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US 2018/0093833 A1Published application
Roller drive
AssigneeLaitram, L.L.C.
InventorsBryant G. Ragan, John F. Landrum, Robert L. Rosen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A drive system for a motorized roller that includes a secondary stator external to the motorized roller. The outer shell of the motorized roller contains electrically conductive or magnetic material to form an induction, permanent-magnet, or reluctance motor with the secondary stator and boosts or bucks the torque of the motorized roller.
Claims20
A drive system comprising:
- a motorized roller including:
- a primary motor;
- an outer cylindrical shell rotated in a direction of rotation by the primary motor about an axis of rotation;
- wherein the outer cylindrical shell includes electrically conductive or magnetic material;
- an external stator disposed proximate the outer cylindrical shell and external to the motorized roller and producing a magnetic flux wave that travels circumferentially along a portion of the outer cylindrical shell and interacts with the electrically conductive or magnetic material to produce a torque rotating the outer cylindrical shell about the axis of rotation.
2 more elements
A drive system comprising:
- a stationary roller having an outer cylindrical shell rotated by a primary drive in a direction of rotation about an axis of rotation, wherein the outer cylindrical shell includes electrically conductive or magnetic material;
- an external magnetic-field source disposed proximate the outer cylindrical shell and external to the roller and producing a magnetic field that cuts the outer cylindrical shell and interacts with the electrically conductive or magnetic material to produce a torque rotating the outer cylindrical shell about the axis of rotation.
A method for increasing or decreasing the torque of a roller, the method comprising:
- mounting a curved stator external and proximate to a roller having an outer cylindrical shell and driven with a first torque by a primary drive;
- producing a magnetic field with the stator that travels along the outer cylindrical shell in a first direction to produce a second torque that boosts the first torque rotating the outer cylindrical shell or in an opposite second direction to produce a second torque that bucks the first torque rotating the outer cylindrical shell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.