Coil Spring Anti-Entanglement Inserts for Bulk Container Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
coil springs often get caught together during transportation and are difficult to separate without causing damage, posing a challenge in manufacturing and storage.
Innovation Solution
a container with a helical spring and a snagging protection element, such as a snag protection bracket or pin, is used to prevent coil springs from snagging, allowing them to be transported and stored without entangling, with the protection element being designed to be easily inserted and removed from the coil springs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If coil springs are dispensed into a single container during production, then transportation efficiency is improved, but the coil springs become entangled and difficult to separate
Solution Approach 1:
A separation element is introduced as an intermediary component between the coil springs. This element has a first portion that engages with the first coil spring and a second portion that engages with the second coil spring, physically preventing them from becoming entangled during transportation while allowing easy separation at the destination.
2Device complexity
If coil springs are transported in a container without separation elements, then device complexity is reduced, but the coil springs become damaged due to entanglement
Solution Approach 1:
The separation element serves as a simple intermediary structure that can be easily integrated into the container. It prevents direct contact and entanglement between coil springs, thereby protecting spring integrity without significantly increasing container complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The separation element can be designed as a simple, inexpensive component that may be discarded after use or easily replaced. This approach prioritizes spring protection over long-term reuse of the separation element itself, maintaining reliability while keeping the system simple.
3Ease of operation
If a separation device is used to remove center wire and dispense springs individually, then spring separation is achieved, but the production process becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the separation function from a complex production device and integrates it directly into the container structure. The separation elements are pre-positioned in the container, allowing springs to be separated simply by removing the container, eliminating the need for complex production separation devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The separation elements are installed in the container during the loading process rather than during production. This preliminary action of pre-positioning separation elements simplifies the production process while ensuring spring separation capability is available during transportation and storage.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2d
Figure 3a~3d
AI summary
The invention relates to a spring assembly (2, 34, 46), comprising: a coil spring (4, 36) having an interior space formed by the turns (6, 38) of the coil spring; and an anti-entanglement element (14, 26, 48) for protecting the spring assembly (2, 34, 46) from entanglement, in particular from entanglement with at least one further spring assembly (2, 34, 46) or with at least one other coil spring (4, 36), the anti-entanglement element (14, 26, 48) being arranged at least partly in the interior space formed by the turns (6, 38) and extending through at least part of the interior space in the longitudinal direction, and the anti-entanglement element (14, 26) being formed as an anti-entanglement bow (14, 26), in particular an anti-entanglement wire bow separate from the coil spring (4, 36), which is retained in the interior space in a clamping manner; or the anti-entanglement element (48) being formed as an anti-entanglement pin (48), in particular an anti-entanglement plastic pin separate from the coil spring (4, 36), said pin having a front retaining end and a rear stop end.