Dual drive conveyor system with vibrational control apparatus and method of determining optimum conveyance speed of a product therewith

A dual drive conveyor system with vibration control for adjusting the application of vibratory force to the material-conveying member without changing the direction of the resultant line of vibratory force generated, comprising:

• (a) an elongated material-conveying member having a longitudinal centroidal axis;
• (b) a vibration-generating means connected to said material-conveying member for transmitting vibratory forces to said material-conveying member substantially only in a direction parallel with said longitudinal centroidal axis of said material-conveying member;
• (c) said vibration-generating means including a first drive motor being drivingly connected to a pair of master shafts which carry opposing eccentrically mounted weights that generate substantially equal opposing forces in a direction normal to said longitudinal centroidal axis of said material-conveying member, and a second drive motor being drivingly connected to a pair of slave shafts which carry opposing eccentrically mounted weights that generate substantially equal opposing forces in a direction normal to said longitudinal centroidal axis of said material-conveying member;
• and
• (d) vibration control mechanism being connected to at least said second drive motor, said vibration control mechanism including means for adjusting the speed of said second drive motor to effect a change in angular position of said eccentric weights carried by said pair of slave shafts relative to the angular position of said eccentric weights carried by said pair of master shafts, to thereby controllably vary the application of vibratory force imparted to said material-conveying member by said vibration-generating means without changing the direction of the resultant line of said vibratory force.

A dual drive conveyor system with vibration control for adjusting the application of vibratory force to the material-conveying member without changing the direction of the resultant line of vibratory force generated, comprising:

• (a) an elongated material-conveying member having a longitudinal centroidal axis;
• (b) a vibration-generating means connected to said material-conveying member for transmitting vibratory forces to said material-conveying member substantially only in a direction parallel with said longitudinal centroidal axis of said material-conveying member, said vibration-generating means further comprising:
• (i) a first drive motor being drivingly connected to a pair of opposing parallel counter-rotating master shafts which rotate at a predetermined speed and are symmetrically positioned and disposed transverse to said longitudinal centroidal axis of said material-conveying member, said opposing counter-rotating master shafts carrying corresponding opposing eccentrically mounted weights that generate substantially equal opposing forces in a direction normal to said longitudinal centroidal axis of said material-conveying member so as to cancel substantially all of each other's vibratory forces which are generated in such direction as a result of simultaneous counter-rotation thereof;
• (ii) a second drive motor being drivingly connected to a pair of opposing counter-rotating slave shafts which normally rotate at a predetermined ratio of the speed of said master shafts, and are symmetrically positioned and transversely disposed relative to said longitudinal centroidal axis of said material-conveying member, said opposing counter-rotating slave shafts carrying corresponding opposing eccentrically mounted weights that generate substantially equal opposing forces in a direction normal to said longitudinal centroidal axis of said material-conveying member so as to cancel substantially all of each other's vibratory forces which are generated in such direction as a result of simultaneous counter-rotation thereof;
• (c) a vibration control mechanism having means for sensing and monitoring the angular position of at least one of said eccentric weights carried by said slave shafts relative to at least one of said eccentric weights carried by said master shafts, and determining the relative angular displacement therebetween, and means for adjusting the speed of said second drive motor automatically and periodically as needed during operation thereof to maintain said relative angular displacement at a predetermined target angular displacement between said eccentric weights carried by said slave shafts and said eccentric weights carried by said master shafts during rotation thereof, without introducing a resultant component of vibratory force in a direction transverse to said longitudinal centroidal axis of said material-conveying member.

A method of determining the optimal application of vibratory force to obtain optimal conveyance speed for a given material which is being conveyed on a conveyor system in which the direction of the resultant line of vibratory force generated is substantially only parallel with the longitudinal centroidal axis of the material-conveying member of the conveyor system, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a conveyor system having an elongated material-conveying member with a longitudinal centroidal axis, and a vibration-generating means connected to said material-conveying member for transmitting vibratory forces to said material-conveying member substantially only in a direction parallel with said longitudinal centroidal axis of said material-conveying member, said vibration-generating means including a first drive motor drivingly connected to a pair of master shafts which carry opposing eccentrically mounted weights that generate substantially equal opposing forces in a direction normal to said longitudinal centroidal axis of said material-conveying member, and a second drive motor drivingly connected to a pair of slave shafts which carry opposing eccentrically mounted weights that generate substantially equal opposing forces in a direction normal to said longitudinal centroidal axis of said material-conveying member;
• (b) loading said material-conveying member with a desired material to be conveyed thereby;
• (c) selecting a target angular displacement between said eccentric weights carried by said slave shafts and said eccentric weights carried by said master shafts during rotation thereof;
• (d) determining the actual relative angular displacement between said eccentric weights carried by said slave shafts and said eccentric weights carried by said master shafts during conveyance of said material;
• (e) comparing said actual relative angular displacement between said eccentric weights carried by said slave shafts and said eccentric weights carried by said master shafts with said selected target angular displacement therebetween;
• (f) adjusting the speed of said second drive motor as needed to change said actual relative angular displacement between said eccentric weights carried by said slave shafts and said eccentric weights carried by said master shafts to substantially match said predetermined target angular displacement therebetween;
• (g) determining the conveyance speed of said material being conveyed relative to said selected target angular displacement between said eccentric weights carried by said slave shafts and said eccentric weights carried by said master shafts;
• (h) observing the effect upon the material being conveyed as it is so conveyed at such speed of conveyance;
• (i) changing said target angular displacement between said eccentric weights carried by said slave shafts and said eccentric weights carried by said master shafts to a new target angular displacement;
• (j) Repeat steps (d) through (i) until a desired optimal conveyance speed is determined for said material being conveyed.

A method of determining the optimal application of vibratory force to obtain optimal conveyance speed for a given material which is being conveyed on a conveyor system in which the direction of the resultant line of vibratory force generated is substantially only parallel with the longitudinal centroidal axis of the material-conveying member of the conveyor system, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a conveyor system having an elongated material-conveying member with a longitudinal centroidal axis, and a vibration-generating means connected to said material-conveying member for transmitting vibratory forces to said material-conveying member substantially only in a direction parallel with said longitudinal centroidal axis of said material-conveying member, said vibration-generating means including a first pair of vibrator shafts which carry opposing eccentrically mounted weights that generate substantially equal opposing forces in a direction normal to said longitudinal centroidal axis of said material-conveying member, and a second pair of vibrator shafts which carry opposing eccentrically mounted weights that generate substantially equal opposing forces in a direction normal to said longitudinal centroidal axis of said material-conveying member, said second vibrator shafts normally rotating at an average speed which is a predetermined ratio of the speed of said first vibrator shafts;
• (b) selecting and setting said eccentric weights carried by said second vibrator shafts at a predetermined nominal angular position relative to said eccentric weights carried by said first vibrator shafts to define a relative angular displacement therebetween;
• (c) loading said material-conveying member with the desired material to be conveyed thereby;
• (d) activating said vibration-generating means to convey the material thereon;
• (e) determining the conveyance speed of said material being conveyed relative to said angular displacement between said eccentric weights carried by said second vibrator shafts and said eccentric weights carried by said first vibrator shafts;
• (f) observing the effect upon the material being conveyed as it is so conveyed at such speed of conveyance;
• (g) changing the angular position of said eccentric weights carried by said second vibrator shafts relative to the angular position of said eccentric weights carried by said first vibrator shafts, thereby changing said relative angular displacement therebetween;
• (h) Repeat steps (e) through (g) until a desired optimal conveyance speed is determined for said material being conveyed.