Holding Tray Conveyance for Stick Posture Change and Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing conveyance systems struggle to efficiently and accurately change the posture of multiple stick-shaped objects during conveyance, leading to inefficiencies and potential disorder or loss of objects.
Innovation Solution
A conveyance apparatus with a holding member and movement driving unit that moves along an angled endless track, utilizing popping-out restricting units and a relay storage unit to maintain and change the posture of stick-shaped objects, ensuring they are released in a desired orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If stick-shaped objects are conveyed while changing posture from recumbent to erect, then the objects can be properly positioned for packaging, but the conveyance system becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyance system is divided into multiple holding members (trays) that can be independently positioned and oriented along the endless track. Each holding member can be separately controlled to change posture, allowing parallel processing of multiple objects without requiring a single complex mechanism to handle all objects sequentially.
Solution Approach 2:
The endless track serves as an intermediary mechanism that connects the supply section to the release section while enabling posture changes. The track with its inclined plane and vertical sections acts as a mediator that naturally guides objects through posture transitions using gravity and geometric constraints, rather than requiring active manipulation mechanisms at each stage.
2Productivity
If multiple stick-shaped objects are conveyed simultaneously, then processing efficiency increases, but controlling posture accuracy for each object becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple holding members are distributed along the endless track, each capable of independently receiving, holding, and releasing stick-shaped objects. This segmentation allows simultaneous processing of multiple objects at different stages of the conveyance cycle, maintaining high throughput while each individual holding member can be precisely controlled for accurate posture positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The endless track is designed with specific geometric sections (inclined plane, vertical section, horizontal section) that create uniform gravitational conditions for posture changes. Objects in different holding members experience the same gravitational field and geometric constraints, ensuring consistent posture accuracy across all objects being conveyed simultaneously.
3Manufacturing precision
If the conveyance track is inclined at an angle, then objects can naturally transition from recumbent to erect posture, but the release section becomes harder to access and control
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyance track is divided into distinct functional sections: an inclined plane section for natural posture transition, a vertical section for stabilization, and a horizontal release section for easy access. This segmentation allows the inclined portion to perform its posture-changing function while the separate horizontal section provides accessible control and release capabilities without interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The track transitions from a two-dimensional inclined plane to a three-dimensional structure with vertical and horizontal sections. This dimensional change allows objects to naturally transition posture on the inclined plane while the vertical section provides a transition zone that leads to a horizontal release section, making the release area easily accessible without compromising the inclined section's posture-changing effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
A conveyance apparatus that conveys a plurality of stick-shaped objects, includes: a holding member that includes a holding space, a supply opening section and a release opening section, the supply opening section and the release opening section being connected to the holding space; and a movement driving unit that causes the holding member to move along an endless track including a supply section and a release section, wherein: the holding member receives supply of the plurality of stick-shaped objects via the supply opening section at the supply section and the plurality of stick-shaped objects are held in the holding space, and the holding member releases the plurality of stick-shaped objects from the holding space towards outside via the release opening section, at the release section.