Circular Pouch Transfer Mechanism Reduces Drive Stress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pouch handling machines face challenges in transferring pouches from one section to another without causing stress on drive components and gears, leading to unreliable operations due to directional reversals during gripper opening and closing.
Innovation Solution
A gear-driven transfer system with parallel drive arms and a T-shaped gripper mount bar that moves along a circular path, driven by a servo motor and gearbox, allowing continuous rotation without directional reversal, ensuring smoother and more reliable pouch transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the gripper reverses direction during opening and closing cycles, then the pouch transfer function is achieved, but stress on drive components and gears increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having the gripper reverse direction during operation, the invention inverts the approach by implementing continuous unidirectional rotation of the drive shaft. The gripper mounting bar is positioned such that continuous rotation in one direction naturally cycles the gripper through open and closed positions without requiring directional reversal, thereby eliminating stress on drive components.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs periodic action by designing the gripper mounting bar position and circular path geometry so that continuous unidirectional rotation produces periodic gripping and releasing actions. The gripper automatically cycles through its operational states (open, close, transfer, release) as a periodic function of the continuous rotational motion, achieving the required gripper function without directional reversal.
2Productivity
If the gripper operates continuously without stopping, then productivity increases, but control precision during pouch pickup decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by positioning the gripper mounting bar and designing the circular path such that the gripper is already in the correct position and orientation before reaching the pouch pickup point. The continuous rotational motion is synchronized with the pouch delivery timing, ensuring the gripper is ready to capture the pouch without requiring stopping or precise positional adjustment during the pickup moment.
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 reduces stress on drive components and gears, enabling continuous operation with gripper opening and closing during rotation, allowing pouch transfer without interruption, and maintaining clear paths for pouch delivery and conveyor movement.
Implementation Method 1
The gearbox comprises a main drive gear, two transfer gears and two output gears. Each gear is a toothed gear, so that the main drive gear drives the transfer gears, which in turn each drives the corresponding output gear.
Implementation Method 2
The gear driven crank motion that cycles continuously with the motion keeping the gripper means clear of pouches at the pick-up area and also at the pouch conveyor.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a modular pouch transfer system, in which a gripper mount bar is rigidly mounted an drive arms, which are driven by driving means and mounted to them such that gripper means moves along a circular path.With the continued rotational cycle in one direction there is no reversal of direction reducing stress on the drive components and gears, providing smoother and more reliable operation. The motion at the transfer where the pouch is loaded into the bag clamp is near vertical allowing for the height of the pouch in the bag clamp to be easily adjusted for alteration of pouch height in the bag clamps during active machine operation. This reduces the need for other methods to adjust the pouch height by other means. The transfer gripper means opening and closing occurs during the rotational cycle. There is no stopping of the assembly during the clamping cycle to pick up the pouch as it occurs on the fly, but there is a slight pause to allow the bag clamp grippers to close on the presented pouch before the transfer continues its cycle.