1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a so-called motorized conveyor roller which is used in a roller conveyor device and which includes a built-in motor and a built-in reduction gear, and the roller conveyor device using the motorized conveyor roller.
2. Description of the Related Art
JP 3110071 describes a typical example of conventional art of the aforementioned roller conveyor motorized roller. According to the conventional art, both ends of a hollow roller tube is pivotally supported at bearings by a pair of support shafts erected so as to oppose each other from a pair of conveyor frames in order to make the roller tube rotatable with respect to the conveyor frames. In the roller tube, a motor and a power transmission mechanism such as a gear reducer are fixed to one of the support shafts. An output of the power transmission mechanism is transmitted from a drive plate that is fitted into an inner circumferential surface of the roller tube to the roller tube. In addition, the drive plate comprises two disks having flanges, and the two disks are combined with each other to form a groove in an outer circumferential portion of the drive plate. An elastic ring is fitted into the groove, and by tightening the two disks, the elastic ring whose diameter has been expanded comes into frictional contact with the inner circumferential surface of the roller tube to transmit torque.
The conventional art described above has a problem in that hardening of the elastic ring or loosening of the tightened disks due to aging or the like causes a positional displacement (slip) between the power transmission mechanism and the roller tube.