Parallel Gripper with Replaceable Blocks for Bottle Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cup grippers used in the brewing industry face issues such as broken plastic films due to crown caps, wear and tear of components, and difficulty in aligning and stabilizing bottles during handling and transportation.
Innovation Solution
A gripper design featuring parallel support elements with gripping elements arranged perpendicularly, allowing for movement towards and away from each other to securely grip products by pressing against their sides, preventing swinging and misalignment, with optional pneumatically operated cylinders and high-friction coatings for enhanced stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cup grippers with plastic film or mechanical pistons are used to grip bottles, then gripping capability is achieved, but wearing parts are created that change properties over time and require replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces durable but complex cup grippers with simple, replaceable wooden blocks that serve as single-use or limited-use gripping elements. These wooden blocks are inexpensive to manufacture and can be quickly replaced when worn, eliminating the need for complex maintenance of expensive cup gripper systems while maintaining reliable gripping capability throughout the working life of the bottles.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the gripping function from the complex cup gripper structure and implements it through simple wooden blocks placed directly on the bottles. This separation allows the gripping elements to be independent, simple components that can be easily replaced without affecting the entire gripper system, thereby solving the problem of wearing parts requiring replacement.
2Productivity
If cup grippers are used to move bottles at high speed, then handling efficiency is improved, but bottles cannot be prevented from swinging and aligning them in proper places becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the gripping force into multiple contact points by using several wooden blocks distributed across the bottle surfaces. This segmentation of gripping elements provides distributed support that stabilizes bottles during high-speed movement, preventing swinging while maintaining handling efficiency. The multiple blocks work together to constrain bottle motion without requiring a complex single-point gripping mechanism.
3Ease of operation
If crown caps on bottles are handled with cup grippers, then bottle handling is achieved, but the crown caps break the plastic film over time
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the fragile plastic film in cup grippers with simple wooden blocks that are resistant to damage from crown caps. The wooden blocks serve as durable, replaceable gripping elements that do not suffer from the same vulnerability to cap-induced damage, thereby maintaining ease of bottle handling while eliminating the film breaking problem.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses wooden blocks as a material alternative to plastic film for gripping elements. Wood provides a naturally durable material that resists damage from crown caps while maintaining the necessary friction and gripping properties, solving the compatibility issue between gripping elements and crown cap surfaces.
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 gripper provides a simple, effective solution for securely handling and aligning products by preventing swinging and ensuring accurate placement, with reduced wear and tear and improved handling efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the gripping elements being arranged in the support elements in such a way that the gripping elements are substantially parallel to each other, and that the longitudinal mid-axis of the gripping elements forms an angle substantially perpendicular to the support elements
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
A gripper (1) which comprises at least one gripping unit (2, 2'), the gripping unit (2, 2') comprising at least one first support element (3) and at least one second support element (3'). The support elements (3, 3') are substantially parallel and comprise at least two gripping elements (4) arranged in the support elements (3, 3') at a distance from each other, substantially on the same line and substantially at the same point relative to the opposite support element (3, 3'). The gripping unit (2, 2') further comprises means (5, 6) for moving the support elements (3, 3') towards each other and away from each other to move the gripping elements (4) positioned in the support elements (3, 3') towards each other and away from each other.