Removable Suction Cup Ejector for Hygienic Food Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing suction cup systems for handling foodstuff face contamination risks and require frequent, costly maintenance due to bacterial growth, leading to inefficiencies and health hazards.
Innovation Solution
A suction cup design with a removable attachment to a docking piece, featuring a drive nozzle and outlet nozzle with constrictions for creating a vacuum, and a blow-off mechanism for quick release, allowing for easy replacement and maintenance while maintaining hygiene.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the suction cup and downstream elements are regularly replaced to avoid contamination, then hygiene is maintained, but maintenance time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ejector is divided into two separable parts: the suction cup (downstream element) and the drive nozzle (upstream element). The suction cup can be removed and replaced independently without replacing the drive nozzle, allowing maintenance of only the contaminated portion while retaining the clean drive nozzle.
Solution Approach 2:
The suction cup is extracted as a separate replaceable component from the ejector system. This allows the suction cup to be removed, cleaned, or replaced independently, separating the maintenance burden from the drive nozzle and reducing overall maintenance time and cost.
2Ease of repair
If the suction cup is made separable for easier maintenance, then maintenance effort is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ejector is segmented into a suction cup portion and a drive nozzle portion that can be separated from each other. This segmentation enables independent maintenance of the suction cup without affecting the drive nozzle, reducing maintenance effort while adding only minimal structural complexity for the separation interface.
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 solution enables efficient and cost-effective maintenance by decoupling contaminated parts from non-contaminated components, reducing maintenance time and waste, and ensuring continuous hygienic operation of the handling device.
Implementation Method 1
Compressed air-driven ejectors operate by accelerating the high-pressure air through a drive nozzle and ejecting it as an air jet at high speed across a gap between the drive nozzle and an outlet flow passage or nozzle. A fluid medium in the surrounding space between the drive nozzle and outlet nozzle, e. g. the intake portion, is entrained into the high-speed flow of compressed air
Implementation Method 2
A fluid medium in the surrounding space between the drive nozzle and outlet nozzle, e. g. the intake portion, is entrained into the high-speed flow of compressed air
Implementation Method 3
the negative pressure or vacuum created by the vacuum pump in the intake portion acts on the inside of the walls of the suction cup, thereby providing for a suction force which can be applied to a surface of an object
Data Source
Figure 1a~2c
Figure 3a~3b
Figure 4
AI summary
The present invention relates to a handling device (100) for handling foodstuff, comprising a suction cup (10) and a docking piece (30) supporting the suction cup, wherein the suction cup (10) is removably attached to the docking piece (30), wherein the docking piece (30) comprises a drive nozzle (32) inserted into the suction cup (10) attached to the docking piece (30) for ejecting a fluid from the drive nozzle (32) inside of the suction cup (10), and wherein the suction cup (10) comprises a drive opening (14) for receiving the drive nozzle (32) of the docking piece (30), an outlet nozzle (16) having at least one constriction which outlet nozzle (16) is aligned with the drive nozzle (32), so that the drive nozzle (32) and the outlet nozzle (16) cooperate to form an ejector, and a suction opening (12) for applying a suction force provided by the ejector to a surface of the foodstuff to be handled.