Rotatable Pressing Roller Support for Fiber Plant Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing processing machines for fibre plants face issues with inaccurate positioning of rollers and conveyor belts, leading to ineffective picking or picking up, destructive forces, and the formation of folds that impede correct processing, which are labor-intensive and complex to resolve.
Innovation Solution
A self-propelling vehicle with a processing unit featuring pivotally mounted guide rollers and conveyor belts, including pressing rollers and support rollers, allows for adjustable positioning and movement to accommodate misalignments and large objects, reducing the risk of jamming and improving processing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If guide rollers and conveyor belts are mounted with high precision, then picking effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and maintenance effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The support member is made rotatable relative to the support frame, allowing the pressing rollers to dynamically adjust their position. This dynamic capability enables the system to accommodate misalignments and external forces without requiring high initial mounting precision, while maintaining reliable picking operation
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable support member changes the positional parameter of the pressing rollers during operation. This parameter change allows adaptation to varying conditions such as belt shifts or roller misalignments, maintaining effective picking without complex mounting requirements
2Reliability
If guide rollers and conveyor belts are cleaned and maintained regularly, then processing reliability is improved, but loss of time and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable support member enables the system to self-adjust and compensate for misalignments or contamination issues without requiring external intervention. The automatic adaptation reduces the frequency and duration of maintenance stops while maintaining reliable processing
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable support member acts as a compensatory mechanism that anticipates and cushions against potential problems such as belt shifts or roller misalignments. By providing this built-in compensation, the system reduces the need for frequent maintenance interventions
3Reliability
If pressing force is increased to prevent folds in conveyor belts, then transport reliability is improved, but object-generated harmful factors increase due to destructive forces on fibre plants
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable support member allows the pressing rollers to apply force locally and adaptively. Instead of uniform high pressure across all rollers, each roller can independently adjust its pressing force through rotation, maintaining transport reliability while minimizing destructive forces on the fibre plants
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic rotation capability of the support member enables the pressing rollers to adapt their position and force application in real-time. This dynamic adjustment prevents excessive static pressure that could damage fibre plants while maintaining sufficient transport reliability
4Adaptability or versatility
If support members are made rotatable to accommodate misalignments, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support system is segmented into independently rotatable support members rather than a rigid fixed structure. This segmentation allows each support member to independently adapt to misalignments, providing high versatility with a relatively simple modular mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire support frame rotatable or adjustable, the invention inverts the approach by making individual support members rotatable. This inverted strategy achieves adaptability with minimal complexity by localizing the rotational capability where it is most needed
Data Source
AI summary
Described is a processing machine for processing fibre plants. Examples of fibre plants are hemp, flax or kenaf. The processing can comprise of picking the fibre plants and then placing the fibre plants on a ground surface in a desired manner. The processing can also comprise of picking up the fibre plants which have been placed down on the ground, flipping them over and placing them down on the ground once again. The processing machine comprises for this purpose a self-propelling vehicle comprising a vehicle chassis and a processing unit mounted on the vehicle chassis. The processing unit has a transport installation for transporting the fibre plants to the self-propelling vehicle, wherein the transport installation comprises a number of guide rollers mounted on the support frame, at least one pair of endless conveyor belts guided along the rollers and at least one drive for driving at least a part of the guide rollers. The guide rollers comprise a group of at least two pressing rollers which are configured to press against a first side of a conveyor belt at two or more positions. The transport installation further comprises a support member on which the pressing rollers are arranged rotatably and wherein the support member is mounted on the support frame rotatably relative to an imaginary rotation point.