Loading system for loading a transport dishwasher with wash ware items and arrangement for at least partially automated cleaning of wash ware items with a loading system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional conveyor warewashers require significant manual effort for loading and sorting of washware, particularly trays, which increases physical strain and reduces efficiency, as they must be handled twice - first to remove items and then to place them into the conveyor belt, and trays occupy the entire surface transverse to the conveying direction, hindering the cleaning of other items.
Innovation Solution
A loading system with a conveyor belt configured as a slide, featuring a turning apparatus in the form of a box-shaped drawer that rotates washware by 180° within a dirt collection region, allowing items to be sorted and oriented automatically, reducing manual handling and ensuring dirt falls into a dedicated collection area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If trays are placed into the conveyor belt transverse to the conveying direction to fill the entire surface, then trays can be cleaned without casting spray shadows on smaller washware pieces, but the loading time and manual effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The turning apparatus performs preliminary orientation of trays before they enter the conveyor belt, ensuring they are correctly positioned in advance. This eliminates the need for manual adjustment during loading and allows faster placement while maintaining proper orientation for cleaning.
Solution Approach 2:
The turning apparatus acts as an intermediary device between the manual loading process and the conveyor belt. It automatically orients trays without requiring service personnel to manually position each tray, thereby increasing loading speed while ensuring proper orientation for cleaning.
2Manufacturing precision
If service personnel manually remove and sort washware pieces from trays, then cleaning quality can be maintained, but physical strain increases and efficiency decreases due to handling items twice
Solution Approach 1:
The turning apparatus enables self-service functionality by automatically orienting trays without requiring manual intervention. Service personnel simply place trays on the apparatus, and the system handles the orientation and transfer to the conveyor belt automatically, reducing physical strain while maintaining sorting accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical sorting process is replaced by the turning apparatus, which uses mechanical rotation to automatically orient trays. This substitution eliminates the need for service personnel to manually handle and reposition each tray, reducing operational effort while maintaining sorting accuracy.
3Extent of automation
If a turning apparatus is introduced to rotate washware by 180°, then automated sorting and orientation are achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The turning apparatus is designed to handle multiple types of washware (trays, plates, bowls) with a single universal mechanism. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate devices for different item types, thereby increasing automation extent while limiting the increase in overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of attempting to load washware in various orientations directly onto the conveyor belt, the system inverts the approach by using the turning apparatus to standardize orientation to a single correct position. This inversion simplifies the loading process and reduces complexity by eliminating the need for multiple loading configurations.
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
The system reduces manual effort, optimizes the loading process, ensures uniform orientation of washware, and prevents dirt from contaminating the conveyor belt, enhancing efficiency and cleanliness.
Implementation Method 1
a conveyor belt (11), which is configured in particular as a slide, in order to feed washware pieces (100) placed in an in particular upper first region (12) of the conveyor belt (11) exclusively by gravity to or in the direction of an in particular lower second region (13) of the conveyor belt (11)
Data Source
AI summary
A loading system for loading a conveyor warewasher, wherein a piece of washware placed in a first region of a conveyor belt can be moved to or in the direction of a second region of the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt includes a clock-in lane subdivided into an upper first section and a lower second section and, in a region between the sections, a turning apparatus is arranged and configured to turn a piece of washware picked up from the clock-in lane and moved in the region between the first and second sections by 180° and subsequently transfer the piece of washware to the second section of the clock-in lane. Below the region between the first and second sections of the clock-in lane, a dirt collection region is provided, in which dirt can be received, having fallen from the piece of washware by way of gravity.