Modular Conveyor Guide Rail With Pivotable Stop Member
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing conveyor systems for hanging products face challenges in providing flexible and efficient spacing between product carriers to prevent collisions and entanglement, especially when dealing with varying product sizes and shapes, and require complex solutions for integrating stop elements and modular guide rails.
Innovation Solution
A modular guide rail part with an integrated actuator and stop member that automatically adjusts its position based on the presence of product carriers, allowing for customizable spacing and easy integration with existing conveyor systems, using pivotable mechanisms and resilient members to control the stop function and accommodate different product carrier configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a separate guide rail is used instead of integrating it in the main rail, then flexibility for inserting switch units is improved, but the guide rail still needs to be cut off which complicates rebuilding
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rail is divided into modular guide rail elements that can be independently removed and repositioned. Each element can be detached from the main rail without cutting, allowing switch units to be inserted by simply removing and repositioning individual elements rather than cutting the entire rail structure.
2Ease of operation
If multiple active stop elements are provided to allow product carriers to queue with predefined distance, then spacing control is improved, but the system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rail element incorporates an automatic stop function that activates when a product carrier is present on the rail. The stop member automatically engages to prevent subsequent carriers from approaching too closely, and automatically disengages when the carrier passes, eliminating the need for externally controlled active stop elements.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If product carriers are provided with integrated spacers or protective covers, then collision prevention is improved, but the product carrier design becomes more complex and less adaptable to different products
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding longitudinal spacers to product carriers, the solution introduces a lateral stop member that acts perpendicular to the direction of travel. The stop member engages the side of the product carrier to maintain spacing, allowing carriers to remain simple while collision prevention is achieved through a different spatial dimension.
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
Enables automatic queue formation with predefined spacing, accommodating various product sizes and shapes, and allows for easy adaptation and modification of conveyor systems by providing a flexible and modular solution that simplifies the integration of stop functions and spacing adjustments.
Implementation Method 1
the actuator is pushed into the initial position by a resilient member
Implementation Method 2
an actuator (7) arranged pivotably suspended to the body (4), where the actuator is movable from a first upper position to a second lower position
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
Guide rail part for a conveyor adapted to convey product carriers in a hanging manner, where the guide rail part is adapted to be positioned centrally in a main rail of the conveyor, where the guide rail part comprises a body,wherein the guide rail part comprises an actuator pivotably suspended to the body, where the actuator is movable from a first upper position to a second lower position, and a stop member pivotably connected to the actuator such that the stop member is in a raised stop position when the actuator is in the second lower position and that the stop member is in a lowered bypass position when the actuator is in the first upper position. The advantage of the guide rail part is that a queue with product carriers can be realised, where the spacing between the product carriers is obtained with the guide rail parts in an easy and cost-effective way.