Automated Empties Sorting Device with Adjustable Guiding Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual sorting of mixed returnable bottles is time-consuming and prone to errors, leading to inefficiencies and losses in the empties recycling process.
Innovation Solution
An automated empties sorting device with a sorting table, conveying device, guiding element, and control unit that selectively directs bottles into different collecting channels based on type, using sensors and adjustable guiding elements to optimize sorting efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If manual sorting of empties is used, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity decreases and reliability worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical sorting process with an automated system that uses sensors to detect empties types and actuators to guide them into correct collecting channels. The control unit coordinates these components to achieve automatic sorting, eliminating the need for manual intervention while significantly increasing sorting speed and accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The sorting system operates autonomously by using sensors to automatically detect the type of empties and control actuators to self-guide them into the appropriate collecting channels without human intervention. The system monitors and adjusts its own operations through the control unit, enabling continuous automated sorting.
2Device complexity
If manual sorting of empties is used, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability (sorting accuracy) worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection and physical sorting with an automated sensor-based detection system that identifies empties types and a controlled actuator system that precisely guides them to correct collecting channels. This substitution eliminates human error and significantly improves sorting accuracy and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors that continuously monitor the sorting process and provide feedback to the control unit, which adjusts actuator positions and guiding mechanisms in real-time to ensure accurate sorting. This closed-loop control system maintains high reliability by correcting any deviations from the intended sorting path.
3Productivity
If automated sorting with multiple collecting channels is implemented, then productivity increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sorting system into distinct functional segments: sensor detection units for identifying empties types, control units for processing information, actuator units for physical guidance, and separate collecting channels for different empties types. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while maintaining overall system productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs universal sensor and actuator units that can detect and respond to multiple empties types through a single integrated control architecture. The control unit manages all collecting channels and guiding mechanisms through a unified control strategy, reducing the need for separate specialized components for each channel and thereby managing complexity while maintaining high throughput.
Data Source
AI summary
An empties sorting device includes a sorting table with a table surface, a feed section, and a discharge section. The discharge section has a dividing device with at least one section partition wall. The device further includes a conveying device, which is designed in such a way that the empties can be transferred from the feed section to the discharge section, and a guiding device with a guiding element, designed to be movable at least into a first guiding position associated with a first collecting channel, and a second guiding position associated with a second collecting channel, and a controller designed to control the movement of the guiding element into the first and second guiding positions in accordance with the type of empties. A discharge section partition wall between the collecting channels can be moved parallel to the table surface, thus allowing an associated collecting channel size to be varied.