Bundle Orienting Device for Continuous Conveyor Positioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for arranging bundles of corrugated paper products into layers are inefficient, leading to slowed production rates, bundle degradation, and inability to process multiple bundles simultaneously, due to the need for stopping and starting conveyor systems and limited positioning capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A bundle orienting device integrated with a conveyor system that includes selectively actuatable orientation elements for lateral and angular displacement of bundles, allowing continuous movement and reorientation along the conveying direction, enabling efficient formation of stable layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If stationary and/or moving rails, poles, plates are used to position bundles during conveyor transport, then bundles can be laterally and/or angularly displaced to desired positions, but the conveyor must stop and start which slows production rate and causes bundle degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms static positioning rails into dynamic, movable positioning elements that can move with the conveyor belt. The rails are mounted on movable carriages that can laterally displace along the conveyor while maintaining continuous motion, eliminating the need for conveyor stoppages and enabling both precise positioning and continuous high-speed production.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning apparatus is designed to pre-position bundles during the conveyor's continuous motion rather than requiring stoppages. The movable rails anticipate the bundle's arrival at the positioning zone and are already in the correct position or moving into position, allowing seamless integration with continuous conveyor operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If the conveyor stops and starts to allow bundle repositioning, then bundles can be oriented correctly, but additional wear on machinery and additional energy consumption occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous conveyor operation by making the positioning rails themselves movable rather than stationary. The rails move laterally on movable carriages while the conveyor continues running at constant speed, eliminating energy-wasting stoppages and restarts while maintaining precise bundle orientation capability.
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional positioning apparatuses are used, then bundles can be positioned sequentially, but multiple bundles cannot be processed simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning system is divided into multiple independent movable rail segments that can operate simultaneously and independently. Each rail segment can position a different bundle at the same time, allowing parallel processing of multiple bundles while maintaining individual positioning precision for each bundle.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable rail apparatus is designed to handle multiple bundles simultaneously through its segmented, independently controllable structure. The same positioning mechanism can service multiple bundles in parallel, making the system universally applicable to high-volume production scenarios without sacrificing positioning accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a bundle orienting device in-line with a conveyor configured for transporting bundles in a conveying direction. The bundle orienting device can include a plurality of selectively actuatable orientation elements that, collectively, laterally and/or angularly displace a bundle as it travels in the conveying direction through the bundle orienting device. In addition, the present disclosure relates to a method for rotating bundles traveling in a conveying direction along a conveyor system. The method includes conveying a bundle along a conveyor to pass through a bundle orienting device, thus described.