Rotatable Gripper Blades with Pinion Guide for Egg Box Handling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing gripper apparatuses for picking up products, such as egg boxes, face issues with frictional movement along the outer box walls, leading to potential damage or misalignment of gripper blades, especially when handling delicate items like egg boxes made of cardboard, which can result in egg breakage.

Innovation Solution

The apparatus features a gripper with arcuate blades guided by pinion wheels with teeth, synchronized drives for controlled rotation and movement, and adjustable stops to ensure precise engagement and delivery of products without damaging them, utilizing a combination of pneumatically driven holders, toothed belts, and engagement strips to manage friction and alignment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If gripper blades move along the walls of the outer box with friction, then the gripper can engage and disengage from products, but the gripper blades may change position or rack between guide wheels, causing product damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegripper engagement and disengagementVSAvoidgripper blade position stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A toothed belt is introduced as an intermediary element between the drive mechanism and the gripper blades. The toothed belt transmits rotational motion to the gripper blades while preventing their lateral displacement, thus mediating between the need for friction-based engagement and the need for position stability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The traditional friction-based mechanical interaction between gripper blades and box walls is replaced with a toothed belt-driven system. This substitution eliminates the harmful frictional racking effect while maintaining the necessary engagement force through controlled belt tension and tooth engagement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Manufacturing precision

If gripper blades are made to rotate for controlled engagement, then product placement precision improves, but device complexity increases due to multiple drives and guide wheels

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct placement precisionVSAvoidgripper structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The toothed belt serves multiple functions simultaneously: it transmits rotational motion to both gripper blades, maintains consistent engagement force, prevents lateral displacement, and simplifies the guide wheel arrangement. This multi-functionality reduces overall device complexity while achieving precise product placement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The drive mechanism for the gripper blades is merged with the toothed belt system, combining multiple functions into a single integrated component. This merging eliminates the need for separate drive mechanisms for each gripper blade, reducing structural complexity while maintaining synchronized rotation for precise engagement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Device complexity

If friction is used to move gripper blades along box walls, then simple guide wheels suffice, but gripper blades may rack and cause egg breakage in subsequent cycles

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveguide wheel structureVSAvoidproduct damage from blade racking

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The toothed belt acts as a mediator between the simple guide wheels and the gripper blades. It allows the guide wheels to remain simple while preventing the gripper blades from racking through controlled belt engagement, thus eliminating product damage without complicating the guide wheel structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The toothed belt system provides beforehand cushioning by maintaining consistent tension and engagement with the gripper blades. This prevents sudden lateral movements or racking that could cause egg breakage, cushioning the interaction before harmful effects can occur.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Data Source

PatentUS7611181B2Gripper head with rotatable gripper blades and anti-slant provision

Publication Date: 2009.11.03 FPS FOOD PROCESSING SYST BV

AI summary

An apparatus for picking up products or groups of products, including a gripper having a frame, two holders that are movably connected on two opposite sides of the frame, and two gripper blades that are each movably connected with an associated one of the holders. Each gripper blade has the shape of an arc with an associated axis, the two axes of the two gripper blades are situated between the two gripper blades. Guide wheels, in the form of a pinion with teeth, engage with at least one row of holes arranged on the arc of the gripper blade to thereby guide the associated blade during rotation about its axis. A first drive is provided for moving each of the holders away from and towards each other. Two second drives are connected with a respective one of the two gripper blades to rotatingly turn outwards or draw inwards the associated arcuate gripper blade. A third drive is provided for displacing the gripper frame.