Egg Packaging Roller Conveyor Orientation Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing egg packaging devices struggle to reliably orient eggs points down, especially for differently sized eggs, resulting in only 70-90% correct positioning due to static features that are sensitive to egg dimensions.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic egg packaging device with rotating rollers and egg lifters that temporarily increase speed and lift eggs, ensuring the pointed end remains in contact with the rollers longer, combined with a conveyor design featuring constant and slanting portions to guide eggs correctly into carriers, reducing size sensitivity and improving orientation reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If static orientation features (silicone discs or cams) are used to position eggs points down, then the positioning mechanism is simple, but the positioning reliability is only 70-90% and highly sensitive to egg size variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the rollers rotate at variable speeds during operation. The rollers start at a first speed to engage and orient eggs, then accelerate to a second higher speed to amplify the orientation effect. This dynamic speed variation allows the system to adapt to different egg sizes dynamically, ensuring reliable points-down positioning for both small and large eggs without requiring static features that are sensitive to dimensional variations.
2Productivity
If the roller conveyor speed is increased to improve throughput, then productivity increases, but the orientation precision of eggs deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by implementing a two-phase speed regime for the rollers. During the first phase, rollers operate at a lower speed to ensure precise engagement and initial orientation of eggs. During the second phase, rollers accelerate to a higher speed to maintain throughput. This periodic variation in speed allows the system to achieve both high productivity and precise orientation by alternating between precision-oriented and speed-oriented operation modes.
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 solution achieves a more reliable 100% orientation of eggs points down, regardless of size, by utilizing dynamic roller rotation and geometric conveyor design, enhancing the positioning process and reducing failures compared to static systems.
Implementation Method 1
the pointed end of the egg remains in contact with the rollers longer than the blunt end
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
Figure 5a~5c
AI summary
The present invention relates to an egg-packaging device, comprising: • a roller conveyor (3) with rollers (8) comprising a profile of wide sections and narrow sections, wherein the endless series of rollers of the roller conveyor is wound around at least one transport roller on a reverse side; • a packaging conveyor (6) which supplies and removes packagings under the roller conveyor; and • a carrier device (4, 22), comprising egg carriers, which collect eggs are transported to the carrier device and place them in packagings, • a drive device (10, 11, 12) for driving the roller conveyor at varying speed, roller rotation means, • egg lifters (15), provided in the conveyor track of the eggs and near the reverse side of the roller conveyor, always at the location of a center of each narrow section, in such a way that, in operation, an egg which approaches the reverse side of the roller conveyor track is engaged and lifted up slightly by an egg lifter when passing that egg lifter.