Conveyor Collecting Device With Delay Region For Sensitive Items
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional collecting devices for conveying discrete items, such as sensitive products, suffer from uncontrolled movement, leading to damage during sorting, and result in unsellable products due to collisions within the collecting region.
Innovation Solution
A collecting device with a delay region and a feed region, where discrete items are gently conveyed using a guiding mechanism and a conveying mechanism with active movement components to control the transfer from the delay region to the collecting region, reducing the risk of damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If discrete items are conveyed in an unguided and passive manner from the delivery location to the collecting region, then the conveying process is simple, but the discrete items cannot be controlled in speed and movement path, leading to collisions and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The conveying path is divided into multiple controlled segments: feed region with guide, delay region with speed control, and collecting region. This segmentation allows different control strategies in different zones, enabling both simplicity and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
A delay region with active conveying elements acts as an intermediary between the feed region and collecting region. This intermediary component controls the speed and movement of discrete items, preventing collisions while maintaining overall system simplicity.
2Reliability
If active conveying elements are used to control discrete items from the delivery location to the collecting region, then the speed and movement path can be controlled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Active conveying elements are applied locally only in the delay region where speed control is needed, rather than throughout the entire conveying path. This local application maintains reliability while minimizing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveying system transitions from static passive conveying to dynamic active conveying in the delay region, allowing speed and movement control. The dynamic elements can be activated or deactivated based on operational requirements, balancing complexity and control.
3Productivity
If discrete items are conveyed at high speed into the collecting region, then the conveying efficiency is high, but the discrete items collide with each other and with the collecting device parts, causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The delay region provides preliminary speed reduction and positioning of discrete items before they enter the collecting region. This preliminary action prevents high-speed collisions while maintaining efficient conveying throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The delay region acts as a cushioning zone that absorbs kinetic energy and reduces item velocity before items enter the collecting region. This beforehand cushioning prevents damage without significantly reducing overall productivity.
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 ensures gentle and controlled conveying of discrete items, minimizing damage and maintaining the appearance and integrity of sensitive products, allowing for precise and safe handling.
Implementation Method 1
The delay region, in particular, is designed such that the discrete item, which is fed from the feed device, is braked and held up (delayed) in the delay region
Implementation Method 2
Passive conveying means that the discrete items are conveyed solely by their kinetic energy given to them by the conveyor, and/or by way of gravitational assistance
Implementation Method 3
The delay region now has a conveying mechanism, which is capable of conveying the held-up (delayed) discrete item from the delay region, in particular from the discrete items support of this delay region, into the collecting region by way of a conveying-active movement
Data Source
AI summary
A collecting device for collecting discrete items that are delivered from a conveyor to a delivery location. The collecting device includes a collecting region with a collecting device, in which collecting region the discrete items are collected, a delay region with a discrete items support, and a feed region having a feed device. The delay region is prior to the collecting region and is the region in which the discrete items delivered from the conveyor are held up. The feed region is prior to the delay region and is the region through which the discrete items are fed from conveyor to the delay region. The delay region has a conveying mechanism that is capable of conveying the held-up discrete item from the delay region into the collecting region by way of a conveying-active movement.