Dynamic Singulator Conveyor With Segmented Roller Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional article unscramblers require long conveyor lengths and high speeds to singulate articles, making them impractical for facilities with limited space and increasing noise and wear.
Innovation Solution
An article singulating conveyor assembly with tandem zones of laterally spaced side frame members and segmented, motorized rollers, driven by independent motors and sensors to create lateral and longitudinal speed variations, allowing for efficient singulation of articles in a short unit length at low speeds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If traditional tapered and skewed roller unscramblers are used, then articles can be singulated, but the conveyor becomes physically too long to fit into facilities and operates at very high speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor is divided into multiple independently controllable zones, each with its own drive motors and roller sections. This segmentation allows different zones to operate at different speeds and create gaps dynamically, achieving effective singulation in a compact length without requiring the entire conveyor to be long or operate at uniformly high speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dynamically adjustable roller speeds and gap creation capabilities. By varying the speed of individual roller sections and creating dynamic gaps between articles through controlled differential movement, the conveyor achieves singulation effectiveness in a shorter distance without requiring consistently high operational speeds throughout the entire length.
2Productivity
If traditional unscramblers operate at very high speeds, then singulation can be achieved, but noise and wear increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts roller speeds and creates gaps at optimal moments rather than maintaining uniformly high speeds throughout. This dynamic control allows the conveyor to operate at lower average speeds while still achieving effective singulation, thereby reducing noise and wear on components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (roller speed, gap size) dynamically based on the specific singulation needs. By varying these parameters rather than maintaining constant high speeds, the system achieves singulation effectiveness while operating at lower speeds that reduce noise and wear.
3Productivity
If traditional unscramblers are used, then articles are singulated over long distances, but the unit length becomes impractically long
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the conveyor into multiple independently controlled zones, the system achieves singulation capability within a compact unit length. Each zone can create and manage gaps independently, allowing effective singulation to occur over a shorter total distance rather than requiring a long continuous conveyor.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes lateral movement and gap creation in addition to longitudinal conveyance. By creating gaps between articles through lateral displacement and controlled differential movement across zones, the system achieves singulation effectiveness without requiring a proportionally long longitudinal unit length.
Data Source
AI summary
An article singulating conveyor assembly and method of singulating articles includes providing a conveying surface defining a plurality of tandem zones. The conveying surface travels in a longitudinal direction. Each of the zones includes a pair of laterally spaced side frame members and a plurality of generally parallel elongated driven rollers that are supported at the side frame members. The driven rollers are adapted to provide lateral variation in the longitudinal speed of the conveying surface. Each of the zones includes at least one drive motor that is adapted to drive the driven rollers in that zone. At least one article sensor is provided that is adapted to sensing articles in the zones. The driven rollers may be divided into a plurality of segmented rollers that are separately rotatable with a separate drive motor to drive corresponding segments for a zone. The drive motors for adjacent zones may be activated in a manner that creates a longitudinal gap between longitudinally adjacent articles.