Rotating Nozzle Carousel with Optical Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual selection and verification of sprinkler nozzles in center pivot irrigation systems are cumbersome and lack secondary verification, with existing packaging configurations being inefficient and occupying too much space.
Innovation Solution
A packaging/inspection system featuring a rotatable carousel with compartments for nozzle storage, an indexing mechanism, a verification section with a camera and optic sensor, and a marking section using a laser marker, which facilitates the selection, verification, and marking of nozzles for efficient compilation and installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If large racks are used to support nozzles for operator selection, then nozzle storage capacity is improved, but floor space occupation increases and operator accessibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from horizontal floor-space-based storage racks to a vertical space-utilizing carousel system. The carousel rotates vertically to present nozzles to the operator, effectively using the third dimension (vertical height) for storage capacity while minimizing floor space occupation.
2Ease of operation
If manual nozzle selection and verification is performed, then operator flexibility is improved, but time consumption increases and verification reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates an optical verification system that automatically checks nozzle characteristics and provides feedback to the operator. The system verifies nozzle size and type through optical sensing, ensuring correctness while reducing manual verification time and increasing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The carousel pre-organizes nozzles by size and type in specific compartments before the operator needs them. The system prepares the correct nozzle compartments in advance based on the irrigation system requirements, reducing the time the operator spends searching and selecting nozzles.
3Device complexity
If manual nozzle verification is performed, then operational simplicity is improved, but verification reliability deteriorates due to lack of secondary verification
Solution Approach 1:
The optical verification system acts as an independent secondary verification mechanism that automatically checks nozzle characteristics and provides feedback on correctness. This adds reliability without significantly complicating the overall operation, as the verification happens automatically in the background.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary optical verification system between the nozzle storage and the operator. This intermediary automatically verifies nozzle characteristics before the operator selects them, providing secondary verification while keeping the operator's task relatively simple.
4Ease of manufacture
If nozzles are manually organized into trays, then installation preparation is improved, but time consumption and labor effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary organization of nozzles by size and type in the carousel compartments before the operator needs them for installation. The correct nozzles are pre-positioned and verified, reducing the time and effort required for final installation preparation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically performs the organization and verification functions that would otherwise require manual operator effort. The carousel self-organizes nozzles by compartment, and the optical system self-verifies characteristics, reducing labor effort and time consumption.
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 streamlines the selection and verification process, reducing operator effort and space requirements, enabling efficient compilation and marking of nozzles for accurate installation in center pivot irrigation systems.
Implementation Method 1
The verification section may include a camera and an image processor. The verification section may include an optic sensor coupled with a counter.
Implementation Method 2
The marking section may include a laser marker.
Data Source
AI summary
A packaging/inspection system is provided for a nozzle pivot package including a collection of nozzles in various nozzle sizes. The packaging/inspection system includes a shelf assembly with a plurality of compartments, an operator load track, a verification section downstream of the operator load track, a marking section downstream of the verification section, and an operator unload track downstream of the marking section. Each compartment may store nozzles of a specific nozzle size. Features of the shelf assembly alert the operator as to which compartment should be accessed and how many nozzles from the compartment are required.