Integrated Guide Rail for Container Cap Transport

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing transport devices for vessel closures, such as bottle closures, face difficulties in maintenance and handling due to the additional complexity introduced by dust protection covers and hold-down devices, which can lead to increased downtimes when jams occur.

Innovation Solution

A transport device with a guide rail that serves as both a lateral guide and a dust protection cover, featuring a recess to accommodate the closures and adjustable positioning, allowing it to function as a hold-down device as well, simplifying maintenance and handling by eliminating the need for separate components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a dust protection cover is attached to protect the conveying medium and vessel closures from contamination, then protection from contamination is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates because maintenance and handling become more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontamination protectionVSAvoidmaintenance and handling
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The dust protection cover is merged with the guide rail structure, forming an integrated component. The guide rail includes a recess that receives the vessel closure, and this recess is open at the top to allow direct access for maintenance without removing any additional dust cover. This combining eliminates the need for separate dust protection covers while maintaining protection functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The guide rail serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides lateral guidance for vessel closures, acts as a dust protection cover, and functions as a hold-down device. The recess in the guide rail performs the dust protection function while the open top maintains accessibility for maintenance operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Stability of the object's composition

If a hold-down device is used to guide vessel closures from above, then guidance stability is improved, but device complexity increases and handling becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguidance stabilityVSAvoidnumber of components
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The hold-down device is merged with the guide rail structure. The guide rail includes a recess that receives the vessel closure from above, and the open top of the recess allows the vessel closure to be guided and held without requiring separate hold-down devices. This integration reduces the number of components while maintaining guidance stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If separate dust protection cover and hold-down device are used, then protection and guidance functions are improved, but ease of repair deteriorates because components must be removed for maintenance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotection and guidance functionsVSAvoidmaintenance accessibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The dust protection cover and hold-down device are merged into a single integrated guide rail structure with an open top. This allows maintenance personnel to access and service the guide rail directly without removing any additional components, significantly improving ease of repair while maintaining all necessary protection and guidance functions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Reliability

If multiple separate components are used for guide rail, dust protection, and hold-down functions, then functional reliability is improved, but loss of time increases during maintenance downtimes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefunctional reliabilityVSAvoidmaintenance downtime
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple functions are merged into a single guide rail component with an open top design. This integration eliminates the need to remove and reassemble multiple separate components during maintenance, significantly reducing maintenance downtime while maintaining functional reliability through the combined guide rail structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP2292536B1Transport device for transporting container caps
Publication Date: 2019.06.12 KRONES AG
  • EP2292536B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2292536B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2292536B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The transporting device has a conveyer system (103) with a conveying medium (104) and a guide rail (101,102) arranged over the conveying medium. The guide rail has a recess that provided opposite to the conveying medium. The recess is formed along a longitudinal axis of the guide rail.