Rotatable Conveyor with Adjustable Item Pockets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rotating material transfer systems, such as starwheel conveyors, face challenges in efficiently handling items of different sizes and shapes due to the need for frequent changeovers of the starwheel structure and guide plates, which is time-consuming and costly, especially in environments where multiple item sizes and shapes are handled.
Innovation Solution
A rotatable material transfer system with a conveyance assembly featuring adjustable item pockets and a flexible guide rail that can change orientations to accommodate varying item sizes and shapes, allowing for radial position adjustments and arcuate offset distances, enabling flexible handling without the need for multiple sets of parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the starwheel structure and guide plate are changed to handle different item sizes and shapes, then the system can accommodate various items, but the changeover process is time-consuming and requires multiple sets of parts
Solution Approach 1:
The guide plate is made adjustable with movable guide surfaces that can be repositioned along arcuate paths, allowing the same guide plate to accommodate different item sizes and shapes without requiring changeover to different guide plates. This dynamic adjustment capability eliminates the need for multiple static guide plate configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
A single guide plate is designed to perform multiple functions by incorporating adjustable guide surfaces that can be repositioned to different locations. This universal design allows the same guide plate to work with various item dimensions, replacing the need for multiple specialized guide plates for different item types.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple sets of changeover parts are maintained to handle different items, then the system can quickly switch between item types, but space is consumed and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The guide plate incorporates multiple adjustable guide surfaces that can be repositioned to different locations, allowing a single guide plate to replace multiple specialized guide plates. This reduces the total number of parts needed while maintaining the ability to handle various item sizes and shapes.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable guide surfaces can be dynamically repositioned along arcuate paths to accommodate different item configurations, eliminating the need to store and manage multiple static guide plate assemblies for different item types.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the item pocket depth is adjusted to accommodate different item sizes, then the system can handle varying item dimensions, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The item pocket depth is made adjustable through a mechanism that allows the guide surface to move along a predefined arcuate path. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the same pocket structure to accommodate items of different depths without requiring completely different pocket configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The pocket depth parameter can be changed by repositioning the guide surface along the arcuate path, allowing the system to adapt to different item dimensions. This parameter adjustment is achieved through a mechanical linkage system that translates rotational motion into linear displacement of the guide surface.
Data Source
AI summary
A material transfer system includes one or more of the following features: (i) a rotatable conveyor assembly is configured to enable adjustment of a radial position of the item guide surface of each item pocket for adjusting pocket depth; (ii) the rotatable conveyor assembly is configured to enable adjustment of an arcuate offset distance between the item guide surface and the item push surface of each item pocket; and/or (iii) the guide surface is formed, at least in part, by at least one flexible rail that is adjustable between multiple orientations and the flexible is configured to flex in a manner such that, in each one of the multiple orientations, the guide surface follows a substantially arcuate path with a set radius, wherein the set radius varies between the multiple orientations.