Horizontal Pad Conveyance to Reduce Linear Motor Load
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional conveying devices using linear motors apply a large load on the motor at uphill portions and tend to increase in height, making them inefficient and bulky.
Innovation Solution
A conveying device with a pad that circulates in at least one horizontal plane, reducing the vertical load on the linear motor and minimizing the rail's height, achieved by attaching pads to travelers that rotate around an axis orthogonal to the plane, allowing the pad to swivel and maintain contact pressure reduction through controlled acceleration and deceleration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the pad moves in the vertical direction over one revolution along the rail portion, then the linear motor can drive the pad, but a large load is applied to the linear motor at the uphill portion
Solution Approach 1:
The pad circulation path is designed to be substantially horizontal, maintaining constant elevation throughout the revolution. This eliminates gravitational potential energy changes, ensuring the linear motor operates under constant load conditions without experiencing increased uphill loads, thus resolving the contradiction between driving capability and load variation
2Ease of operation
If the rail portion is configured so that the traveler circulates around the horizontal axis, then the traveler can move along the rail, but the rail portion becomes larger in the height direction
Solution Approach 1:
The circulation path is reconfigured from a vertical loop (circulating around horizontal axis) to a horizontal loop (circulating around vertical axis). This dimensional transformation allows the traveler to maintain its circulation function while significantly reducing the height dimension of the rail portion, resolving the contradiction between operational ease and compact height
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 configuration effectively reduces the load on the linear motor and minimizes the height of the rail portion, enhancing operational efficiency and compactness.
Implementation Method 1
a linear motor M for circulating the travelers 10 along the rail portion R
Data Source
AI summary
A conveying device for conveying a sheet-like material of the present invention includes: a rail portion arranged in a loop shape; a plurality of travelers; a linear motor for circulating the travelers along the rail portion; and a pad attached to each of the travelers, wherein the pad circulates in at least one horizontal plane while holding the sheet-like material on the pad, thereby conveying the sheet-like material.