Elastically Damped Rotary Drive for Grape Destemming

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing destemming machines often result in imprecise separation of grape berries from stems, leading to high waste and berry damage due to high speeds and excessive loading on rotary drives.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating an elastically damping connection between the rotary drive and the destemming roller, along with a vibration drive for the destemming roller, to reduce relative speeds and prevent damage to the rotary drive, using rubber buffers for damping and mounting the destemming roller.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If high numbers of revolutions are used to achieve effective destemming, then separation effectiveness is improved, but berry damage increases and separation precision deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedestemming effectivenessVSAvoidberry damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies mechanical vibration to the destemming roller through a vibration drive device, which superimposes vibratory motion on the rotary motion. This vibration enhances the separation between berries and stems by creating relative movement between the berries and the roller surface, improving destemming effectiveness without requiring excessively high rotational speeds that would damage the berries.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #18Mechanical vibration

2Productivity

If high speeds are used for destemming, then separation effectiveness is improved, but separation precision deteriorates causing pulp to stick to stalks

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedestemming effectivenessVSAvoidseparation precision

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The vibration drive creates oscillatory motion that prevents pulp from adhering to stalks during the destemming process. The vibratory movement disrupts the adhesion between pulp and stems, ensuring clean separation and preventing contamination of the destemmed berries with stalk material.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #18Mechanical vibration

3Object-affected harmful factors

If vibration drive is applied to destemming roller, then gentle separation at reduced speeds is achieved, but adverse vibrations may damage the rotary drive

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveberry damageVSAvoidrotary drive durability

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an elastic damping element as an intermediary component between the vibration drive and the rotary drive. This damping element absorbs and isolates the vibratory forces, allowing the vibration drive to function effectively for gentle berry separation while preventing the transmission of adverse vibrations to the rotary drive mechanism, thus protecting it from damage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The elastic damping element is positioned in advance between the vibration drive and rotary drive to cushion against potential vibrations. This pre-positioned cushioning element prevents vibration transmission before the vibrations can cause damage to the rotary drive components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

4Reliability

If elastically damping connection is used between rotary drive and destemming roller, then rotary drive is protected from vibrations, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverotary drive durabilityVSAvoiddrive connection complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The elastic damping element serves as a simple intermediary component that connects the rotary drive to the destemming roller. Rather than requiring complex vibration isolation systems, this single damping element effectively protects the rotary drive from vibrations while maintaining a relatively simple overall device structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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

Achieves gentle and effective separation of grapes from stems at reduced speeds, minimizing waste and damage, while preventing adverse vibrations from affecting the rotary drive.

Implementation Method 1

an elastically damping removal connection in a generic destemming machine between the output shaft of a rotary drive driving the destemming roller and the drive shaft of the destemming roller

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectVibration damping: Damping

Implementation Method 2

the elastically damping members in particular being rubber buffers

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 3

a vibration drive for the destemming roller... an additional movement with a significantly higher frequency can be imposed on the usual rotary movements

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMechanical vibration: Vibration

Data Source

PatentEP2055201B1Berry removal machine

Publication Date: 2012.01.25 ARMBRUSTER HERMANN

Figure 1~1a

AI summary

The machine (1) has a stinger with a berrying-off roller (14) that is rotatable around an axis in a berrying-off cylinder. An elastic-damping drive connector is provided between an output shaft (15.1) of a rotary drive (15) to drive the berrying-off roller and a drive shaft (14.1) of the berrying-off roller. Two elastic-damping elements are radially and tangentially arranged between the output shaft and the rotary drive and drive shaft, where the elastic-damping elements are rubber cushion. A vibration drive (12) is arranged at an end of the berrying-off roller.