollers;
• a cradle supporting the pair of upper rollers;
• wherein the cradle and the lower roller are vertically translatable;
• a plurality of roller actuation assemblies disposed below the conveyor belt, each of the roller actuation assemblies associated with one or more of the lanes of roller assemblies and including:
• one or more bearing faces extending in length in the direction of belt travel under the lower rollers in one or more of the lanes of roller assemblies;
• a wearstrip support positioned below the bottom side of the conveyor between the lower rollers of consecutive lanes;
• an actuator that moves the one or more bearing faces from a lowered position out of contact with the lower rollers in the associated lanes to a raised position providing surfaces on which the lower rollers in the associated lanes can rotate in one direction as the conveyor belt advances in the direction of belt travel to cause the upper rollers to rotate in the opposite direction;
• wearstrips supported on the wearstrip supports to contact the bottom side of the conveyor belt between the lower rollers of consecutive lanes.

A conveyor belt comprising:

• a bottom side;
• a plurality of cavities opening onto the bottom side;
• a lower roller mounted in each of the cavities with a salient portion protruding below the bottom side and wherein the lower roller is translatable along the cavity;
• a plurality of cradles, each supporting two or more roller sets that each include:
• a pair of upper rollers forming a support surface for conveyed articles;
• wherein the lower rollers and the upper rollers are rotatable on laterally extending axes perpendicular to a direction of belt travel;
• wherein the two or more roller sets are laterally spaced across the width of the conveyor belt;
• wherein each of the roller sets is associated with one of the lower rollers;
• wherein rotation of the lower rollers in one direction causes the upper rollers in the associated roller sets to rotate in the opposite direction when the lower rollers are in contact with the upper rollers;
• wherein each of the cradles is translatable from a first position in which the upper rollers are at a first height level to a second position in which the upper rollers are at a higher second height level and in contact with the lower rollers.

A conveyor belt comprising:

• a bottom side;
• a plurality of cavities opening onto the bottom side;
• a plurality of cradles, each supporting one or more roller sets that each include:
• one or more upper rollers forming a support surface for conveyed articles;
• a lower roller with a salient portion protruding below the bottom side from one of the cavities and wherein the lower roller is translatable along the cavity;
• a lower-roller axle on which the lower roller is mounted for rotation and wherein ends of the lower-roller axle are received in the cradle free to translate relative to the cradle;
• wherein the lower rollers and the one or more upper rollers are rotatable on laterally extending axes perpendicular to a direction of belt travel;
• wherein rotation of the lower rollers in one direction causes the upper rollers to rotate in the opposite direction when the lower rollers are in contact with the upper rollers;
• wherein each of the cradles is translatable from a first position in which the upper rollers are at a first height level to a second position in which the upper rollers are at a higher second height level and in contact with the lower rollers.