Cage Righting Conveyor With Spring Belts for Mixed Cage Shapes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cage flipping devices are unable to handle triangle-shaped cages, operate properly when cages exit the washer in non-parallel orientations, and allow trays to pass through uninterrupted, leading to inefficiencies in animal cage washing and filling systems.
Innovation Solution
A bi-directional conveyor system with spring-loaded conveyor belts that engage and flip cages 180°, ensuring secure handling and orientation change from upside down to upright, allowing continuous operation without requiring mechanisms specific to triangle shapes and accommodating various exit orientations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional cage flipping device is used, then it can flip rectangular cages, but it cannot handle triangle-shaped cages or cages with various exit orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is designed with spring-loaded belts that can accommodate multiple cage shapes (rectangular, triangular, circular) and orientations through a single universal mechanism, eliminating the need for shape-specific flipping devices
Solution Approach 2:
The spring-loaded conveyor belts provide dynamic adaptation to different cage geometries and orientations, allowing the system to automatically adjust to various cage types without manual intervention or complex reconfiguration
2Reliability
If spring-loaded conveyor belts are used to engage cage tops and bottoms, then cages can be securely flipped, but trays may be accidentally engaged and flipped
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor belts are positioned at specific heights and angles that correspond to the typical dimensions of cages, creating a local engagement zone that matches cage geometry while clearing the lower profile of trays, thus selectively engaging only cages
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the visual or dimensional characteristics of cages versus trays to differentiate between them, ensuring that only cages are engaged by the spring-loaded belts while trays pass through unaffected
3Ease of operation
If employees manually turn cages upright between washing and filling stations, then cages can be properly positioned, but employee time and resources are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-loaded conveyor system automatically performs the cage uprighting and positioning function that previously required manual employee intervention, enabling the system to serve itself and eliminate wasted labor resources
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor system acts as an intermediary mechanism between the washing and filling stations, automatically transferring and orienting cages without requiring direct human handling, thus improving overall system productivity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system efficiently flips and orients cages without human intervention, supporting triangle-shaped cages and allowing trays to pass through uninterrupted, enhancing operational efficiency in animal cage washing and filling processes.
Implementation Method 1
spring-loaded conveyor belts that engage the top and bottom of cages
Data Source
AI summary
A cage orienting apparatus for use in an object cleaning and filling system includes a first conveyor device; a second conveyor device; and a rotating mechanism, operatively connected to the first conveyor device and the second conveyor device, configured to rotate the first conveyor device and the second conveyor device 180°. The first conveyor device and the second conveyor device being positioned such that the first conveyor device and the second conveyor device are substantially parallel.