Bottle Conveyor Gripper with Segmented Contact Parts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bottle conveyor systems face difficulties in stably transporting bottles with different neck diameters or forms, as they struggle to maintain stability due to varying bead shapes and sizes, leading to potential spills and damage.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor system with an intermediate wheel featuring grippers with adjustable contact points, including common and large-diameter bottle contact parts, allows for secure gripping of bottles with varying neck diameters by adjusting the engagement points on the grippers to accommodate both small and large diameters, ensuring stability during transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a single guide structure is used to maintain bottle stability, then bottles with standard neck diameters can be stabilized, but bottles with different neck diameters or bead forms cannot be properly restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper is divided into multiple independent contact parts: common contact parts that engage with the bead and flange for standard bottles, and a large-diameter bottle contact part that can be positioned to engage with bottles having larger neck diameters. This segmentation allows each contact part to be optimized for specific bottle types while working together to maintain stability across different bottle variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripper members are designed with pivotal movement capability, allowing the contact parts to dynamically adjust their positions and angles to accommodate different bottle neck diameters and bead forms. This dynamic adjustment enables the same gripper structure to adapt to various bottle types without requiring multiple specialized grippers.
2Ease of manufacture
If the gripper structure is simplified for ease of manufacture, then production cost decreases, but the ability to handle bottles with different neck diameters is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper is designed as a universal structure that can handle multiple bottle types through its multi-part contact system. The common contact parts and large-diameter bottle contact part work together to provide a single gripper design that accommodates both standard and large-diameter bottles, eliminating the need for multiple specialized gripper designs and reducing manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact parts are arranged in a nested configuration where the large-diameter bottle contact part can be positioned within the structure formed by the common contact parts. This nested arrangement allows the gripper to adapt to different bottle sizes while maintaining a compact, manufacturable structure that does not require complex assembly procedures.
3Force
If the gripper contact points are fixed for standard bottles, then gripping force is optimized for standard sizes, but bottles with larger neck diameters cannot be properly engaged
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper members are designed with pivotal movement capability, allowing the contact parts to dynamically adjust their positions and angles to accommodate different bottle neck diameters and bead forms. This dynamic adjustment enables the same gripper structure to adapt to various bottle types without requiring multiple specialized grippers.
4Device complexity
If a single contact point configuration is used, then the gripper structure is simplified, but bottles with different neck diameters cannot be stably gripped
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper is divided into multiple independent contact parts: common contact parts that engage with the bead and flange for standard bottles, and a large-diameter bottle contact part that can be positioned to engage with bottles having larger neck diameters. This segmentation allows each contact part to be optimized for specific bottle types while working together to maintain stability across different bottle variations.
Data Source
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AI summary
A bottle conveyor system 10 that transports a bottle by gripping its neck includes an intermediate wheel 18 provided between a filling wheel 16 and a capping wheel 20. The grippers 30 of the intermediate wheel 18 are provided with common contact parts "Q1" and "Q2" that come into contact with the neck of each bottle when gripping a small-diameter bottle "V1" or a large-diameter bottle "V2". A large-diameter bottle contact part "Q3" is further provided that makes contact with the neck portion when gripping the large-diameter bottle "V2". The large-diameter bottle contact part "Q3" is positioned away from the neck portion when the small-diameter bottle "V1" is gripped. The common contact parts "Q1" and "Q2" come into contact with the lower surface of the bead "Vb" and the upper surface of the flange "Vf" when gripping the small-diameter bottle "V1". The common contact parts "Q1" and "Q2" come into contact with the lower surface of the bead "Vb" but are positioned away from the upper surface of the flange "Vf" when gripping the large-diameter bottle "V2". The large-diameter bottle contact part "Q3" comes into contact with the upper surface of the flange "Vf" when gripping the large-diameter bottle "V2".