Adjustable Actuator Frames for Egg Chain Grippers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing egg transfer devices face challenges in accurately adjusting the position of actuators to compensate for changes in egg chain speed, leading to inconsistent egg drop trajectories and potential egg breakage during transfer, especially when dealing with varying vertical distances and high transport speeds.
Innovation Solution
An egg chain gripper actuating device with adjustable support frames allows for independent positioning of actuators relative to each other, linked via mechanical linkages or separate drives, to ensure accurate egg drop trajectories across different vertical distances, and incorporates braking brushes to reduce speed and stabilize egg drop, while an egg transfer device minimizes egg acceleration by using a transfer unit with a driven support for optimal engagement into grippers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the position of actuators is adjusted to compensate for speed changes, then egg drop accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator support frame is made adjustable along the transport direction, allowing dynamic repositioning of actuators based on egg chain speed variations. This enables the system to adapt to different operating conditions and maintain accurate egg drop placement despite speed changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment mechanism is segmented into modular components: an actuator support frame that can be independently adjusted relative to the main structure. This segmentation allows for precise control of actuator position without requiring complex adjustments of the entire device.
2Productivity
If transport speed is increased to enhance productivity, then egg transfer volume increases, but egg drop trajectory control becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator position is made dynamically adjustable based on the egg chain speed. When speed increases, the actuator support frame is repositioned upstream to compensate for the increased horizontal displacement of the egg during its parabolic trajectory, maintaining accurate drop placement at higher speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback from the egg chain conveyor drive about transport speed, which is used to control the position of the actuator support frame. This closed-loop control ensures that actuator position automatically adapts to speed variations, maintaining trajectory accuracy across different productivity levels.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If vertical distance between egg chain and receiving area is reduced to minimize drop height, then egg breakage decreases, but receiving area design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving area is designed with asymmetric brush wheel configurations, where brush wheels at different vertical positions have different rotational characteristics. This asymmetric design allows optimization of egg reception for each specific vertical distance, minimizing breakage without requiring a completely different receiving area structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures precise egg drop placement and reduced breakage by adjusting actuator positions based on transport speed, increasing transfer efficiency and accuracy, and allows for higher transport speeds without requiring elaborate adjustments to the receiving area, thereby enhancing the volume of eggs transferred per unit time.
Implementation Method 1
The actuators are designed for selectively actuating passing egg grippers into an open position to release an egg
Implementation Method 2
the released egg follows a parabolic trajectory from a release spot at which it is released by the gripper and a contact spot at which it contacts the receiving area
Implementation Method 3
incorporates braking brushes to reduce speed and stabilize egg drop
Data Source
AI summary
An egg chain gripper actuating device for use with an egg transfer device. The device has an egg conveyor with parallel egg chains movable in a transport direction, each chain supporting egg grippers, which can be individually actuated. The device further comprises an egg receiving unit with a receiving area for receiving eggs released by the egg grippers, and one group of one or more actuators for each egg chain for selectively actuating passing egg grippers. Multiple support frames are provided, each supporting one or more groups of actuators. At least one frame is adjustable parallel to the transport direction and relative to another frame, such that the position of the actuators of the one or more groups supported by the frame can be adjusted relative to the position of the one of more actuators of the one or more groups supported by the other frame.