Rotating Drum Gutters for Hygienic Bulk Food Singulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for singulating food products from bulk supplies are inefficient, complex, and fail to meet food safety and hygiene regulations, making further processing difficult.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a horizontally rotating drum with gutters on its inner circumferential wall, which singulates food products by matching their width, and an actuator for controlled ejection, along with a gripper using magnetic interfaces and minimal moving parts for hygiene compliance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If complex robots with many moving parts are used to separate food products from bulk flow, then productivity and separation efficiency are improved, but food safety and hygiene compliance deteriorate due to lubricants and complex architecture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical robotic systems with a simpler drum-based separation mechanism that uses gravity and drum rotation to separate food products from bulk flow, eliminating the need for lubricants and complex moving parts while maintaining separation efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The drum and gutter components are designed as simple, easily cleanable structures that can be quickly sanitized or replaced, prioritizing food safety compliance over long-term durability of complex mechanical components
2Productivity
If bulk food products are supplied for further processing, then handling efficiency is improved, but processing difficulty increases due to non-uniform orientation and mutual distance
Solution Approach 1:
The drum separation mechanism performs preliminary orientation and spacing of food products before they enter the processing stage, arranging them in a more uniform manner that facilitates subsequent piece-by-piece processing while maintaining bulk handling efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The bulk food supply is segmented into smaller groups or individual pieces through the drum and gutter system, creating manageable portions that are easier to process while maintaining overall handling efficiency
3Productivity
If currently known singulators are used to separate food products, then separation function is achieved, but device complexity and hygiene compliance worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential separation function from complex robotic systems and implements it through a simple drum and gutter mechanism, removing unnecessary complexity while maintaining the core separation capability
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using complex active mechanisms to manipulate each product, the invention uses passive gravity-driven flow through the drum and gutter system, inverting the approach from active control to passive separation
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 device efficiently separates food products into single or small groups while ensuring high hygiene standards, simplifying further processing and meeting regulatory requirements.
Implementation Method 1
a drum arranged for rotation about a horizontally oriented axis of rotation
Implementation Method 2
a gripper using magnetic interfaces and minimal moving parts for hygiene compliance
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention relates to a device for singulating food products which are supplied in bulk, such as pre-cooked sausages, comprising: a drum arranged for rotation about a horizontally oriented axis of rotation; a housing for partially enclosing the drum, which housing is circular and is closed at least at the bottom and is at least partly open for feeding the food products in bulk into the drum, the drum further comprising, a plurality of gutters extending on the inside of a circumferential wall of the drum over at least substantially the entire length of the drum, wherein each of the gutters has a width which at least substantially corresponds to the width of the food products to be separated, for ejecting the singulated food products out of the gutters through rotation of the drum.