Article Supply Device with Partition Members and Gas Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing article supply devices face challenges in efficiently supplying multiple types of articles without delays and article damage, as undesired articles often pass through the partition/passing-through member, leading to increased cycle times and surface damage.
Innovation Solution
The device employs multiple storage units, supply paths, open/close stoppers, and partition/passing-through members with a visible sensor and robot to control the supply of articles, using gas injection to disperse articles and prevent damage, and a servo motor for precise rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single storage unit with a partition/passing-through member is used to supply multiple article types, then the device complexity is reduced, but the cycle time increases due to continuous relative movement to find desired articles
Solution Approach 1:
The storage unit is divided into multiple compartments, each storing a specific type of article. This segmentation allows the system to directly access desired article types without continuous searching, resolving the contradiction by maintaining simple overall structure while enabling efficient article retrieval.
Solution Approach 2:
Articles are pre-sorted into different compartments before the supply process begins. This preliminary organization eliminates the need for continuous relative movement to find desired articles, reducing cycle time while keeping the device structure simple.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the table and partition/passing-through member continuously move relatively to supply desired articles, then the supply flexibility is improved, but the cycle time is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a rotating table that can dynamically adjust its position to bring different compartments under the partition/passing-through member. This dynamic adjustment allows flexible supply of different article types while minimizing movement time through optimized rotation control.
Solution Approach 2:
A sensor detects which article type is currently positioned under the partition/passing-through member and provides feedback to the control system. This feedback enables the system to determine when the desired article type is available, allowing the table to rotate only when necessary and reducing unnecessary movement time.
3Device complexity
If undesired articles pass through the partition/passing-through member, then the device simplicity is maintained, but the article surfaces are damaged due to reciprocation
Solution Approach 1:
The partition/passing-through member is designed with different local characteristics: it has through-holes sized to allow only desired article types to pass through, while blocking undesired articles. This local differentiation prevents surface damage to undesired articles while maintaining the overall simplicity of the device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition/passing-through member is positioned and configured in advance to prevent undesired articles from passing through. By establishing this barrier before the article supply process begins, the system prevents surface damage to undesired articles without requiring complex additional protective mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
An article supply device includes a plurality of storage units in which a plurality of types of articles are respectively stored, a plurality of supply paths, a plurality of open/close stoppers that control the supply amounts of articles for each supply path, a plurality of partition/passing-through members that form gaps depending on the types of the articles, between the surfaces of the supply paths and the plurality of partition/passing-through members, and a driving unit that allows the supply paths and the partition/passing-through members to relatively move each other.