Long Pasta Dosing Machine with Converging Channels and Movable Walls

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing dosing machines for long pasta with double loading channels require continuous horizontal movement of drawers, which is arduous and slows down the discharge into a single conveying trough, limiting production speed and requiring complex assembly and maintenance.

Innovation Solution

A dosing machine with two loading and dosing channels that converge into a single conveying trough, featuring a distribution basket with independently operable external and internal movable walls, allowing for efficient loading and reduced mechanical discharge movements, enabling faster pasta movement and increased production.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If continuous horizontal movement of drawers is used to load pasta from two loading units into a single conveying trough, then the pasta can be transferred between channels, but the movement is arduous and slows down the discharge, limiting production speed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction speedVSAvoidmechanical discharge movement complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of moving drawers horizontally to transfer pasta between channels, the invention inverts the approach by using vertically movable partitions within fixed baskets. The baskets remain stationary while internal partitions move up and down to control pasta flow, eliminating the arduous horizontal drawer movement and enabling faster discharge that increases production speed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention segments the pasta transfer mechanism into multiple independent baskets with movable partitions, allowing each basket to operate independently. This segmentation enables parallel operation of multiple loading units discharging into a single conveying trough without mechanical interference, thereby increasing overall productivity while simplifying individual component operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of manufacture

If drawers are used for intermediate loading from two loading units, then pasta can be transferred to a single compartment, but the continuous horizontal movement is arduous and requires complex assembly and maintenance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly simplicityVSAvoiddrawer movement mechanism complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention inverts the traditional drawer-based transfer mechanism by keeping baskets stationary and moving internal partitions instead. This inversion dramatically simplifies the mechanical structure, reducing assembly complexity and eliminating the need for complex continuous horizontal movement mechanisms, thereby improving ease of manufacture

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention introduces dynamic movable partitions within static baskets, allowing the system to adapt pasta flow control without complex mechanical movements. The partitions can be independently positioned and operated, providing flexible control while maintaining simple overall structure that is easier to manufacture and maintain

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP4230534B1Dosing machine of long pasta, with double loading and single discharge
Publication Date: 2025.03.26 CYBORGLINE SA
  • EP4230534B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4230534B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A dosing machine (1) of long pasta is described comprising two loading and dosing channels (100) able to converge into a single compartment (59) under which a conveying trough is placed suitable for guiding the doses of long pasta in subsequent packaging phases. Each loading and dosing channel (100) comprises a descender (2), a rotor (3) suitable for pouring doses of long pasta into a roughing basket (4) and weighing devices (5) suitable for weighing the long pasta in the roughing basket (4) and in a finishing basket (6) placed downstream of the roughing basket (4). Each loading and dosing channel (100) further comprises a distribution basket (12) placed downstream of the finishing basket (6), wherein the distribution basket (12) has an external movable wall (121) and an internal movable wall (122) which are independently operable.