Eccentric Cam Meat Press for Compact Linear Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pressing devices for meat products face challenges in minimizing size and complexity while efficiently driving the pressing member, often requiring complex and inefficient drive mechanisms that increase the device's width and reduce operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The use of an eccentric cam driven by a rotating motor, allowing the pressing member to move through a rotation of over 90 degrees, particularly 180 degrees, with a small eccentricity, directly converting motor rotation into linear motion without intermediate transmissions, thus reducing the drive's size and complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If complex deflection mechanisms are used in the drive to achieve the required movement, then the pressing member can be moved from the starting position into the end position, but the device width increases and the design becomes more expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by rotating the eccentric cam about an axis that is offset from the pressing member's movement path. This allows the linear pressing motion to be generated from a rotational movement in a different dimensional space, eliminating the need for complex transverse deflection mechanisms while achieving the required pressing member displacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The eccentric cam acts as an intermediary element between the drive motor and the pressing member. It converts rotational motion into linear motion through its geometric shape, serving as a simple mechanical mediator that eliminates the need for complex transmission mechanisms with multiple deflections.
2Ease of operation
If complex deflection mechanisms are used in the drive, then the pressing member can be moved from the starting position into the end position, but the efficiency of the drive is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex deflection mechanisms from the drive system. By using a directly mounted eccentric cam that converts rotation to linear motion without intermediate transmissions, the design removes the sources of energy loss associated with multiple transmission stages and complex geometries.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical transmission systems with a simpler eccentric cam mechanism. This substitution reduces the number of moving parts and transmission stages, thereby minimizing mechanical energy losses while maintaining the required pressing member movement capability.
3Length of moving object
If the pressing device is designed to be narrow in the direction of travel, then space conditions are optimized and access is improved, but the drive mechanism becomes more constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the space constraint by positioning the eccentric cam's rotation axis in a dimension that does not interfere with the pressing member's linear travel path. This allows the drive mechanism to operate within a narrow width while the cam rotates about an offset axis, generating the required linear motion without requiring excessive lateral space.
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
This configuration achieves a large travel distance with minimal eccentricity, requiring lower torques and avoiding efficiency losses, resulting in a more compact, cost-effective, and efficient pressing device design.
Implementation Method 1
The drive is configured to drive at least one eccentric cam, which is rotatable about an axis of rotation, in order to move the pressing member from the starting position into the end position
Data Source
AI summary
A pressing device for pressing meat products, in particular frozen and/or partly frozen meat products, preferably fresh meat products and/or bacon, comprises a pressing chamber. The pressing chamber comprises a counter-element and a pressing member that is movable by a drive, wherein the pressing member can be moved from a starting position towards the counter-element into an end position in order to compress the product, and wherein the drive is configured to drive at least one eccentric cam, which is rotatable about an axis of rotation, in order to move the pressing member from the starting position into the end position, wherein the pressing member can be moved from the starting position into the end position by a rotation of the eccentric cam of more than 90 degrees.