Carrousel Support Plate With Elastic Bottle Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing support plates for carrousel machines face issues with wear and tear, dirt accumulation, and slippage due to non-slip materials or movable engaging teeth, particularly when used with bottles lacking recesses, leading to unreliable bottle retention and increased complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
A support plate with an elastically deformable locking body and a deforming unit that securely locks bottles without recesses by deforming to adhere to their lateral surface, using a containment body and a deforming unit to ensure precise angular control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If non-slip material is used on the support plate to prevent bottle slippage, then bottle retention is improved, but wear and tear of the material increases and dirt accumulates over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the non-slip material from the support plate surface and replaces it with a mechanical locking system. The locking body with protrusions engages directly with recesses in the bottle bottom, eliminating the need for friction-based retention and thus removing the wear and dirt accumulation issues associated with non-slip materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the friction-based mechanical system (non-slip material) with a positive engagement mechanical system (locking body with protrusions and recesses). This substitution provides more reliable retention without the degradation problems of material wear and dirt accumulation.
2Reliability
If movable engaging teeth are used on the support plate to secure bottles, then bottle retention reliability is improved, but design complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The locking body is segmented into distinct functional elements: protrusions for engagement, a deformable body for adaptation, and integration with the pusher mechanism. This segmentation allows each element to perform its specific function efficiently while keeping the overall design simpler than traditional movable teeth systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking body automatically engages with the bottle recesses through the pusher's deformation action, without requiring separate adjustment or positioning mechanisms. The system self-regulates the engagement depth and force through the elastic deformation of the locking body, eliminating the need for complex control systems.
3Reliability
If movable engaging teeth are used on the support plate, then bottle retention is improved, but wear of the teeth increases due to sliding motion
Solution Approach 1:
The locking body protrusions are pre-positioned to align with the bottle recesses before engagement occurs. The pusher's downward motion directly drives the protrusions into the recesses without requiring lateral sliding motion, thereby eliminating wear from friction during the engagement process.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the bottle slide over stationary teeth, the invention inverts the engagement mechanism: the locking body's protrusions actively engage with pre-positioned recesses in the bottle bottom through vertical motion only, reversing the traditional sliding engagement and eliminating lateral wear.
4Ease of manufacture
If a simple support plate design is used, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but bottle retention reliability decreases when bottles lack bottom recesses
Solution Approach 1:
The locking body is designed with elastic deformability as a key parameter, allowing it to adapt to bottles with or without recesses. When a bottle without recesses is placed, the deformable locking body can still provide retention through friction and normal force, while maintaining the simple overall structure of the support plate.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking body serves multiple functions: it provides positive engagement with recessed bottles through protrusion-recess interaction, and provides friction-based retention for non-recessed bottles through its deformable contact surface. This multi-functionality allows a single simple design to handle various bottle types reliably.
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 solution provides reliable, low-cost, and durable bottle retention with reduced wear and dirt susceptibility, suitable for bottles of various shapes and sizes, ensuring precise angular control during processing operations.
Implementation Method 1
a locking body (22) which is made with an elastically deformable material and which is mounted on the lateral wall (19) of the seat (16)
Data Source
AI summary
A support plate for a carrousel machine comprising a seat for housing a lower portion of a bottle, an elastically deformable locking body at the lateral wall of the seat, and a deforming unit movable between an inactive position in which it allows the locking body to adopt a home configuration, and an active position, in which it mechanically acts on the at least one locking body and keeps it in a deformed configuration in which it projects towards the inside of the seat to adhere to a lateral surface of the bottle. The insertion of a bottle into the seat causes the passage of the deforming unit from the inactive position to the active position and of the locking body to the deformed configuration.