Patent Publication Number: US-2017355535-A1

Title: Vacuum conveyor with cogged drive belt

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to and benefit of CA Ser. No. 2,932,815, filed Jun. 14, 2016, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is in the field of pneumatic or vacuum conveyors such as are commonly used to convey grain or other granular material, and in particular to a vacuum conveyor using a cogged drive belt to transfer rotation motion from a vehicle to a fan assembly. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Vacuum conveyors for conveying granular material, such as grain, using a vacuum are well known. These vacuum conveyors allow pickup of the granular material with a flexible hose that allows considerable freedom of movement. A fan or air pump is used to establish a flow of air from the intake end of the hose through the machine to a discharge. An intake nozzle at the end of the housing of the vacuum conveyor is placed in the granular material and the air being sucked into the intake end picks up and carries the granular material into the intake nozzle. The intake nozzle establishes a stream of mixed air and granular material causing the granular material sucked up into the intake nozzle to be carried through the hose back to the housing of the vacuum conveyor. Typically, the hose is attached to a rigid tube, with the tube and hose forming an intake conduit between the intake nozzle and the housing of the vacuum conveyor. Each of these machines typically has a way to discharge the granular material that has been sucked into the machine through the intake conduit, such as with a discharge conveyor (commonly an auger). When the granular material reaches the housing of the vacuum conveyor, the vacuum conveyor deposits the granular material in the discharge conveyor which can then carry the granular material up the length of the discharge conveyor to be discharged into a bin, trailer, truck, etc. 
     Sections of tubing/hose can be added or removed depending on the distance between the vacuum conveyor and the granular material to be collected. 
     Since these vacuum conveyors are usually powered off the PTO of a tractor, the less loss of rotational motion from the PTO of the tractor to the fan or air pump, the better the vacuum conveyor will perform. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     In an aspect, a vacuum conveyor for conveying granular material is provided. The vacuum conveyor can include a frame, a housing supported by the frame, a fan assembly provided in the housing, the fan section operative to create a vacuum in the housing and a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism can include an input shaft, a toothed input gear operably connected to the input shaft, a toothed output gear operably connected to the fan section and a cogged belt provided around the toothed input gear and the toothed output gear to transfer rotational motion of the toothed input gear to the toothed output gear. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a vacuum conveyor; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the vacuum conveyor of  FIG. 1  in a transport position; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the vacuum conveyor in an operating position showing the hose section and intake nozzle attached; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of the vacuum conveyor of  FIG. 1  showing the components of a drive mechanism; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view the components of the drive mechanism; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a cogged belt that makes up a component in the drive mechanism; and 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a toothed output pulley. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a vacuum conveyor  10  for conveying granular material such as grain or other crop material. The vacuum conveyor  10  includes a frame  20  with ground wheel  22  to transport the vacuum conveyor  10  and a hitch assembly  24  to allow the vacuum conveyor  10  to be connected to a tow vehicle (not shown) for transport to a location. The vacuum conveyor  10  can have a housing  31  that contains a fan assembly  30  that creates a vacuum that is used to create a flow of air in a hose section  50  and an intake nozzle  100  to carry granular material up into the intake nozzle  100  and through the hose section  50  into the vacuum conveyor  10 . 
     Inside the vacuum conveyor  10 , the air flow carrying the granular material is directed into an inlet of a discharge conveyor section  40  so that the granular material being carried in the air flow drops into the intake of the discharge conveyor section  40  provided inside the vacuum conveyor  10 , where the granular material can be carried up the discharge conveyor section  40  to be discharged from a discharge spout  44  on the end of the discharge conveyor section  40 . The discharge conveyor section  40  can have a conveyor belt, auger, etc. 
     There are a number of ways to get the granular material to drop out of the air flow and into the inlet of the discharge conveyor section  40 , including a rapid change in direction of the air flow, the provision of a nozzle to change the velocity of the air flow, etc. 
     The fan assembly  30  used to create the vacuum in the vacuum conveyor  10  can be driven off of a PTO of the tow vehicle. In one aspect, a PTO shaft  32  can be connected to the fan assembly  30  by a drive mechanism  34  that transfers the rotational motion of the PTO shaft  32  to the fan assembly  30  to turn a fan. The PTO shaft  32  can be connected to the PTO of the tow vehicle. 
     Alternatively, the vacuum conveyor  10  can include a motor provided on the frame  20  to drive the fan assembly  3  and an output shaft of the motor can be connected to the drive mechanism  34 . 
     To transport the vacuum conveyor  10 , the vacuum conveyor  10  can be placed in a transport position as shown in  FIG. 2 . The conveyor section  40  can be folded up to allow easier transport and the hose section  50  and the intake nozzle  100  removed and stored in a hose storage rack  52 . A tow vehicle (not shown) can be hitched to the hitch assembly  24  and the vacuum conveyor  10  towed using its ground wheels  22  by the tow vehicle. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , once in position to collect and convey granular material, the vacuum conveyor  10  can be positioned beside a grain bin or other place where the granular material to be conveyed is located. The conveyor section  40  can then be unfolded so that the discharge spout  44  can be directed to discharge the granular material where desired. The hose section  50  and the intake nozzle  10  can be removed from the hose storage rack  52  and a proximal end of the hose section  50  can be attached to an intake tube  60  on the vacuum conveyor  10  while the distal end of the hose section  50  can be connected to the intake nozzle  100 . 
     To use the vacuum conveyor  10 , an operator can place the end of the intake nozzle  100  into a pile of granular material to be conveyed by the vacuum conveyor  10  while the fan assembly  30  is being used to create a vacuum in the vacuum conveyor  10  and thereby creating an air flow being sucked into the hose section  50 . The granular material will be sucked into the intake nozzle  100  by this air flow entering the hose section  50  and the granular material will be carried up the hose section  50  mixed in with this air flow and into the inlet of the conveyor section  40  provided inside the vacuum conveyor  10 . Once in the inlet of the conveyor section  40  the granular material will pass up the conveyor section  40  to be discharged out the discharge spout  44 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates the vacuum conveyor  10  with a cover removed from the drive mechanism  34  to show the components making up the drive mechanism  34  and  FIG. 5  illustrates the components of the drive mechanism  34 . The drive mechanism  34  is made up of a belt and pulley system that is used to transmit rotational motion from the PTO of the tow vehicle to the fan assembly  30 . The drive mechanism  34  can include an input shaft  102  that is connected to the PTO shaft  32  (not shown in  FIG. 5 ). 
     A toothed input pulley  104  can be provided attached to the input shaft  102  so that rotation of the input shaft  102  will rotate the toothed input pulley  104 . The toothed input pulley  104  can have a series of regularly spaced teeth on the pulley surface. 
     A toothed output pulley  106  is provided to transfer rotational motion of the toothed output pulley  106  to the fan assembly  30 . The toothed out pulley  106  can have a series of regularly spaced teeth  107  on the pulley surface. 
     A cogged belt  120  can be provided to transfer rotational motion from the toothed input pulley  104  to the toothed output pulley  106 . The cogged belt  120  can be provided with a series of regular spaced teeth (shown in  FIG. 6 ) that mesh with teeth on the toothed input pulley  104  and teeth on the toothed output pulley  106  (shown in  FIG. 7 ). 
     A tensioner pulley assembly  110  can be provided to apply a tension on the cogged belt  120  to keep it in sufficient contact with the toothed input pulley  104  and toothed output pulley  106 . 
     By using the cogged belt  120  with teeth sized and spaced to mesh with the teeth on the toothed input pulley  104  and the teeth on the toothed output pulley  106 , the output from the PTO on the tow vehicle will be positively connected to the fan assembly  30  so that all of the rotational force of the PTO shaft  32  is transferred through the drive mechanism  34  to the fan assembly  30 . Unlike a v-belt, flat belt or other type of belt that can slip, the cogged belt  120  prevents any belt slippage from occurring and therefore any loss of rotational force of the PTO shaft  32  through the drive mechanism  34 . 
     The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous changes and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all such suitable changes or modifications in structure or operation which may be resorted to are intended to fall within the scope of the claimed invention.