Covered Cardboard Box Line Phase Displacement Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lines for producing covered cardboard boxes face challenges with long changeover times, high power requirements, and reduced precision due to the need to move heavy machine parts, making them inefficient and less compact.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor-based system with a control unit that adjusts the phase displacement of the feed instants relative to the belt's movement and stops, allowing for rapid changeovers without moving heavy weights, by synchronizing the conveyor and feed actuators to vary the distance between stations dynamically based on batch dimensions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the positioner is moved along the belt to adapt line dimensions, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity and power requirements increase due to moving heavy machine parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of moving the positioner along the belt with a control system that varies the phase displacement between the conveyor actuator and feed actuator. This substitution eliminates the need to physically move heavy machine parts while achieving the same adaptability goal through temporal coordination of existing components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic adjustment of the phase displacement between actuators based on batch dimensions. Instead of statically positioning components, the system dynamically coordinates the timing of conveyor and feed operations to adapt to different production requirements without physical reconfiguration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the positioner is moved to change line dimensions, then adaptability is improved, but changeover time increases due to the time required to move heavy weights
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the time-consuming mechanical repositioning of the positioner with instantaneous electronic adjustment of actuator phase displacement. This substitution allows changeovers to occur through control signal modification rather than physical movement, dramatically reducing changeover time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-coordinates the phase displacement settings for different batch dimensions, allowing rapid switching between production modes by simply changing control parameters rather than performing time-consuming mechanical reconfiguration operations.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the structure is made more flexible to reduce power requirements, then power consumption is reduced, but manufacturing precision decreases due to vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the flexible mechanical structure required for power reduction with a rigid structure controlled through phased actuator coordination. This substitution maintains structural rigidity for precision while reducing power consumption by eliminating the need for flexible, movable components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains fixed structural positions for precision while introducing dynamic temporal coordination between actuators. This dynamic control approach achieves the flexibility needed for adaptability without compromising the structural rigidity required for manufacturing precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A line and method for the production of covered cardboard boxes are disclosed. The line includes a conveyor unit including a belt and a conveyor actuator that drives the belt intermittently in an alternating sequence of movements and stops. A feed unit individually feeds covering blanks from a reservoir to the conveyor unit in a sequence of feed instants. An erecting machine folds box blanks into corresponding boxes. A positioner individually positions the boxes from the erecting machine, in alignment on corresponding covering blanks disposed on the belt of the conveyor unit. A gluer spreads glue on one face of the covering blanks. A covering machine folds the covering blanks into contact with their respective boxes to cover the boxes. A control unit connected to the feed unit adjustably sets a phase displacement of the feed instants relative to the sequence of stops of the belt.