Flip-over mechanism with gravity-guided workpiece placement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Mechanical arms used in product manufacturing for flipping workpieces often malfunction, leading to increased maintenance costs and quality issues due to incorrect placement of workpieces, affecting the manufacturing process.

Innovation Solution

A flip-over mechanism utilizing a base with a guiding element that employs a feeding angle between 20 degrees and 90 degrees, allowing workpieces to flip over using gravity, eliminating the need for additional power mechanisms and ensuring accurate placement on a blanking seat for subsequent manufacturing processes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a mechanical arm is used to flip over workpieces, then the workpiece flipping function is achieved, but the maintenance cost increases and reliability decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemechanical arm reliabilityVSAvoidmechanical arm structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the flipping function from the complex mechanical arm system and implements it through a simple guiding element with a feeding surface and flipping surface. The mechanical arm is reduced to only the necessary picking and placing functions, while the flipping operation is performed passively by the workpiece sliding along the guiding element's surfaces, eliminating the need for complex flipping mechanisms in the mechanical arm.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The workpiece itself performs the flipping action by sliding along the feeding surface and flipping surface of the guiding element under gravity. The guiding element provides the geometric constraints and surfaces that enable the workpiece to flip over automatically without requiring an active flipping mechanism, making the system self-servicing and highly reliable.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Ease of manufacture

If a mechanical arm is used to flip over workpieces, then the flipping function is achieved, but the equipment cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing costVSAvoidflipover mechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The guiding element is designed as a simple, inexpensive component that can be easily manufactured and replaced if needed. Instead of investing in expensive mechanical arms with complex flipping mechanisms, the patent uses a straightforward guiding element with defined surfaces that performs the flipping function at minimal cost.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The complex flipping mechanism is extracted from the mechanical arm and replaced by a simple guiding element. The mechanical arm is reduced to basic picking and placing functions, while the flipping operation is achieved through the geometric design of the guiding element's feeding and flipping surfaces.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Manufacturing precision

If a mechanical arm flips over workpieces, then the workpiece is flipped, but the placement precision decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveworkpiece placement precisionVSAvoidworkpiece placement accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The guiding element acts as an intermediary between the mechanical arm and the workpiece. It receives the workpiece from the mechanical arm, guides it through the feeding surface and flipping surface, and delivers it to the blanking seat with high precision. The guiding element's geometric surfaces ensure accurate positioning and orientation throughout the flipping process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The guiding element is pre-configured with specific feeding and flipping surfaces that automatically guide the workpiece through the correct flipping motion and positioning. This preliminary geometric configuration ensures that the workpiece is always placed accurately on the blanking seat, eliminating placement errors.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

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

This solution reduces maintenance and equipment costs while improving the efficiency and success rate of the workpiece flipping process, ensuring smooth movement to a blanking seat for subsequent manufacturing steps.

Implementation Method 1

the flip-over mechanism flips over a workpiece by using the gravity of the workpiece rather than using any other power mechanism

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGravity: Gravitation

Data Source

PatentUS11802005B2Flip-over mechanism and flip-over system

Publication Date: 2023.10.31 WISTRON CORP

AI summary

A system includes a flip-over mechanism. The flip-over mechanism includes a base and a guiding element. The base includes a bottom surface and a flipping surface. The guiding element includes a feeding surface. There is a feeding angle between the feeding surface and the bottom surface. The feeding surface faces the flipping surface. An opening direction of the flipping surface faces the feeding surface. There is a flip-over spacing between guiding element and the flipping surface. The flip-over mechanism is adapted to flip, by 180 degrees, a workpiece that enters from the feeding surface.