Carousel Conveyor Lateral Roller Transfer Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor carousel systems in the meat-packing industry often cause pinching issues with vacuum-packed bags, leading to pin pricks that can go undetected and compromise food quality and safety.
Innovation Solution
A recirculating conveyor system with pairs of conveyor belts advancing in opposite directions, using rotatable article-supporting rollers that transfer articles between belts without the need for guiding bars, ensuring a touchless transfer mechanism to prevent pinching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If guiding bars are used to direct articles between conveyors, then article transfer is achieved, but pinching and pin pricks occur compromising food safety
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the harmful guiding bars from the system entirely. Instead of using bars to direct articles between conveyors, the system uses the conveyor belts themselves with lateral roller rotation to achieve transfer, eliminating the source of pinching and pin pricks that compromised food safety
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical bar-guiding system with a roller-based lateral transfer mechanism. The rollers rotate laterally to push articles between belts, substituting a contactless mechanical field system that eliminates direct physical contact and pinching hazards
2Productivity
If bars are used to divert bags between conveyors, then recirculation path is formed, but pin pricks in bags occur that are undetected by QC inspectors
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the bars from the recirculation system, replacing them with a roller-based transfer mechanism that maintains recirculation efficiency while eliminating pin prick creation, making quality detection unnecessary for this specific defect
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces rotating rollers as an intermediary mechanism between the conveyors. These rollers mediate the transfer of articles by rotating laterally to push items between belts, replacing the direct bar-to-bag contact that caused pin pricks with a controlled rolling contact
3Quantity of substance
If conventional carousel conveyor is used, then article accumulation and recirculation is achieved, but mechanical obstructions cause food quality and safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the mechanical bar-based diversion system with a roller-based lateral transfer system. This substitution maintains the ability to accumulate and recirculate articles while eliminating mechanical obstructions that caused food quality and safety issues
Solution Approach 2:
The invention removes all mechanical obstructions (bars) from the recirculation path, keeping only the essential conveyor belts and rollers needed for article accumulation and recirculation, thereby eliminating sources of food quality compromise
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 effectively forms an endless recirculation path without pinching, enhancing food safety by eliminating the risk of pin pricks and improving the handling of articles without mechanical obstructions.
Implementation Method 1
rollers in each belt are rotated in a first lateral direction in a first transfer region of the recirculation system proximate the first end to push articles off the second conveyor belt, onto the first conveyor belt
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and method for recirculating articles on a belt conveyor. An article-recirculation path is formed in a pair of parallel conveyor belts running continuously in opposite directions. Article-supporting rollers in each belt rotate to transfer articles from one belt to the other in a transfer region at each end of the conveyor to form an endless recirculation path.