Automated Cheese Turning Drum with Movable Jaws
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual turning of cheeses and other food products during ripening is labor-intensive, leading to musculoskeletal disorders and risks of product damage due to the bulky and unreliable nature of existing automatic turning installations, which also occupy valuable space in ripening rooms.
Innovation Solution
An automated turning installation with a compact design featuring a drum with movable jaws for gripping racks and a pivoting carriage for transferring racks, allowing for efficient and safe turning of products within ripening rooms, minimizing operator intervention and maintaining product stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If manual turning operations are performed by operators, then the operation can be completed with simple equipment, but operators suffer from musculoskeletal disorders and product damage risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The turning device is designed to automatically perform the turning operation without requiring operators to manually handle heavy racks. The device grasps the rack, turns it automatically, and places it back, making the system self-sufficient for the turning task while operators only need to load and unload stacks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical system (operators lifting and turning racks) with an automated mechanical system. The turning device uses a grasping mechanism with fingers that automatically capture and rotate racks, substituting human physical effort with automated mechanical action.
2Extent of automation
If existing automatic turning installations are used, then operator intervention is reduced, but the installations are bulky and occupy valuable space in ripening rooms
Solution Approach 1:
The turning device is designed with a compact structure where components are nested within each other. The stack of racks fits within a column structure, and the turning mechanism operates within a confined space between the input and output columns, maximizing space utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes vertical space by stacking racks in columns and operating the turning device in the horizontal plane between columns. This three-dimensional arrangement allows automation without requiring excessive floor space, as the system efficiently uses both vertical and horizontal dimensions.
3Extent of automation
If existing automatic turning installations are used, then turning operations are automated, but processing throughput is reduced due to vertically movable carriage mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the vertically movable carriage mechanism from the system and replaces it with a horizontal transfer mechanism. The carriage moves horizontally between input and output columns rather than moving vertically, simplifying the mechanism and enabling faster operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The turning operation is segmented into distinct phases: horizontal transfer to the turning position, rapid rotation, and horizontal transfer back. This segmentation allows each phase to be optimized independently, with the horizontal transfer mechanism enabling quicker positioning compared to vertical movement systems.
4Extent of automation
If existing automatic turning installations are used, then automation is achieved, but maintenance requirements increase due to multiple movements by single carriage mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex vertically movable carriage mechanism and its multiple movement components. The simplified horizontal transfer mechanism has fewer moving parts, directly connecting the input column, turning device, and output column in a linear arrangement that reduces maintenance needs.
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 enables high-processing rates with reduced operator fatigue and product damage, maintaining product integrity while optimizing space usage in controlled ripening environments, allowing for efficient and reliable automatic turning of various types and thicknesses of products.
Implementation Method 1
said movable jaws being capable of gripping and holding a rack supporting objects to be turned against a receiving rack held on a jaw of the drum when turning the turning device around its axis to turn the objects
Implementation Method 2
gripping and holding a rack supporting objects to be turned against a receiving rack held on a jaw of the drum
Implementation Method 3
the transfer mechanisms comprise a pivoting carriage with arms capable of moving in translation on an axis integral with the frame in a plane containing the loading and unloading zones
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4A~4B
AI summary
The installation (1) has a turning device (4) equipped with a drum (9) with mobile hooks (10). The mobile hooks project and maintain an upper tray (7) that supports objects (0) against a receiving tray (8). A transferring mechanism (37) transfers the upper tray selected from a loading area in the turning device. An unloading mechanism (27) selects the receiving tray supporting the objects, and forms a stack (P2) of trays, where a loading zone and an unloading zone are located in a horizontal plane. A tightening belt is made of a flexible material i.e. silicone.