Pendulum Conveyor Freefall Motion to Reduce Wear
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional conveyor systems face challenges with controlling vibration, leading to excessive wear, friction, and costly maintenance due to complex mechanical devices that rely on static and dynamic friction principles, resulting in downtime and high repair costs.
Innovation Solution
A pendulum conveyor system with a tray suspended by vertical supports, utilizing a one-directional continuously rotating input mechanism that moves in a backward direction during one portion of a cycle, allows unrestrained freefall in the forward direction, and uses a bumper for a sudden stop, enabling materials to continue moving forward due to momentum.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional vibratory conveyors are used to move materials, then materials can be conveyed along the system path, but excessive vibration speeds create harmful friction and adverse stress on components, limiting system life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful friction between tray and material into a beneficial force. By allowing the tray to move backward while the material continues forward due to inertia, the static friction that initially held the material in place becomes the driving force that propels the material forward when the tray reverses direction. This eliminates the need for high-speed vibration and reduces component stress.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional conveyor approach by moving the tray backward to propel material forward. Instead of moving the tray forward and using vibration to push material along, the tray is moved backward while the material's inertia keeps it moving forward, creating a reciprocating motion that conveys material with minimal vibration and friction.
2Productivity
If complex mechanical devices with sudden forward and reverse drives are used, then materials can be moved on the conveyor, but undue wear and breakage occur in the system, leading to costly and time-consuming repairs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic motion control where the tray is accelerated backward and then allowed to freefall forward, creating a continuous reciprocating motion. This dynamic approach replaces sudden starts and stops with controlled acceleration and deceleration phases, reducing mechanical shock and wear on components while maintaining effective material conveyance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the drive mechanism from the traditional position and uses gravity-assisted freefall for the forward motion phase. By removing the need for active drive during the forward stroke and using gravity instead, the system reduces mechanical complexity and wear on drive components, leading to lower maintenance costs and less downtime.
3Ease of operation
If pneumatically controlled systems or cam surfaces are used to provide reciprocating movement, then materials can be conveyed in one direction and then the other, but static friction coefficients being higher than dynamic friction coefficients cause objects to remain in place until static friction is overcome, leading to wear and breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful high static friction into a beneficial propulsive force. When the tray is suddenly accelerated backward, the static friction between the tray and material is overcome, and the material's inertia causes it to remain momentarily stationary while the tray moves backward. On the return stroke, this same static friction becomes the force that propels the material forward, eliminating the need for high-speed vibration to overcome friction.
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 reduces wear and maintenance costs by minimizing excessive mechanical stress, allowing continuous operation with reduced downtime and improved efficiency in material conveyance.
Implementation Method 1
A one directional continuously rotating input mechanism is provided that during a first portion of a single rotational cycle moves the tray in a backward direction, opposite the first direction
Implementation Method 2
during a second rotational cycle allows unrestrained freefall of the tray in the forward direction
Implementation Method 3
A bumper is provided positioned to provide a sudden stop to the tray as the tray travels in the forward direction, such that the tray bounces and travels in the backward direction
Implementation Method 4
such that a conveyed material positioned on the tray continues in the forward direction due to a forward momentum of the conveyed material
Data Source
AI summary
A conveyor system including a tray suspended from above by two or more vertical supports. The tray travels in a forward direction from a tray high point toward a tray low point. The system includes a one directional continuously rotating input mechanism. During a first portion of a single rotational cycle the input mechanism moves the tray in a backward direction, toward a high point. During a second portion of a single rotational cycle the input mechanism allows unrestrained freefall of the tray in a forward direction. The system includes a bumper positioned to provide a sudden stop to the tray as the tray travels in a forward direction. The sudden stop bounces the tray in a backward direction and allows conveyed material positioned on the tray to continue in the forward direction due to forward momentum of the conveyed material.