Product Orientation Pusher Eliminates Endless Screw Complexity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing product orientation systems using endless screws are cumbersome, require frequent screw changes for different product shapes and sizes, and can destabilize or mark products, limiting productivity and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A positioning device that uses independent pushers actuated transversely to the conveying direction to rotate products around a perpendicular axis, allowing for flexible orientation without screws, and includes adjustable pushers and detection cells for precise positioning and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If endless screws are used for product orientation, then products can be aligned and oriented, but the installation becomes cumbersome and requires frequent screw changes for different product shapes and sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the orientation function from the complex endless screw mechanism and implements it through simpler, dedicated pushing elements that apply force only when needed. The pushing elements are selectively activated based on product detection, removing the need for complex continuous screw mechanisms and their associated changeover requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical endless screw system with a detection-based selective pushing system. Optical or sensor detection identifies product characteristics, and only specific pushing elements are activated accordingly, substituting the continuous mechanical action of screws with a controlled, selective mechanical intervention.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple endless screws are provided for different products, then various product shapes and sizes can be oriented, but the installation becomes expensive and requires storage space for multiple screws
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal pushing element design that can handle multiple product types through selective activation. A single set of pushing elements serves multiple functions by being differentially activated based on product detection, eliminating the need for multiple dedicated screw mechanisms for different product categories.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses automatic detection cells to identify product characteristics and selectively activate the appropriate pushing elements without manual intervention. The installation serves itself by automatically adapting to different product types through sensor-based control, eliminating the need for manual screw changes and storage infrastructure.
3Ease of operation
If static orientation is implemented downstream of screws, then products are oriented, but products risk destabilization or marking and high-speed operation is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic, impulse-based pushing actions rather than continuous static orientation. The pushing elements are activated in brief, periodic impulses synchronized with product passage, providing orientation without sustained contact that could cause destabilization or marking, while maintaining compatibility with high-speed operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a positioning device (1) for positioning products (2) simultaneously during their conveying, one behind the other, in a conveying plane (3) and along a conveying direction (4). This device is characterized in that it comprises at least one orientation means (5), itself comprising at least one pusher (6) movable along an action movement between an inactive position and an active position, said action movement having the effect of acting on a product (2) by pushing it to rotate it by a predetermined angle around an axis perpendicular to the conveying plane (3), the at least one pusher (6) also being movable in the conveying direction (4). The invention also relates to a corresponding method.