Envelope Turning Station Drive Simplification via Gripper Chain Displacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mail processing machines require complex and costly adjustments to accommodate different envelope formats, as the envelope turning station must be repositioned relative to the stuffing and closing sections, complicating the construction and drive system.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a cyclically driven gripper chain with adjustable displacement of the stuffing table allows the gripper to position envelopes correctly for the envelope turning station, ensuring reliable gripping and turning of envelopes regardless of format, without needing to displace the entire turning station or drive system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the envelope turning station is repositioned to accommodate different longitudinal formats, then the gripping reliability is improved, but the device complexity and construction cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper chain is designed to be intermittently driven with adjustable displacement, allowing dynamic adaptation to different envelope formats. The gripper can be displaced along the conveying direction to position envelopes correctly for the turning cylinder, providing flexible gripping accommodation without moving the entire turning station.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveying system is divided into independent functional segments: the stationary envelope turning station and the movable gripper chain. By separating the turning function from the conveying function, the system can adjust the gripper's position independently to accommodate different formats while maintaining the turning station's stationary position.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the entire turning station is displaced for different formats, then format adaptability is improved, but the drive system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The format adjustment function is extracted from the turning station and transferred to the gripper chain. Instead of moving the entire turning station, only the gripper chain is displaced intermittently along the conveying direction, reducing the drive system complexity while maintaining format adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripper chain employs intermittent driving with variable displacement distances, allowing dynamic adaptation to different envelope formats. This dynamic adjustment mechanism is simpler than moving the entire turning station, as it only requires adjusting the gripper's position rather than repositioning the whole station.
3Manufacturing precision
If the turning station position is coordinated with envelope format, then gripping accuracy is improved, but the construction and drive become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves gripping accuracy for different formats through dynamic displacement of the gripper chain rather than fixed positional coordination. The gripper can be displaced to any required position along the conveying direction, providing flexible and accurate envelope positioning without complex construction adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripper chain performs preliminary displacement to position envelopes correctly before they reach the turning cylinder. This preliminary positioning action ensures accurate gripping by the turning cylinder's tongs, eliminating the need for complex coordinated movement of the entire turning station.
Data Source
AI summary
In a mail processing machine, a fixed mounting of an envelope turning station relative to an upstream stuffing station, and therefore a simple construction of the drive for the envelope turning station, can be achieved in that the items of goods for despatch to be turned through 180° are drawn by grippers of a gripper chain into the region of horizontally opening tongs of the envelope turning cylinder of the envelope turning station, in such a way that, in each case irrespective of the longitudinal format of the items of goods for despatch, the latter are gripped by the turning cylinder tongs over their entire length, for which purpose the gripper chain, together with the stuffing table supporting it, is designed to be displaceable with respect to the turning station in the conveying direction of the goods for despatch, in a manner dependent on the envelope format.