Oscillating Conveyor for Nested Bottle Accumulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods fail to efficiently accumulate bottles in a nested formation on a moving conveyor without gaps, especially when bottles are missing, which affects the bundling process and packaging efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The conveyor belt is oscillated, and adjustable side guides are used to maintain stability, while first and second barriers are employed to form and control the number of rows, with the second barrier having fingers to manage different bottle diameters, ensuring accurate bundling and film wrapping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If bottles are nested on a moving conveyor, then accumulation speed increases, but gaps form between bottles reducing bundling efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor belt is oscillated at frequencies and amplitudes that cause bottles to settle into tight nested formations, eliminating gaps between bottles while maintaining high accumulation speed. The vibration frequency is specifically tuned to match the natural frequency of bottle settling.
Solution Approach 2:
The oscillation of the conveyor belt is applied periodically during the accumulation phase, then stopped before the bundling phase to ensure bottles remain stable. This periodic application of vibration allows gap elimination without compromising bundling precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If oscillation is applied to eliminate gaps, then nesting precision improves, but bottle stability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The oscillation is applied only during the accumulation phase and is turned off before bundling. This temporal separation allows bottles to achieve precise nested formation during vibration, then stabilize for subsequent bundling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the conveyor system have different oscillation characteristics - the accumulation section uses vibration for gap elimination, while the bundling section maintains stability. This localized differentiation of oscillation properties resolves the stability-precision conflict.
3Manufacturing precision
If barriers are used to control row formation, then bundling accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The barriers are designed with adjustable parameters such as height, position, and spacing that can be modified to accommodate different bottle sizes and bundle requirements. This adjustability provides precise control without requiring complex specialized mechanisms for each application.
Solution Approach 2:
The barrier system serves multiple functions: it controls row formation, regulates bundle size, and guides bottle positioning. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated mechanisms, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while maintaining high bundling accuracy.
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
This solution allows for high-speed accumulation of bottles with reduced or eliminated gaps, enabling efficient bundling and packaging, accommodating various bottle sizes and shapes, and ensuring stable operation by maintaining container stability during oscillation.
Implementation Method 1
The conveyor belt is oscillated
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is to accumulate the bottles in a nested formation at a high speed on a moving conveyor and the reduction or elimination of gaps between the nested bottles that are caused by missing bottles. The is done by oscillating the conveyor beltAnother objective of the invention is to accumulate a predetermined number of bottles in rows to be bundled by establishing a first barrier to retain the bottles on the conveyor and using second barrier to control the number of rows to be included in the bundle.