Automated Bottle Loader Elevator Pusher Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual loading of filled water bottles into shipping racks is labor-intensive, fragile, and poses injury risks, while existing automated systems are expensive and space-consuming, limiting their accessibility to small bottled water producers.
Innovation Solution
A processor-controlled automated loader system with an elevator and pusher component, programmed to handle different rack configurations, uses a conveyor belt with rotating seats and pusher arms with end caps to safely and efficiently load bottles into racks without damaging the caps or bottles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If manual loading is used, then labor intensity and injury risk increase, but existing automated systems are expensive and space-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The loading system is segmented into two distinct functional components: an elevator mechanism for vertical bottle transport and a pusher mechanism for horizontal bottle insertion. This segmentation allows each component to be simpler and more cost-effective while working together to achieve automated loading, resolving the contradiction between automation extent and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The elevator and pusher mechanisms are designed to handle multiple rack configurations (different depths and heights) without requiring physical changes to the system. The processor-controlled system can adapt to various rack types, making the automated loading system universal and cost-effective for different production needs.
2Productivity
If bottles are handled manually, then physical exertion is required, but fragile bottles risk rupture and seal compromise
Solution Approach 1:
The pusher mechanism uses a specially designed end cap that interfaces with the bottle shoulder rather than directly contacting the cap. This intermediary approach distributes force across a larger surface area of the bottle body, preventing cap deformation and seal compromise while maintaining efficient automated loading.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual human handling with a controlled mechanical system consisting of the elevator and pusher mechanisms. This substitution eliminates the variability and potential for damage associated with manual handling while maintaining bottle integrity through programmed gentle handling protocols.
3Quantity of substance
If rack depth increases to accommodate more bottles, then shipping efficiency improves, but loading complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pusher mechanism is designed with adjustable travel distance capability, allowing it to dynamically adapt to different rack depths. The processor controls the pusher's movement range based on the specific rack configuration, enabling efficient loading of deep racks without increasing mechanical complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (such as pusher travel distance, elevator height, and loading sequence) based on the detected rack configuration rather than requiring physical reconfiguration of the loading mechanism. This allows efficient loading of racks with varying bottle quantities while maintaining simple device architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
An automated arrangement for filling a shipping rack structure with water bottles (or any other type of bottle) includes an elevator arrangement and a pusher component, both under the control of a programmed control element (such as a microprocessor), to automatically present a plurality of filled bottles to an open rack “column” and move (push) the bottles from the elevator into the rack. The loader system is pre-programmed with inputs including the array size of the rack being loaded (i.e., how many bottles “deep” along each rail, the number of rows in the rack and the number of columns in the rack). With this information, the elevator will thus lift the proper number of bottles into place to fill a column, and then stop. Once the elevator stops, the pusher component will advance to move the column of bottles into the rack. The pusher then retracts, the elevator is re-started, and the next column of filled bottles is loaded into the elevator.