Multi-Groove Cucumber Conveying Trays for Low-Damage Sorting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current grading and sorting technologies for cucumbers are inefficient and often cause mechanical damage due to the use of circular or square bearing apparatuses that are not suitable for long and irregular cucumbers, leading to low sorting efficiency and high labor costs.
Innovation Solution
A multi-groove bearing tray apparatus with arc-shaped and inverted U-shaped grooves, combined with a chain rod and strip-shaped belt conveying mechanism, allows for nondestructive and efficient separation and conveyance of cucumbers, utilizing different speeds and heights to minimize mechanical damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If circular or square bearing apparatuses are used for conveying cucumbers, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the conveying efficiency is low and mechanical damage occurs due to the mismatch with irregular cucumber shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing apparatus is segmented into multiple independent groove structures (arc-shaped grooves at the top, inverted U-shaped grooves at the bottom) that can be independently optimized for cucumber placement, allowing the system to adapt to irregular shapes while maintaining manufacturing simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing apparatus employs asymmetric groove designs (arc-shaped at top, inverted U-shaped at bottom) that match the irregular geometry of cucumbers, improving conveying efficiency while the overall modular structure remains easy to manufacture
2Ease of operation
If manual operation or mechanical components (turnover mechanism, push-pull rod) are used for separation, then separation can be achieved, but mechanical damage occurs and separation efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The groove structures are designed to automatically guide and separate cucumbers through their geometric configuration, eliminating the need for external mechanical intervention and reducing damage while maintaining separation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical separation components (turnover mechanism, push-pull rod) with a groove-based guiding system that uses the physical shape of the grooves to direct cucumber flow, reducing mechanical damage while maintaining separation function
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual labor is used for grading and sorting, then flexibility is maintained, but labor cost is high and sorting efficiency is low
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing apparatus with its multi-functional groove structures serves multiple purposes: conveying, grading, and sorting cucumbers simultaneously, enabling automated operation while maintaining the flexibility to handle different cucumber types and sizes
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and a method for quality grading, sorting, and conveying cucumbers are provided. The method includes: driving a multi-groove bearing tray with a cucumber placed at the top by a chain rod conveying mechanism to reach a strip-shaped belt conveying mechanism, where each of gaps between every two adjacent arc-shaped grooves of the multi-groove bearing tray is larger than a width of a corresponding one of the strip-shaped conveying belt branches, the multi-groove bearing tray overlaps with the strip-shaped belt conveying mechanism, and the cucumber at the top of the multi-groove bearing tray is higher than the strip-shaped conveying belt branches; and decreasing a distance between the cucumber placed at the top of the multi-groove bearing tray and the strip-shaped conveying belt branches continuously until the bottom of the cucumber is in contact with the strip-shaped conveying belt branches.