FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

Various embodiments of the disclosure generally relate to roller systems and, more particularly, various embodiments of the disclosure relate to efficient and effective roller systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Ever more items are purchased on the Internet using online merchants, such as Amazon and eBay. These merchants often store their items in a warehouse until they are retrieved for delivery. After retrieval, the items often are moved from one region of the warehouse to another warehouse region using a roller system (also known as a “conveyer system” or “roller conveyer”). Ultimately, the items typically are loaded from the roller system onto trucks for delivery. As the world economy increasingly uses this business model, roller system efficiency, robustness, and cost become even more important.

Online merchants certainly are not the only companies that use roller systems. For example, factories, wholesalers, and others have used roller systems for years. Accordingly, their benefit and efficient use impacts an even wider swath of the economy.

As a result, it will be observed that the current disclosure would allow a single motor to drive rollers over a much longer distance than might be achieved by several zones and several motors with a substantially uniform speed synchronized with the next motor in the conveyor system.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, a gearless external rotor motor below the conveyor rollers with ribs and associated timing belts are used as the driving mechanism, and the torque is transferred to the rollers at the top surface using O bands or a similar transmission element. Accordingly, a uniform torque distribution can be applied to a set of carrier rollers to reduce torque loss to the carrier rollers. This arrangement permits the torque to be transferred with less torque loss along the set or carrier rollers than with rollers driven from a motor by O-bands alone, and avoids complex zone control schemes.

As described herein, the same approach can also be used to synchronize two parallel conveyors.

The disclosed apparatus can also be used to refurbish existing motorized roller systems or convert a non-motorized roller system to a more reliable longer lasting gearless motorized conveyor system in an easy and cost-effective way.

