Gravity Transport Device for Glass Empties
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for transporting empties into collection containers often result in broken glass due to the use of motor-driven conveyor belts, which are technically complex and require sensors for efficient distribution.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring inclined planes and a shock absorber to guide empties from a higher level to a collection container without a motor or sensors, using the weight of the empties to slide down and distribute them evenly, with a second inclined plane ensuring low-speed arrival to prevent damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If motor-driven conveyor belts are used to transport empties, then the empties can be moved reliably, but the device complexity increases and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the motor and conveyor belt drive system from the empties transport device, extracting the complex mechanical drive components while retaining the essential function of moving empties through gravitational force and inclined planes
Solution Approach 2:
The empties themselves serve as the driving force by utilizing their own weight and gravitational pull to move down the inclined planes, eliminating the need for external motorized drives and reducing device complexity
2Productivity
If empties are moved quickly from elevated level to collection container, then productivity increases, but the empties may break due to high speed
Solution Approach 1:
The shock absorber is positioned in advance at the bottom of the first inclined plane to preemptively decelerate the empties before they reach the collection container, preventing breakage while maintaining efficient transport
Solution Approach 2:
The shock absorber provides beforehand cushioning by absorbing the kinetic energy of the empties through elastic or plastic deformation, converting their motion energy into internal energy before they enter the collection container
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a shock absorber is used to decelerate empties, then breakage is prevented, but the kinetic energy of the empties is converted into internal energy of the shock absorber
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful kinetic energy that could cause breakage into beneficial internal energy within the shock absorber through elastic or plastic deformation, transforming a potential hazard into a protective mechanism
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
The solution prevents breakage of empties by controlling their speed and distribution without external drives or sensors, ensuring even placement and avoiding bulk formation in the collection container.
Implementation Method 1
The interaction between the shock absorber and the empties is preferably an inelastic shock in which the kinetic energy of the empties is converted into internal energy of the shock absorber
Implementation Method 2
the shock absorber consists, for example, of an elastically or plastically deformable material
Implementation Method 3
The first inclined plane ensures that the empties are guided in a horizontal orientation from the elevated level to an intermediate level
Implementation Method 4
The height of the second inclined plane is significantly smaller than the height of the first inclined plane. Due to the low height of the second inclined plane, the empties are accelerated only slightly, so that they arrive in the collection container at low speed
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The device comprises an inclined level (6) for guiding the empties (4,5) from an elevated level (1) to an intermediate level (7). A shock absorber (10) is provided at the intermediate level for slowing down the empties, where another inclined level (11) connects the intermediate level with a collecting tank (2,3) at the lower level. An elevation (14) of the latter inclined level is smaller than the elevation (15) of the former inclined level. The elevation is provided with a third inclined level (12). The empties have bottles of glass or plastic material.