Rotatable Drum Bulk Material Separator
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In automated production, robots face difficulties in picking up specific individual workpieces from a large number of overlapping pieces due to the challenge of separating bulk material effectively.
Innovation Solution
A rotatable drum with receptacles is used to convey bulk material from a feeding area to a depositing surface, allowing for the separation and pick-up of a limited number of workpieces at a time, with features like surface structures, brushes, and sensors to ensure efficient and jam-free operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If bulk material is conveyed using a rotatable drum with receptacles, then the separation of workpieces is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drum is divided into multiple receptacles that can independently hold and transport workpieces. Each receptacle acts as a separate conveying unit, allowing selective transport of individual workpieces or small groups from the feeding area to the depositing surface, thereby achieving effective separation without requiring complex sorting mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable drum serves as an intermediary mechanism between the feeding area and the depositing surface. It mediates the transition of bulk material by providing a controlled intermediate state where workpieces are held, oriented, and released one by one or in small groups, simplifying the overall separation process
2Reliability
If walls are provided adjacent to the drum to contain bulk material, then the containment is improved, but the risk of jamming increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes or eliminates walls that would be adjacent to the drum in the areas where bulk material is transported. By taking out these confining walls, the system prevents bulk material from being trapped or jammed between the drum and wall surfaces, while still maintaining adequate containment through the receptacle structure itself
3Productivity
If multiple workpieces are conveyed at once, then the productivity is improved, but the separation precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system conveys a limited number of workpieces (between two and ten pieces) in each receptacle rather than attempting to transport the entire bulk material at once. This partial action approach maintains separation precision by handling small, manageable quantities while still achieving improved productivity compared to traditional single-piece handling methods
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a device for separating bulk material, comprising a conveying device in the form of a rotatable drum, which has one or more receptacles for separately conveying the bulk material from a feeding area for bulk material and is designed to convey bulk material by means of the one or more receptacles in a separated manner from the feeding area to a depositing surface during rotation of the drum.