Egg Cradle Tilting Mechanism for Stable 45° Hatching Positions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hatching systems fail to maintain a consistent 45° tilting angle for egg cradles due to wear and tear, leading to deviations that reduce hatching success, as they rely on mechanisms with play and lack stable end positions.
Innovation Solution
A tilting mechanism with a stable tilting device featuring interfaces and points of contact ensures precise tilting angles by combining an initial external force with gravity, using tilting cams and rollers to maintain a 45° position without wear and tear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a tilting mechanism with cams is used to transmit tilting movement to a stack of cradles, then the eggs can be tilted approximately 45° alternately to the right and left, but wear and tear causes play to increase over time, resulting in angle deviations that reduce hatching success
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional cam-based mechanical tilting system with a pneumatic or hydraulic actuation system. This substitution eliminates the wear and tear issues inherent in cam mechanisms, providing consistent 45° tilting angles without the play and angle deviations that occur with mechanical wear, thereby maintaining high hatching success rates
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs pneumatic or hydraulic actuators to transmit the tilting movement to the stack of cradles. This approach provides precise control over the tilting angle, ensuring consistent 45° positioning without the mechanical play that plagues cam-based systems, thus resolving the reliability issue while maintaining ease of operation
2Productivity
If multiple cradles are stacked to increase egg capacity, then productivity increases, but the deviation in tilting angles becomes greater due to cumulative wear and play, resulting in lower hatching percentages
Solution Approach 1:
By replacing the cam-based mechanical system with a pneumatic or hydraulic actuation system, the patent ensures that each cradle in the stack receives precise and uniform tilting force. This eliminates the cumulative angle deviations that occur in stacked cradles with mechanical systems, allowing high egg capacity to be maintained without compromising hatching success
Solution Approach 2:
The pneumatic or hydraulic system provides uniform pressure distribution across all cradles in the stack, ensuring that each cradle tilts at the correct 45° angle simultaneously. This eliminates the cumulative wear effects that would otherwise cause greater angle deviations in larger stacks, thereby maintaining both high productivity and reliability
3Device complexity
If a simple tilting mechanism without additional interfaces is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but stable tilted end positions cannot be guaranteed due to wear and play
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the simple but unreliable mechanical cam system with a pneumatic or hydraulic actuation system that inherently provides stable end positions through controlled pressure application. This substitution maintains operational simplicity while eliminating the wear and play issues that prevent guaranteed stable tilted positions
Solution Approach 2:
The pneumatic or hydraulic system provides controlled actuation that naturally stabilizes the cradles at the desired 45° tilted position through pressure equilibrium. This approach achieves stable end positions without requiring complex mechanical interfaces or additional stabilization mechanisms, thus maintaining device simplicity while improving reliability
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 mechanism provides controlled and consistent tilting of egg cradles, ensuring high hatching success by minimizing angle deviations and reducing mechanical wear, thus maintaining optimal egg positioning throughout the hatching process.
Implementation Method 1
combining an initial external force with gravity, using tilting cams and rollers to maintain a 45° position
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
The invention relates to a tilting device for tiltably arranging a tiltable inner structure to a cradle wall via a fictitious tilting axis, whereby the tilting device comprises at least two tilting points, whereby the first and second tilting point are instrumental for the stable untilted position of the tilting device. The invention also relates to a cradle provided with such tilting device and a stack of such cradles.