Pivoting Dough Conveyor Belt System for Clog Reduction
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dough depositing devices experience transfer issues and blockages in the transition area between conveyor belt sections, leading to operational standstills and frequent cleaning needs, which hinder throughput efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A device with a pivoting element forming a center of gravity, allowing the dough feed and depositing systems to rotate relative to the discharge conveyor belt, reducing dough displacement concerns and eliminating the need for deflection rollers, thereby enhancing dough guidance and reducing clogging risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a common continuous conveyor belt is used to form both the feeding section and the depositing device conveyor belt, then dough flow is stabilized and throughput increases, but the device complexity increases due to the integrated belt system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the feeding conveyor belt and the depositing device conveyor belt into a single common continuous conveyor belt (13). This merging eliminates the need for separate conveyor belts and transfer mechanisms, stabilizing dough flow while actually reducing overall system complexity despite the integrated design.
2Device complexity
If traditional separate conveyor belt sections are used for feeding and depositing, then device complexity is reduced, but transfer issues and blockages occur leading to operational standstills
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the feeding and depositing conveyor belts into one continuous belt system, the patent eliminates transfer points between separate belts. This removes the blockage-prone transfer area entirely, ensuring continuous dough flow and preventing operational standstills, thereby significantly improving reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the discharge device is pivotably mounted with fast-moving swivel range, then adaptability and positioning precision are improved, but the belt guidance becomes more difficult and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated common continuous conveyor belt (13) is guided through the pivot bearing area (14) by rollers (15, 16) in a unified path. This merging approach simplifies belt guidance compared to coordinating multiple separate belts through the pivot point, reducing guidance complexity while maintaining full positioning adaptability.
4Manufacturing precision
If the downstream end of the discharge device is guided equidistantly above the conveying means, then manufacturing precision and alignment are improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional guidance mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The common continuous conveyor belt (13) serves dual functions: it conveys dough through the pivot bearing area and simultaneously acts as the conveying means (3) for receiving deposited dough. This merging eliminates the need for separate alignment guidance mechanisms, achieving equidistant positioning precision without additional complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1c
Figure 2a~2c
Figure 3a~3c
AI summary
The invention relates to a device 1 for the continuous folded laying of dough 2 onto a conveying means 3, with a dough feeding device 4 for feeding the dough 2 from a dough supply to a laying device 5, wherein the laying device 5 has a pair of spaced-apart conveyor belts for conveying the dough 2, which is pivotably mounted at its upper end 8 and is driven to move back and forth at its lower end 9 such that a sheet of dough moved downwards in the gap 10 between the conveyor belts 6, 7 can be laid down in layers 11 on top of each other on the conveying means 3 and wherein the dough feeding device 4 lays the dough 2 down on a conveyor belt section 12 which is arranged upstream of the gap 10 of the laying device 5,wherein the conveyor belt section 12 arranged above the gap 10 and one of the conveyor belts 6 of the depositing device 5 are formed by a common continuous conveyor belt 13 and the common continuous conveyor belt 13 is guided in a pivot bearing area 14 of the depositing device 5 over two adjacent rollers 15, 16 such that a first roller acts on the underside 17 of the conveyor belt 13 and a second, in particular parallel, roller 16 acts on the top side 18 of the conveyor belt 13 from below, characterized by a rotary element 31 forming a pivot point for the device 1 relative to the conveying means 3, wherein the device 1 is mounted to be rotatable or pivotable about the pivot point formed by the rotary element 31 relative to the conveying means 3, wherein the rotary element 31 is located upstream, in a region of the common continuous conveyor belt 13,in which dough 2 is placed from the dough feeding device 4 onto the common continuous conveyor belt 13, from which a pivot bearing area 14 of the depositing device 5 is arranged, and horizontal guide means are arranged in the area of the lower end 9 of the depositing device 5.