Movable Conveyor Section for Vertical Offset Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial production lines face challenges in processing products of different dimensions, particularly in adjusting the height of handling stations to accommodate various product formats, leading to vertical gaps and difficulties in modifying fixed workstation heights.
Innovation Solution
A conveying device with a movable section that adjusts its height between upstream and downstream stations, allowing for inclined slopes to compensate for vertical deviations between different product formats, ensuring stability and efficient handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If workstation heights are fixed and determined during installation, then the structure is stable and coordinated operation is ensured, but the ability to adapt to different product formats with varying vertical referencing is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the conveyor section height adjustable rather than fixed. The movable section can be positioned at different heights to accommodate various product formats, transforming a static system into a dynamic one that adapts to different vertical referencing requirements while maintaining coordinated operation through controlled movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor is divided into a fixed section and a movable section that can independently adjust in height. This segmentation allows the movable portion to be repositioned for different product formats without affecting the overall structural stability of the fixed sections, thereby enabling adaptability while maintaining system coordination.
2Adaptability or versatility
If workstation heights are modified to accommodate different product formats, then adaptability improves, but the coordinated operation between multiple workstations is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The movable conveyor section provides dynamic height adjustment capability that allows adaptation to different product formats while maintaining reliable coordinated operation. The section can be precisely positioned at required heights and locked in place, ensuring that transfers between workstations remain coordinated without disrupting the overall system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable conveyor section acts as an intermediary element between fixed workstations. It can be adjusted to bridge vertical gaps caused by different product formats, facilitating smooth transitions while maintaining coordinated operation between upstream and downstream stations without requiring modification of the fixed workstation heights.
3Adaptability or versatility
If intermediate means are added to provide support and vertical movement between stations, then vertical offset adjustment is enabled, but the device complexity and number of components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of intermediate support and vertical movement adjustment into a single integrated movable conveyor section. This section combines both the support function and the height adjustment capability, eliminating the need for separate intermediate means and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining full vertical offset adjustment capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable conveyor section serves multiple functions: it provides product support, enables vertical offset adjustment, and maintains coordinated operation between workstations. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for multiple specialized components, thereby reducing device complexity while achieving comprehensive adaptability to different product formats.
Data Source
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Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention relates to a device (2) for conveying products (1) in a production line, between an upstream station according to a first reference point (3), and a downstream station supplied according to another reference point (4); comprising a conveyor (7) between the upstream and downstream stations, with a receiving area (70); means for support (9) by pushing the products (1) with a section extending parallel to a portion of the one conveyor (7); characterised in that the portion comprises a fixed downstream end (72); the portion and the receiving area (70) are movable together as a unit between a high position and a low position, the portion being movable about the fixed downstream end (72) thereof; and the section can be moved together with the portion. The invention also relates to a processing facility with such a conveying device.