Adjustable Spacer for Carrier Bag Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor systems face challenges in efficiently accumulating loaded carrier bags of varying sizes, leading to congestion and accumulation forces that can damage items like clothing, especially in inclined sections where bags are pressed together.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor system with an adjustable spacer that allows carrier bags to be stacked optimally in both empty and loaded states, ensuring a defined alignment and maintaining a minimum distance between bags to reduce accumulation forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If carrier bags are accumulated in accumulation sections with close proximity hanging points, then the number of carrier bags that can be accumulated increases, but the carrier bags form wedge-shaped accumulation and take on inclined positions causing congestion
Solution Approach 1:
A spacer element is introduced as an intermediary component between adjacent carrier bags. The spacer maintains a defined distance between bags, preventing wedge-shaped accumulation and inclined positioning while allowing high-density accumulation in the accumulation section.
Solution Approach 2:
The distance between hanging points of adjacent carrier bags is standardized to a specific value (e.g., 20-50 mm) through the use of spacers. This parameter control ensures uniform alignment and prevents congestion while maximizing the number of bags that can be accumulated in limited space.
2Quantity of substance
If accumulation sections are designed with gravity drive or conventional drives, then carrier bags can be accumulated, but accumulation forces press the carrier bags together which is undesirable for conveyed goods
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer acts as a mechanical intermediary that distributes and limits accumulation forces. By maintaining a fixed distance between carrier bags, the spacer prevents excessive compression forces from being transmitted to the conveyed goods while still allowing accumulation to occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer provides pre-established mechanical separation that cushions carrier bags against accumulation forces before excessive compression can occur. This protective effect is built into the structure in advance, preventing damage to conveyed goods during accumulation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If symmetrically designed goods carriers are used to maintain vertical position, then carrier bags remain vertically aligned, but there is a risk of snagging or disruption on inclined conveying sections
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer element introduces an asymmetric feature to the otherwise symmetric carrier bag system. This asymmetric distance maintenance feature prevents snagging on inclined sections by ensuring consistent clearance, while the overall vertical alignment is maintained through the spacer's positioning.
4Volume of moving object
If carrier bags are designed to adapt to item volume, then space utilization is optimized, but loaded carrier bags with varying widths cause alignment issues in accumulation sections
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer standardizes the horizontal distance parameter between adjacent carrier bags regardless of their individual widths. This parameter control ensures uniform alignment in accumulation sections while allowing carrier bags to adapt to different item volumes and widths.
Data Source
Figure 1~5
Figure 6~7
Figure 8a
AI summary
A conveyor system has carrier bags (1, 1.0, 1.1) in which conveyed goods (7) can be transported. To ensure sufficient spacing between the carrier bags (1, 1.0, 1.1) on accumulation sections (59), they have spacers (41a) that are adjustable between a rest position (R) and a working position (A).