Self-clearing Dough Ball Loader Plate with Pivotable Flatteners
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automated flatbread production systems often experience jams due to multiple dough balls being deposited into a single opening, leading to production line downtime, operator safety risks, and waste, as conventional systems struggle to detect and clear such obstructions efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A comestible processing machine with a loader plate featuring pivotable flatteners and sensors that detect and remove obstructing dough balls by pivoting to create an opening for passage, allowing for self-clearing and reducing manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional detection systems are used, then the system structure remains simple, but multiple dough balls deposited in the same opening cause undetected jams leading to production line downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The loader plate is divided into multiple openings, and each opening is equipped with its own sensor for detecting dough balls. This segmentation allows independent detection at each opening, ensuring that multiple dough balls deposited in the same opening can be reliably detected without requiring a complex centralized detection system.
2Ease of operation
If manual clearing of obstructions is implemented, then the system structure remains simple, but operator safety risks increase and time is lost during clearance operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically clears obstructions through a self-clearing mechanism that uses the existing flattener components to eject jammed dough balls from the openings. This eliminates the need for operator intervention during clearing operations, thereby removing operator safety risks and preventing production line downtime while maintaining operational simplicity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If production line is halted to clear obstructions, then operator safety is ensured, but productivity decreases due to lost production time
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor detects multiple dough balls in an opening before they cause a complete jam, and the system initiates clearing action immediately upon detection. This preliminary action prevents the obstruction from stopping the production line, thereby maintaining productivity while ensuring operator safety through automated handling.
4Reliability
If frequent clearing operations are performed, then obstructions are removed promptly, but production efficiency decreases due to repeated interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor continuously monitors each opening for the presence of multiple dough balls and provides real-time feedback to the control system. When an obstruction is detected, the system automatically initiates clearing operations and continues monitoring until the opening is clear, ensuring reliable jam clearance without unnecessary interruptions to production efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A comestible processing machine including a loader plate comprising a plurality of spaced apart openings passing through the loader plate, a first flattener and a second flattener pivotably attached to the loader plate at each of the openings, a sensor configured to detect a comestible disposed within one or more of the plurality of openings, and an actuator coupled to the loader plate and configured to assist in removal of the comestible from the one or more of the plurality of openings.