Conveyor Gripper Arms Parallelism Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor devices for flexible containers have limitations in accommodating varying container sizes and require frequent adjustments when changing configurations, including replacing or modifying components to adapt to different formats, which restricts their versatility and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor device with a horizontal closed path and pivotally connected gripper arms linked by a parallelism-keeping mechanism, allowing independent movement of left and right movers and gripper arms to maintain parallelism and grip flexible containers of different sizes, enabling adaptation to various formats and movements along straight and curved sections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conveyor device uses fixed gripper arms connected to movers along a closed path, then the structure is simple, but the gripper arms cannot maintain parallelism in curved sections and cannot handle containers of varying sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper arms are made movable relative to the movers through pivotal connections, allowing them to adjust their position and orientation dynamically. This enables the gripper arms to maintain parallelism in curved sections and adapt to containers of varying sizes while keeping the overall structure relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripper arm system is divided into separate movable segments (gripper arms pivoting on movers) rather than a single fixed structure. This segmentation allows each component to move independently, maintaining parallelism in curved paths and accommodating different container formats without requiring complete system replacement.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the conveyor uses a drum cam for intermittent driving along the work section, then the driving mechanism is simple, but any change in operating unit configuration requires replacing the drum cam
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical drum cam driving system is replaced with a controlled motion system using active and reactive elements that can be programmed to adapt to different operating unit configurations. This substitution allows the same physical infrastructure to handle various configurations without requiring mechanical replacement of the driving mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The controlled motion system with programmable active and reactive elements serves multiple functions and configurations through software control rather than requiring separate mechanical systems for each configuration. This universal approach allows one driving mechanism to accommodate various operating unit arrangements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the conveyor uses external cams to move gripper arms towards and away from each other, then the gripping mechanism is simple, but any change in operating unit configuration requires modifying the external cams
Solution Approach 1:
The external cam mechanism for controlling gripper arm movement is replaced with a controlled motion system using active and reactive elements. This substitution allows the gripper arms to be positioned and oriented according to different container formats through programmable control rather than mechanical cam modification.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripper arms are connected to movable elements that can dynamically adjust their position and orientation relative to the containers. This dynamic connection allows the same physical infrastructure to adapt to different container formats by changing the motion parameters rather than modifying the physical gripper arm structure.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the work section is limited to a straight horizontal path, then the geometry is simple, but the conveyor cannot efficiently handle curved path sections
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper arms are made movable relative to the movers, allowing them to dynamically adjust their orientation and position as the conveyor transitions between straight and curved path sections. This dynamic capability enables efficient handling of curved paths while maintaining relatively simple overall geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds an additional degree of freedom by allowing gripper arms to pivot relative to the movers, transforming a two-dimensional straight-path constraint into a three-dimensional flexible system that can accommodate curved paths while maintaining container gripping functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
The conveyor device for conveying flexible containers along a packaging line comprises a track (1) defining a horizontal closed path and one or more pairs of left and right movers (2a, 2b) movably mounted on the track (1) for moving along the path by the effect of active and reactive elements configured for independently driving and controlling the left and right movers along the path, pairs of left and right gripper arms (3a, 3b) pivotally connected to the left and right movers (2a, 2b) by respective left and right articulations (6a, 6b) about vertical axes, and one or more pairs of left and right clamps (4a, 4b) respectively mounted on the left and right gripper arms (3a, 3b) and configured for gripping one or more flexible containers (5) in a vertical position. The left and right gripper arms (3a, 3b) are linked together by a parallelism-keeping mechanism.