Article Transfer Unit With Chasing Release for Low-Impact Conveying
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Solution Overview
Problem
The transfer of articles, particularly those with flexible materials or variable geometry, from a preparation unit to a packaging unit is prone to damage due to high-speed impacts and positioning challenges, which can lead to tears or breakage, compromising productivity.
Innovation Solution
A transfer unit with a movable transfer element that moves along a chasing trajectory with a speed component aligned with the conveyor speed, featuring a support and abutment structure to stabilize and smoothly release articles onto the conveyor, minimizing impact forces and ensuring precise positioning without reducing conveyor speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If articles are transferred at high speed from preparation unit to packaging unit, then productivity is improved, but article damage increases due to impact forces
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer element is made movable along the conveyor trajectory, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position and speed to match the conveyor motion. This dynamic configuration enables the transfer element to release articles with minimal relative velocity difference, reducing impact damage while maintaining high transfer speeds
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer element acts as an intermediary between the preparation unit and the conveyor. It receives articles from the preparation unit, travels along a chasing trajectory parallel to the conveyor, and releases articles onto the conveyor at optimized positions, mediating the transfer to minimize harmful impacts
2Object-affected harmful factors
If conveyor speed is reduced to minimize impact, then article damage decreases, but productivity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of reducing conveyor speed, the transfer element's speed is dynamically adjusted to match the conveyor speed at the release point. This allows the conveyor to maintain high speed for productivity while the transfer element minimizes relative velocity differences to reduce impact damage
3Ease of operation
If articles are released directly onto moving conveyor, then transfer simplicity is improved, but positioning precision is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer element performs preliminary actions by traveling along the conveyor trajectory and positioning itself at the optimal release point before releasing the article. This preliminary positioning ensures that articles are released at the precise location on the conveyor, improving positioning accuracy while maintaining operational simplicity
Data Source
AI summary
A transfer unit includes a first transfer element provided with a first support structure to receive an article, and a conveyor to receive the article from the first transfer element, positioned at a vertical height which is lower than the first support structure and movable along a transport direction. The first transfer element is moved by an actuation device between a receiving station in which the first transfer element receives the article and a storage station in which the first transfer element releases the article onto said conveyor. The transfer unit also includes a rotation unit to rotate the first support structure about a first rotation axis from a support configuration in which the article is supported by the first support structure to a discharge configuration in which the article is free to fall from the first transfer element onto the conveyor.