Automated Conveyor Product Orientation Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveying systems face challenges in accurately orienting and correcting non-compliant products, such as containers with incorrect orientations, which can lead to packaging issues and inefficiencies in processing.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus equipped with pivoting arms and actuators, along with sensors, is used to identify and correct the orientation of products on a conveyor belt by pivoting them into the correct position and temporarily halting the conveyor to prevent further products from passing until the correction is made.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the conveyor continues moving at full speed, then productivity is maintained, but non-compliant products cannot be corrected in time
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of non-compliant products using sensors before they reach the correction zone. This allows the control system to pre-calculate correction timing and position, enabling the conveyor to maintain speed while ensuring corrections are made at optimal moments without compromising throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor system dynamically adjusts its operation by selectively stopping or slowing only the portion of the conveyor where correction is needed, while maintaining full speed in other sections. This dynamic control allows the system to balance reliability requirements with overall productivity.
2Manufacturing precision
If the conveyor stops to correct product orientation, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor is divided into multiple independently controllable sections or zones. When a non-compliant product is detected, only the specific section where correction is needed is stopped or slowed, while other sections continue operating at full speed. This segmentation allows precision correction without halting the entire conveyor system.
Solution Approach 2:
A movable barrier or gate is introduced as an intermediary element between the detection zone and the correction zone. This intermediary can be positioned to block or redirect products, allowing the conveyor to maintain overall speed while creating controlled stopping points for orientation correction when necessary.
3Manufacturing precision
If individual product correction is implemented, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The correction mechanism is designed to be self-actuating through simple mechanical means such as gravity, springs, or the product's own movement. Instead of complex active correction systems, the design allows products to self-correct their orientation or be passively redirected using minimal mechanical intervention, reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Complex mechanical correction systems are replaced with simpler non-mechanical or passive mechanisms. For example, optical sensors detect orientation issues and trigger electronic controls that activate simple mechanical barriers or guide rails, eliminating the need for complex robotic manipulators or active correction mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus is provided to correct an orientation of a product conveying within a plurality of products on a conveyor along a conveying direction. The apparatus may be adapted to lift or rotate improperly oriented products in a response to a signal from a sensor. The apparatus may include one or two devices with an arm attached to an actuator and a product clamp. The apparatus may be also adapted to classify and remove uncompliant products from a conveyor line with one or more sensors and additional actuated devices positioned along a conveyor. The apparatus may be also adapted with a movable rail to adjust a working width of the conveyor.