Curved Ramp Straw Orientation for Animal Semen Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing installations for treating and packaging animal semen in plastic straws face challenges with static electricity and inefficient orientation during processing, leading to hindered sliding and suboptimal treatment.
Innovation Solution
A treatment installation featuring a supply and positioning device with a curved ramp that accelerates and orients straws for treatment, using a concave profile to minimize electrostatic interference and ensure proper alignment for continuous processing between multiple treatment machines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If straws are conveyed through conventional supply devices, then they are easily received and positioned, but static electricity accumulates on the thin plastic tube surface, hindering sliding and causing processing difficulties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a curved ramp with a concave profile instead of a straight conveyor surface. The curved geometry allows straws to slide along the ramp while the concave shape concentrates gravitational force to accelerate them, reducing contact time and minimizing static electricity accumulation on the thin plastic surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the ramp by creating a concave profile with specific curvature radius and inclination angles. This modifies the gravitational components acting on the straws, increasing acceleration and reducing the time they spend in contact with the conveyor surface, thereby reducing static charge accumulation.
2Manufacturing precision
If straws are moved slowly for stable positioning, then orientation is maintained, but processing time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The curved ramp performs preliminary acceleration of the straws before they reach the treatment zone. By pre-accelerating the straws along the curved path, the system maintains precise orientation while reducing the time straws spend in the positioning area, thereby increasing overall processing speed without sacrificing orientation accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The concave curved ramp uses gravitational components to accelerate straws along a controlled path. The curvature is specifically designed to maintain straw orientation while increasing their speed, allowing the system to achieve both precise positioning and high productivity simultaneously.
3Device complexity
If a straight ramp is used for straw conveyance, then the structure is simple, but straws do not gain sufficient speed and electrostatic forces hinder their sliding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces a straight ramp with a curved ramp featuring a concave profile. This curved geometry is specifically designed to concentrate gravitational force and accelerate straws along the conveyance path, increasing their speed sufficiently to overcome electrostatic friction without adding complex mechanical acceleration mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the geometric parameters of the ramp by introducing a concave profile with specific curvature radii and inclination angles. This changes the gravitational components acting on the straws, creating a natural acceleration effect that increases straw velocity without requiring additional powered mechanisms.
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 effectively addresses static electricity issues and ensures straws are properly oriented and accelerated, enabling efficient handling and treatment without electrostatic hindrance, facilitating a continuous process for filling, welding, and printing.
Implementation Method 1
a curved ramp configured to convey, to said ejection portion, a straw received on said reception portion and freely sliding on said ramp
Data Source
AI summary
The installation (1) comprises a treatment machine (12) and a supply and positioning device (16) configured to receive the straws (2) and dispose them one by one in a predetermined orientation for their treatment by said machine. The device (16) comprises a curved ramp (52) having a reception portion (64) for the straws (2) and an ejection portion (65) for the straws, the ramp being configured to convey, to the ejection portion (65), a straw (2) received on the reception portion (64) and sliding on the ramp (52), the ramp having a concave profile such that said profile has an orientation closer to the vertical in the reception portion (64) than in the ejection portion (65), such that a straw received on the reception portion (64) is accelerated to the ejection portion (65) at which the straw is guided and ejected with a predetermined orientation.