Pivoting Sorting Fingers for High-Speed Product Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sorters struggle to efficiently separate discrete products with varying dimensions and chaotic arrangements on conveyor belts at high speeds without causing damage or requiring extensive design efforts, as they face high inertia and acceleration forces.
Innovation Solution
A sorter with pivotable sorting fingers that form a tailored gap for defective products, allowing adjacent good products to continue conveyance, and optionally using steering fingers to enhance the sorting process, adaptable to individual product dimensions and positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a pusher or diverter is used to sort products at high conveyor speeds, then sorting speed increases, but high inertia forces and acceleration forces cause damage or destruction
Solution Approach 1:
The sorting fingers are made movable rather than fixed, allowing them to dynamically adjust their position to create sorting gaps. The fingers can pivot between a sorting position (forming gaps) and a conveying position (supporting products), enabling the system to adapt to different sorting needs while reducing mechanical stress on products during high-speed operation
Solution Approach 2:
The sorting mechanism is divided into multiple individual sorting fingers instead of a single pusher or diverter. Each finger can be independently positioned to create tailored sorting gaps for specific products, allowing precise sorting without requiring high forces that would damage products at high conveyor speeds
2Productivity
If retraction belts or folding belts are used to create gaps for sorting, then products can be separated from the product flow, but the design effort and time required for belt retraction and return are considerable
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using complex multi-belt retraction systems, the invention divides the sorting mechanism into multiple simple, identical sorting fingers. Each finger is a simple pivoting element that can be independently controlled, eliminating the need for complex belt retraction and return mechanisms while maintaining effective sorting capability
Solution Approach 2:
The sorting fingers use simple pivoting motion instead of complex belt retraction. The fingers can quickly transition between sorting and conveying positions through rotation, dramatically reducing the time and mechanical complexity compared to retracting entire belts with multiple components
3Adaptability or versatility
If a pusher or diverter is used for products arranged in a chaotic manner with differing dimensions, then sorting can be performed, but the pusher or diverter is unsuitable due to varying product positions and dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
Each sorting finger is designed to handle specific local conditions - products at different transverse positions and with different dimensions. The fingers can be independently positioned to create sorting gaps tailored to each product's specific characteristics, making the system adaptable to chaotic arrangements without requiring a single standardized pushing mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The sorting fingers can dynamically adjust their positioning to accommodate varying product dimensions and chaotic arrangements. By pivoting to different angles and positions, each finger can be optimized for the specific product it encounters, providing versatility that fixed pushers or diverters cannot achieve
Data Source
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AI summary
Sorter for sorting out discrete products, comprising an arrangement of adjacent sorting fingers which, depending on their pivot position, open a sorting gap in the conveyor path for defective products to be sorted out or close the sorting gap to support the further conveyance of good products.