Centering apparatus
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing centering apparatuses face challenges in inserting objects with deformed shapes or projecting elements into storage containers due to large tolerances and offset arrangement, leading to inefficiencies and potential jamming.
Innovation Solution
A centering apparatus with a plate-like base body featuring adjacent indentations and a cut-out design, allowing for precise alignment and lateral movement of objects, even when their diameter is smaller than the largest object diameter, and enabling efficient filling of storage containers with offset rows without lateral displacement of the apparatus.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional centering apparatuses are used for inserting objects with deformed shapes or projecting elements, then the insertion process is impeded and jamming occurs, but the apparatus structure remains simple
Solution Approach 1:
The base body is segmented into multiple functional regions: a first region with opening-oriented indentations for centering objects, and a second region with closing-oriented indentations for guiding objects during insertion. This segmentation allows each region to perform its specific function optimally, resolving the contradiction between reliable insertion and simple structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the base body are given different local qualities: the first region has indentations oriented in a first direction for initial centering, while the second region has indentations oriented in a second direction for insertion guidance. This local differentiation enables the apparatus to handle deformed objects reliably without requiring complex overall restructuring.
2Manufacturing precision
If objects with diameter smaller than largest object diameter are inserted, then centering is difficult due to projecting elements, but the apparatus design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The solution moves from considering only the horizontal centering dimension to incorporating the vertical dimension through the base body thickness. Indentations extend through the thickness with specific orientations, creating a three-dimensional centering mechanism that accommodates objects with varying diameters and projecting elements without requiring multiple separate centering devices.
3Manufacturing precision
If rows are arranged offset from one another in storage container, then exact sideways movement of centering apparatus is required, but this increases positioning complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The base body is designed with two different indentation orientations in different regions, creating a dynamic adaptation capability. The first region's indentations handle one row orientation while the second region's indentations handle the offset row orientation, eliminating the need for precise sideways movement and complex positioning mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a centering apparatus for the orderly insertion of objects into a storage container comprising: a plate-like base body, a plurality of first indentations adjacent to one another in an outer edge of the base body, a cut-out in the base body, and a plurality of mutually adjacent second indentations in an edge of the cut-out, wherein the first indentations and the second orientations have the same orientation.