Radius conveyor with magnetic bearing
AssigneeLaitram, L.L.C.
InventorBryant G. Ragan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A radius conveyor comprising a sideflexing conveyor belt and a touchless magnetic bearing at the inside of a turn. The conveyor belt has electrically conductive elements in a side edge. An array of permanent magnets along the conveyor's side rail at the inside of the turn produces a permanent magnetic field. As the conveyor belt is driven through the turn, the permanent magnet field induces currents in the electrically conductive material. The currents produce reaction magnetic fields opposed to the permanent magnetic field that result in a radially outward force pushing the conveyor belt away from frictional contact with the side rail. Alternatively, permanent magnets in the side edge of the belt and electrically conductive elements in the conveyor's side rail likewise provide a magnetic bearing.
Claims16
A conveyor comprising:
- a conveyor frame including a carryway with a turn section;
- a sideflexing conveyor belt supported in the conveyor frame and having a side edge with first field-producing elements;
- wherein the sideflexing conveyor belt is driven along the carryway and through the turn section, the side edge with the first field-producing elements advancing along an inside radius of the turn section;
- second field-producing elements disposed along the carryway along the inside radius of the turn section,
- wherein the first field-producing elements are electrically conductive elements and the second field-producing elements form an array of permanent magnets, or vice versa, and
- wherein the array of permanent magnets produces a magnetic field that induces currents in the electrically conductive elements that produce an induced magnetic field opposed by the magnetic field of the array to create a radially outward force against the sideflexing conveyor belt advancing through the turn section.
A conveyor belt comprising:
- a series of rows of belt modules hingedly linked together and extending in width from a first side edge to a second side edge;
- electrically conductive plates disposed along the first side edge of the rows of belt modules.
A conveyor belt comprising:
- a series of rows of belt modules hingedly linked together and extending in width across an intermediate portion from a first side edge to a second side edge;
- electrically conductive elements disposed along the first side edge of the rows of belt modules,
- wherein the intermediate portion is devoid of electrically conductive elements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.