Egg Tray Filling With Location-Guided Transfer and Fixed Cups
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing egg filling systems are complex in configuration and slow in processing speed, particularly due to the need to move cells in a reservoir to match egg tray locations, increasing device costs and time requirements.
Innovation Solution
An egg filling apparatus with an individual egg cup collection unit, a filling location information acquisition unit, an egg transfer mechanism, and an individual egg cup removing mechanism, which allows for automated egg placement and removal of empty cups during transfer operations, simplifying the configuration and improving processing speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If cells in the reservoir are moved to correspond to egg tray locations, then eggs can be transferred to correct positions, but device complexity increases and processing speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the egg transfer process into two independent stages: (1) The transfer plate moves in a predetermined pattern to pick up eggs from fixed reservoir cells and place them on the egg tray, and (2) The reservoir cells are subsequently moved to new positions. This segmentation allows each component to have a simpler, dedicated function rather than requiring coordinated movement of both components simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer plate performs egg pickup and placement operations before the reservoir cells are moved to their new positions. By completing the egg transfer operation first with stationary cells, the system eliminates the need for complex synchronized movement mechanisms while still achieving accurate egg placement.
2Productivity
If cells in the reservoir are moved to match egg tray locations, then complete egg replenishment is achieved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer plate completes all egg transfer operations to the egg tray before the reservoir cells are moved to new positions. This preliminary action ensures that egg replenishment is completed without waiting for cell repositioning, thereby reducing total processing time while maintaining complete replenishment capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous useful action by having the transfer plate continuously pick and place eggs during the transfer operation, while the cell movement operation occurs separately afterward. This eliminates idle time where neither transfer nor movement is occurring, maximizing productivity throughout the cycle.
3Reliability
If multiple operations are performed separately, then each operation can be executed precisely, but overall processing speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the egg transfer operation and the cell repositioning operation into a coordinated sequence where both operations occur within the same operational cycle. The transfer plate performs egg transfer while cells remain stationary, then cells are moved to new positions, combining what would otherwise be separate operational phases into one integrated process that improves throughput without sacrificing precision.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is an egg filling apparatus for filling an egg tray with eggs, which improves a processing speed while simplifying a configuration thereof, and includes: an individual egg cup collection unit in which egg filled cups on which eggs are placed one by one are collected; a filling location information acquisition unit that acquires information on a location where the egg is to be placed in the egg tray; an egg transfer mechanism that transfers the egg from the egg filled cup in the individual egg cup collection unit to the egg tray based on filling location information acquired by the filling location information acquisition unit; and an individual egg cup removing mechanism that removes an empty cup from the individual egg cup collection unit.