Polygonal Knife Pin Coding for Meat Grinder Assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing meat grinder systems face issues with incorrect installation of cutting elements, leading to damage and increased costs due to the need for precise orientation of knives and perforated disks, and existing solutions either weaken the knife pin or require scrapping of non-compatible knives.
Innovation Solution
A cutting set system with a knife pin featuring a polygonal cross-section and coordinated coding elements ensures correct orientation and assembly of cutting elements, allowing for torque transmission and compatibility with existing knives, using a coding system between the knife pin and cutting elements to prevent incorrect installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If asymmetrical polygonal cross-section coding is used to prevent incorrect installation, then installation correctness is improved, but the knife pivot is weakened due to non-uniform width
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by providing the knife pivot with a polygonal cross-section (triangle, quadrangle, pentagon, or hexagon) that is asymmetrical relative to the cutting element's opening. This asymmetrical shape prevents incorrect installation while maintaining uniform knife pivot dimensions to preserve strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the coding system universal by allowing the knife pivot to have various polygonal cross-sections (triangle, quadrangle, pentagon, hexagon) that can work with corresponding cutting elements. This universal approach prevents incorrect installation across different cutting element types without compromising the knife pivot's structural integrity.
2Reliability
If the knife pivot is made asymmetrical to prevent incorrect installation, then installation correctness is improved, but compatibility with existing knives is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting element is designed with an asymmetrical opening that matches the polygonal knife pivot, preventing incorrect installation. The asymmetry is achieved through the geometric shape rather than non-uniform dimensions, maintaining compatibility with existing knife designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting element is segmented into multiple components (cutting edge, opening, body) where the opening's polygonal shape provides the coding function. This segmentation allows the coding feature to be integrated without fundamentally changing the overall knife design, preserving compatibility.
3Reliability
If a non-uniform knife pivot is used for coding, then prevention of incorrect installation is improved, but the force-transmitting capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves asymmetry through the polygonal cross-section shape rather than varying the knife pivot's width or thickness. This allows the coding function to be implemented without reducing the knife pivot's force-transmitting capability, as the uniform dimensions maintain adequate torque transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The coding information is encoded in the cross-sectional shape (2D geometry) of the knife pivot rather than in its dimensional variations along the length. This dimensional approach allows coding without compromising the knife pivot's strength or torque transmission capability along its axis.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a reliable cutting set system for a meat mincing machine. The mutually matched coding (14, 24) between knife pins (10) and the cutting set element (20) prevents an incorrect installation of the cutting set element (20) after a cleaning process or during the initial assembly, thereby increasing the operational safety. The invention allows a detection of the correct cutting set element (20) of a cutting set system and thus an unambiguous allocation of the cutting set element to a knife pin (10) of a cutting set system.