Airflow Routing for Non-Circular Vacuum Grip Conveyors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vacuum grip conveyor systems face challenges in providing reliable airflow routing due to the movement of vacuum grip heads along non-circular paths, making fluid path connections difficult.
Innovation Solution
An air path system utilizing a rotatable hub member with flexible tubes connected to vacuum grip mechanisms, ensuring consistent airflow control despite the rotating and moving nature of the vacuum grip heads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If vacuum grip heads are moved along a non-circular continuous path for item transport and reorientation, then the system achieves versatile item handling capabilities, but maintaining reliable fluid path connections becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs a dynamic airflow routing mechanism where the hub member rotates to different positions corresponding to various vacuum grip head locations along the non-circular path. This dynamic reconfiguration allows the airflow paths to adapt to the changing positions of vacuum grip heads, maintaining reliable fluid connections throughout the transport cycle while supporting versatile item handling operations
Solution Approach 2:
A hub member acts as an intermediary component between the stationary airflow source and the moving vacuum grip heads. The hub member receives airflow from a stationary source and distributes it to various vacuum grip head positions through rotatable positioning, mediating the connection between fixed infrastructure and mobile components to ensure continuous reliable fluid paths
2Productivity
If vacuum grip heads move at high speeds for increased productivity, then the transport efficiency improves, but maintaining controlled airflow to moving components becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-positions the hub member to specific orientations before vacuum grip heads arrive at their designated locations. By anticipating the position requirements and pre-configuring the airflow paths through hub rotation, the system ensures that controlled airflow is already available when high-speed transport delivers the vacuum grip heads, maintaining airflow control reliability despite increased transport speeds
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
Ensures reliable and controlled application of vacuum to vacuum grip mechanisms, facilitating efficient item transport and reorientation, even at high speeds.
Implementation Method 1
an air path system for providing an air path to each of the vacuum grip mechanisms enabling controlled application of vacuum to each of the vacuum grip mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
An item transport system includes a non-circular continuous transport path, a plurality of vacuum grip mechanisms movable around the transport path, and an air path system for providing an air path to each of the vacuum grim mechanisms enabling controlled application of vacuum to each of the vacuum grip mechanisms. The air path system includes: a rotatable hub member having a plurality of hub air paths therethrough, each hub air path including an opening, wherein the transport path extends around a rotation axis of the rotatable hub member; a plurality of flexible tubes, each flexible tube extending from one of the openings of the rotatable hub member and connected to enable control of one of the vacuum grip mechanisms; wherein each flexible tube includes a first end that rotates with the rotatable hub member and a second end that moves with the vacuum grip mechanism.