Cart Coupling Assembly with Eccentric Bearing Hub
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sortation conveyor systems face issues with undesired gaps between adjacent carts, leading to potential article loss and improper diversion, due to factors like slack in the sorter chain and installation variances, which affect the smooth operation and efficiency of cart trains.
Innovation Solution
A cart coupling assembly featuring a coupling disc with position registers and mounting slots, allowing for rotational adjustment to close gaps between carts by translating the bearing hub assembly, ensuring secure engagement and continuous linear translation, thereby maintaining cart alignment and preventing gaps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If carts are connected using a fixed coupling mechanism, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but gaps form between carts due to chain slack and installation variances
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling assembly incorporates a rotatable coupling disc with an eccentric bearing hub assembly, allowing dynamic adjustment of the bearing position. This enables the system to adapt to chain slack and installation variances by translating the bearing hub assembly rotationally, thereby maintaining proper cart alignment and eliminating gaps between carts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the positional parameter of the bearing hub assembly through rotational movement of the coupling disc. By varying the angular position of the bearing hub assembly relative to the coupling disc center, the system adjusts the effective distance between carts, compensating for installation variances and chain slack to maintain precise cart alignment.
2Length of moving object
If the coupling disc is made fixed without rotation capability, then the structure is simpler, but the bearing cannot be translated to adjust cart distance
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling disc is designed to rotate about its center, enabling the eccentric bearing hub assembly to translate to different positions. This rotational capability allows operators to adjust the distance between adjacent carts by rotating the coupling disc to the appropriate angular position, making the system adaptable to different operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling disc employs a circular geometry with an eccentric bearing hub assembly positioned at a distance from the center. This circular configuration allows the bearing hub assembly to trace a circular path during rotation, enabling smooth translational adjustment of the cart distance through rotational movement of the coupling disc.
3Reliability
If position registers are added to control slot cavity, then the bearing hub assembly can be locked at specific positions, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Position registers are incorporated into the control slot cavity to provide feedback on the angular position of the coupling disc. These registers engage with corresponding features on the bearing hub assembly or coupling disc to detect and lock at specific positions, ensuring reliable positioning of the bearing hub assembly at predetermined angular locations during rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The position registers are pre-configured at specific angular positions within the control slot cavity to anticipate and lock the bearing hub assembly at desired positions before operation requires it. This preliminary positioning capability ensures that the bearing hub assembly is reliably locked at the correct position for proper cart alignment before the carts engage.
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 cart coupling assembly effectively adjusts the distance between adjacent carts, minimizing gaps and ensuring smooth operation by translating the rotational motion of the coupling disc into linear motion, enhancing the stability and efficiency of the sortation conveyor system.
Implementation Method 1
translating the rotational motion of the coupling disc into linear motion
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments described herein, relates to a sortation conveyer system comprising a cart coupling assembly for coupling two adjacent carts. The cart coupling assembly includes a coupling disc having: (a) a control slot, (b) a bearing slot, and (c) one or more arcuately shaped mounting slots. The coupling disc is mounted on a cart such that, upon rotation of the coupling disc, a control slot cavity defined by the control slot slid ably moves about a position register screw along the control slot cavity and a cavity defined by a respective mounting slot slid ably moves relative to a respective mounting pin received in the mounting slot.