Container Gripper Segmentation for Vertical Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container grippers face issues with maintaining the vertical posture of bottle cans during conveyance, leading to potential conveyance failures, and require complex adjustment mechanisms and materials that are prone to wear, especially when handling cans with varying diameters.
Innovation Solution
A container gripper design featuring a pair of grippers with holding pieces that adapt to the neck and screw parts of the bottle can, ensuring at least half of the circumference is held, with upper and lower pieces engaging to stabilize the can vertically, and made from engineering or super engineering plastics like polyether ether ketone (PEEK) for improved durability and resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a spherical portion of the can is held or a lower portion of the neck part is held, then the can can be gripped, but the posture of the can may not be vertical and conveyance failure may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper is divided into two distinct gripping portions: a first gripping portion that grips the neck part and a second gripping portion that grips the groove of the male screw part. This segmentation allows each portion to perform its specific function optimally, ensuring both gripping capability and vertical posture stability during conveyance.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the gripper are designed with different gripping characteristics tailored to specific locations on the container. The first gripping portion is designed to contact the neck part while the second gripping portion contacts the groove, with each having optimized contact surfaces and geometries suited to their respective gripping locations.
2Manufacturing precision
If a positioning member with adjustable protruding amount is added to limit vertical shift, then container positioning improves, but the holding mechanism becomes complicated and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper structure itself provides the positioning function through its dual-gripping design. The first gripping portion gripping the neck part and the second gripping portion gripping the groove work together to naturally limit vertical shift and maintain positioning accuracy, eliminating the need for additional adjustable positioning members.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripping portions serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide both the gripping force necessary to hold the container and the positioning function to limit vertical shift. The same structural elements that grip the container also serve as the positioning mechanism, reducing overall system complexity.
3Reliability
If the contact portion width between holding portion and large-diameter can is increased, then conveyance stability improves, but the gripper design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The gripping system is segmented into two portions that contact different parts of the container. The first gripping portion contacts the neck part while the second gripping portion contacts the groove, distributing the contact load and providing stability without requiring a single large contact surface that would increase complexity.
4Duration of action of stationary object
If holding pieces made of durable material are used, then wear resistance improves, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The holding pieces are made from polyether ether ketone (PEEK), a high-performance polymer that provides exceptional wear resistance and durability. This material selection optimizes the local properties of the gripping surfaces where wear occurs, extending the service life of the gripper while maintaining cost-effectiveness through material properties rather than complex designs.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a container gripper (1) which delivers a container by alternately switching the holding of the container from a first gripper (8) to a second gripper (4). A holding part of the first gripper (8) is provided with holding pieces (8a, 8b) which have a holding shape adapted to a neck part provided to a head part, and which hold at least half of the circumference of the neck part. A holding part of the second gripper (4) is provided with: an upper-part holding piece (5) which engages with a groove of a male screw part provided to the head part, and which holds at least half of the circumference of the groove; and a lower-part holding piece (6) which engages with a lower part of the neck part, and which holds at least half of the circumference of the lower part.