Planetary Gear Object Transfer Station for High-Speed Cartoning Feed
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cartoning machines face productivity limitations due to complex gearings and drive units, leading to bottlenecks in the transfer and feeding of secondary containers, which complicates the insertion of enclosures into external packages.
Innovation Solution
An object transfer station utilizing a planetary gear system with a turntable and planet gears to facilitate high-speed, efficient transfer of objects through a radial trajectory, eliminating the need for dedicated magazines and ensuring uninterrupted operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If complex gearings and drive units are used to transfer objects, then the transfer mechanism can be established, but productivity is limited due to the complexity of the system
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer mechanism is divided into multiple independent transfer units, each capable of transferring objects individually. This segmentation allows parallel operation of multiple units, significantly increasing productivity while each unit maintains a simpler, more manageable structure that avoids the need for complex interconnected gearings.
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer units are designed with universal functionality to handle different types of objects (enclosures, secondary containers, etc.). This multi-functionality eliminates the need for specialized complex mechanisms for different object types, thereby improving productivity without proportionally increasing device complexity.
2Reliability
If dedicated magazines are used to store enclosures, then object supply is ensured, but the system becomes more complex and productivity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the dedicated magazine component from the system. Instead of using traditional magazines to store and supply enclosures, the transfer units directly receive and transfer objects from upstream machines, thereby ensuring reliable object supply while dramatically reducing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer units act as intermediary elements between upstream preparation machines and downstream cartoning machines. They directly handle object transfer without requiring intermediate storage magazines, thereby maintaining reliable object supply while simplifying the overall system architecture.
3Productivity
If complex transfer mechanisms are used, then object transfer capability is achieved, but the number of enclosures fed downstream per time unit is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer system is segmented into multiple independent transfer units that can operate in parallel. This allows a greater number of enclosures to be fed downstream per time unit, as each unit contributes to the overall throughput independently, thereby increasing productivity without requiring each individual unit to be complex.
Solution Approach 2:
Objects are prepared upstream by dedicated preparation machines before being transferred. This preliminary action ensures that objects are ready for immediate transfer, eliminating the need for complex on-the-fly preparation mechanisms within the transfer system itself, thereby increasing feeding speed while maintaining simplicity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An object transfer station, comprising at least: - a supporting frame (2) for a gearing (3) which comprises at least one turntable (6) turned about a fixed main axis (A) by a rotating shaft (7), and at least one planet gear (9), which meshes with a ring gear (10) provided with an internal set of teeth (10a) and which is supported by the turntable (6) so that it can rotate about a secondary axis (B), which rotates about the main axis (A), - at least one arm (12), which defines a track (13) for guiding translation and is supported by the shaft (7) so that it can rotate about the main axis (A), - at least one unit (14) which comprises a slider (15), coupled slideably to the track (13) and coupled rotatably to the planet gear (9), and an operating member (16), for picking up and temporarily holding objects, which is supported by the slider (15) so that it can rotate.