Food Product Stacking Apparatus with Dual-Gate Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated packaging methods for food products result in haphazard arrangements and lack of precise counting, leading to improper alignment and potential damage during transportation, as they often involve high drops and inadequate support, causing deformation and shifting.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that uses a conveyor line with discrete compartments to align and count food products on a first gate, which are then released onto a second gate to maintain alignment before being dropped into a storage container, minimizing the distance of fall and eliminating the need for additional mechanical adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If food products are transported along a conveyor line and dropped into a box, then the packaging process is automated, but the food product arrangement becomes haphazard and precise counting is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor belt is divided into discrete compartments that individually hold each food product. This segmentation allows for precise control and tracking of each product, enabling accurate counting and orderly arrangement while maintaining automated operation. The compartments act as separate cells that guide products in a controlled manner into the box.
Solution Approach 2:
The food products are pre-aligned and organized in the discrete compartments on the conveyor belt before being deposited into the box. This preliminary arrangement ensures that products are already in an orderly fashion and properly counted before the final packaging step, eliminating the need for post-packing adjustment.
2Productivity
If food products are dropped from a high height into the box, then the packaging process is faster, but the products may become damaged and alignment is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The discrete compartments on the conveyor belt provide continuous support and cushioning to the food products throughout the transport process. The compartments are designed to minimize impact and stress on the products, preventing deformation and maintaining alignment even during automated high-speed operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor system with discrete compartments transforms the one-dimensional drop process into a controlled multi-dimensional transport mechanism. Products are moved horizontally through segmented compartments that maintain their position and orientation, then gently deposited into the box, eliminating the harmful effects of high vertical drops.
3Extent of automation
If retractable support rods are used to hold food products, then automation is improved, but the weight of products can cause deformation and curling at contact points
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using discrete support rods that contact products at single points, the invention uses continuous discrete compartments that support the entire length of each food product. This distributed support system prevents stress concentration at contact points, eliminating deformation and curling while maintaining automated handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The discrete compartments are designed to cradle and replicate the natural shape and dimensions of the food products they hold. This copying approach ensures optimal contact distribution across the product surface, providing support that matches the product's geometry and prevents deformation during automated transport.
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
Ensures precise counting and orderly arrangement of food products within the container, reducing damage and maintaining alignment during transportation, as the products are fully supported before being placed in the container, enhancing the presentation and safety of the packaged goods.
Implementation Method 1
As the conveyor belt is advanced in a machine direction, it can sequentially deposit a plurality of food products in a row on a gate
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for forming a stack of food products in a storage container, and a method therefor. The apparatus comprises a first gate moveable between an open and a closed position that drops a row of food products onto a second gate moveable between an open and a closed position. The second gate receives multiple rows of food products and once a predetermined number of rows have been received, the second gate opens to release the rows of food products into the storage container below it. As the first gate shifts from the open to the closed position, it can advance, at least in part, a subsequent row of food products onto the first gate for later release onto the second gate. The area defined by the second gate and the first gate is a temporary staging area which can increase in height after receiving subsequent rows of food products.