Food Dough Aligning Members for Conveyor Precision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for aligning food dough pieces conveyed by a conveyor often result in deformation and adhesion issues due to the collision with stationary stoppers, especially at higher conveyor speeds, leading to disarrangement of the pieces and reduced productivity.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus using aligning members that move downstream at a lower speed than the conveyor, contacting and aligning the leading edges of the food dough pieces while reciprocating and rotating to reduce deformation and adhesion, utilizing a supporting shaft with eccentric cams and levers to synchronize movement and adjust positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If stationary stoppers are used to align food dough pieces, then alignment function is achieved, but piece deformation and adhesion occur especially at higher conveyor speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The aligning members are designed to move downstream at a lower speed than the conveyor rather than being stationary. This dynamic movement allows the aligning members to gently contact and align the leading edges of food dough pieces without causing deformation or adhesion, even at higher conveyor speeds. The relative motion between the aligning members and conveyor creates a controlled interaction that maintains alignment precision while avoiding harmful effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The speed parameter of the aligning members is changed from zero (stationary) to a lower non-zero value that matches the conveyor speed. This parameter change transforms the interaction mechanism, allowing the aligning members to move with the flow rather than against it, thereby reducing impact forces and adhesion while maintaining alignment functionality.
2Productivity
If conveyor speed is increased to improve productivity, then productivity increases, but deformation and adhesion problems become more serious
Solution Approach 1:
The aligning members move at a speed that is lower than the conveyor speed, creating a speed differential that allows them to effectively align pieces without being overwhelmed by high conveyor velocities. This dynamic speed relationship enables the system to operate at high productivity levels while the aligning members maintain controlled, gentle contact with the dough pieces.
Solution Approach 2:
The aligning members serve as an intermediary between the high-speed conveyor and the food dough pieces. By moving at an intermediate speed (lower than the conveyor but higher than zero), they mediate the interaction, allowing the conveyor to operate at high speed while the aligning members provide gentle, controlled alignment contact.
3Speed
If aligning members move at the same speed as conveyor, then no relative motion occurs, but alignment function is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The speed parameter of the aligning members is set to a specific range: lower than the conveyor speed but higher than zero. This parameter change creates the optimal speed differential necessary for effective alignment - enough relative motion to contact and adjust the leading edges of pieces, but not so much as to cause deformation or adhesion.
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 aligns the leading edges of food dough pieces perpendicularly to the conveyor direction, reducing deformation and adhesion, and allows for increased conveyor speed without disrupting the alignment, thereby improving productivity.
Implementation Method 1
a reciprocating means that comprises connecting rods that are reciprocated by a rotation of eccentric cams attached to a rotating shaft
Implementation Method 2
by reciprocating the moving shaft for alignment to which distal ends of the connecting rods are relatively rotatably connected ; and moving the aligning members up and down onto the conveyor by changing up and down movement of levers to rotational movement of the moving shaft for alignment
Data Source
AI summary
The purpose of this invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for aligning pieces of food dough (1) that are conveyed downstream by a conveyor (33) so that when aligning members contact the pieces (1), the deformation of the pieces (1) and the adhesion between the aligning members and the pieces (1) can be reduced. The leading edges of the pieces arranged in a plurality of columns that are conveyed downstream by a conveyor (3B) are aligned on lines (L1, L2) that are perpendicular to the direction that the pieces are conveyed, by using a plurality of aligning members (27) corresponding to the columns of the pieces. The aligning members (27) can reciprocate in the direction to convey the pieces and can move up from and down onto the conveyor (3B). While the aligning members (27) are moving downstream at a lower speed than that of the conveyor (3B), the respective aligning members (27) contact the respective leading edges of the pieces of the columns, which pieces (1) are conveyed by the conveyor, and then the aligning members (27) move up and are separated from the pieces (1).