Endless Conveyor Trays for Bulk Material Singulation and Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing singulating devices for bulk material, such as ammunition parts, face challenges in increasing singulating capacity, ensuring reliable transfer to further processing stations, and maintaining correct orientation of axially symmetrical parts for automated processing.
Innovation Solution
A device with an endless conveyor system featuring a drum and conveyor trays that utilize weight force to singulate and orient bulk material parts, including a bulk material supply that tapers and conveyor trays with adjustable receiving spaces to ensure proper orientation and transfer to further processing stations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the conveying speed of the transport tray chain is increased to increase singulating capacity, then productivity increases, but the risk of damaging bulk material increases and the risk of receiving no bulk material increases
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving spaces are designed with flexible walls that can move dynamically. The flexible wall portions can deform to accommodate bulk material parts of varying sizes and shapes, ensuring reliable reception even at higher conveying speeds. This dynamic adaptation prevents both damage to the material and empty receiving spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The receiving spaces can change their volume and shape parameters adaptively. By allowing the receiving spaces to expand and contract based on the incoming bulk material, the system maintains high singulating capacity while ensuring reliable material reception without damage.
2Productivity
If multiple receiving spaces are provided in a transport tray to increase singulating capacity, then productivity increases, but the risk of receiving spaces remaining empty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving spaces feature flexible walls that can move and deform to capture bulk material effectively. This dynamic capability ensures that multiple receiving spaces on a single transport tray can reliably receive material without remaining empty, thereby increasing singulating capacity while maintaining reliability.
3Reliability
If transport trays are coupled with guide cheeks on both sides to prevent gaps, then reliability of gap-free transport improves, but device complexity increases and flexibility of tray arrangement is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The guide function has been extracted from the transport trays themselves and transferred to the guide rails. This allows the trays to be simpler in design while still achieving gap-free guidance through the dedicated guide rail system, reducing tray complexity while maintaining reliability.
4Reliability
If transport trays have aprons curved concentrically to prevent gaps between trays, then reliability of gap-free surface improves, but device complexity and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gap-prevention function has been extracted from the complex apron structure and transferred to the guide rails. The transport trays can now have simpler designs while the guide rails ensure continuous, gap-free surfaces, reducing both device complexity and production costs while maintaining reliability.
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
Enhances singulating capacity, ensures reliable transfer and orientation of axially symmetrical parts, enabling fully automated processing of ammunition components like cases and projectiles.
Implementation Method 1
bulk material falls under the influence of its weight force into conveyor trays, in particular being arranged in series, of the endless conveyor
Implementation Method 2
the bulk material, under the influence of its weight force, is transferred via a chute to a discharge conveyor belt
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a device for singulating bulk material, such as ammunition parts, for example cases and/or projectiles, comprising an endless conveyor which is arranged with respect to a bulk material source in such a way that, under the influence of its weight, bulk material falls into conveyor trays, in particular being arranged in a row, of the endless conveyor which are conveyed past the bulk material source, wherein the conveyor trays have a receiving space for the bulk material which decreases in size during the conveying.