Conveyor Apparatus

A conveyor apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of outgoing path side guide pulleys and a plurality of returning path side guide pulleys disposed along a helical conveyance path extending in a vertical direction and arranged at positions where inflection points of the conveyance path are formed such that the plurality of outgoing path side guide pulleys and the plurality of returning path side guide pulleys form the inflection points;
• an endless conveyor belt wound around the plurality of outgoing path side guide pulleys in turn along the helical conveyance path in a bent state where the endless conveyor belt is folded in two in a width direction in such a manner that an upper edge portion of the endless conveyor belt is supported by the plurality of outgoing path side guide pulleys, the endless conveyor belt being wound around the plurality of returning path side guide pulleys in turn along the helical conveyance path in the bent state where the endless conveyor belt is folded in two in the width direction in such a manner that the upper edge portion is supported by the plurality of returning path side guide pulleys, and further, the endless conveyor belt being folded back at turning positions of an upper side and a lower side of the conveyance path and being in an expanded state where the endless conveyor belt is expanded in the width direction in a vicinity of each of the turning positions;
• a pair of an upper side turning pulley and a lower side turning pulley configured to support and guide the endless conveyor belt to stretch at the respective turning positions;
• and
• a drive motor configured to drive at least one of the plurality of outgoing path side guide pulleys, the plurality of returning path side guide pulleys, and the pair of the upper side turning pulley and the lower side turning pulley,
• wherein the drive motors are provided in a dispersed manner at some positions among positions of the plurality of outgoing path side guide pulleys forming the inflection points, the plurality of returning path side guide pulleys forming the inflection points, the upper side turning pulley, and the lower side turning pulley,
• on each of the outer circumference surfaces of the plurality of outgoing path side guide pulleys and the plurality of returning path side guide pulleys, a first recessed portion and a second recessed portion each having a trapezoidal cross sectional shape are formed endlessly in a circumferential direction, the second recessed portion being formed on the lower side of the first recessed portion, one end portion on one side of the endless conveyor belt being formed into a trapezoidal cross sectional shape and fitted into the first recessed portion, and another end portion of another side of the endless conveyor belt being formed into a trapezoidal cross sectional shape and fitted into the second recessed portion,
• the position where the inflection points are formed are set at corner portions of a support frame having an axis extending in a vertical direction and having a polygonal shape when viewed from above,
• the upper edge portion of the endless conveyor belt in the bent state where the endless conveyor belt is folded in two in the width direction include:
• the one end of the endless conveyor belt disposed at an upper side;
• and the another end portion of the endless conveyor belt having an inclined lower surface, the another end portion being vertically arranged at a lower side with respect to the one end, and is supported by a supported by a plurality of conveyor belt support mechanisms.