Dual-Speed Infeed Conveyor Buffering for Last Picker Product Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
In picker lines for packaging machines, the last picker often faces a shortage of products on the feed belt, leading to incomplete filling of packaging cavities, necessitating the feeding of excess products to ensure all cavities are filled, resulting in unnecessary product return.
Innovation Solution
Implementing two independently controllable infeed conveyors with different speeds, where the second conveyor moves at a lower speed to buffer and align products for the last picker, allowing it to fill all available cavities without excess product return.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If more products than necessary are fed onto the infeed belt to ensure the last picker always has enough products, then all pack cavities can be filled 100%, but the number of excess products increases requiring manual or mechanical return
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the speed of the second infeed conveyor based on real-time detection of product positions and picker performance. The conveyor speed varies to optimize product spacing for the last picker, eliminating the need for static over-feeding while ensuring complete cavity filling.
Solution Approach 2:
The vision system continuously monitors product positions and provides feedback to the control unit, which adjusts the second conveyor's speed accordingly. This closed-loop control ensures products are optimally positioned for the last picker without requiring excess products to be fed onto the conveyor.
2Manufacturing precision
If the speed of the second infeed conveyor is reduced to buffer products and reduce distances between them, then the last picker can detect and pick all products, but the conveyor operates at lower speed reducing overall throughput
Solution Approach 1:
The second infeed conveyor operates at variable speed rather than a fixed low speed. The control unit dynamically adjusts the conveyor speed based on detected product positions and the specific needs of the last picker, optimizing both positioning accuracy and throughput by using higher speeds only when product spacing allows.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a packaging system (1) and a method for operating a picking line (3) for inserting products (5) into packaging trays (10) of a packaging machine (2), comprising a first feed belt (4) and first vision system (8) as well as a second feed belt (13) and second vision system (14), wherein the speed (v2) of the second feed belt (13) is reduced compared to the speed (v1) of the first feed belt (4) in order to buffer the products (5) not detected by the first picker (6) and to enable the last picker (7) to detect and insert all products (5).