Patent ID: 6827528
Filing Date: 2004-12-07
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
In a conveyor comprising a cyclic drive means transporting a fluid medium having at least one object entrained therein through an enclosed passage, said drive means interposed between upstream and downstream segments of said passage and comprising a first working zone in a negative drive cycle and a second working zone in a positive drive cycle; a method of optimizing at least one value of said object entrained fluid medium characteristic of said transporting of said object entrained fluid medium with respect to drive means energy consumption comprising:providing a shunt passage from said second working zone to said first working zone; flowing said object entrained fluid medium through said shunt passage from said second working zone to said first working zone thereby changing said at least one value of said object entrained fluid medium and the difference in magnitude between said cycles; modulating the flow through said shunt passage to optimize said at least one value with respect to drive means energy consumption.