Rotatable Workpiece Separator for Press Feed Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Press installations face issues with multiple workpieces being transported simultaneously, leading to potential damage due to excessive force, and existing separating devices lack flexibility and robustness in adapting to workpiece shapes and orientations.
Innovation Solution
A workpiece separating device with a rotatable head and motor-driven actuating mechanism that adapts to the workpiece's lateral side orientation, allowing precise separation and secure transport, using motor control or vision systems for orientation adjustment without physical contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a workpiece separating device uses a fixed head orientation, then the device structure is simple, but it cannot adapt to different workpiece shapes and orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The head of the actuating device is made rotatable around its longitudinal axis, transforming a static structure into a dynamic one. This allows the front surface of the head to adapt its orientation to match different workpiece lateral sides, enabling the device to handle various workpiece shapes and orientations without requiring multiple specialized devices
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable head design allows a single actuating device to perform multiple functions by adapting its orientation. The same device can separate workpieces with different orientations by rotating the head to present the appropriate front surface orientation, eliminating the need for multiple fixed-orientation separating devices
2Adaptability or versatility
If a workpiece separating device uses contact-based orientation adaptation, then the adaptation is simple, but it may cause physical damage to the workpiece
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces contact-based mechanical orientation adaptation with vision-based detection and motor-controlled rotation. The vision system detects the workpiece orientation without contact, and the motor rotates the head to the correct orientation, eliminating the risk of physical damage that would occur with contact-based methods
Solution Approach 2:
The vision system acts as an intermediary between the separating device and the workpiece, allowing the system to perceive and adapt to workpiece orientation without physical contact. This intermediary enables accurate orientation detection and adaptation while preventing direct mechanical contact that could cause damage
3Productivity
If multiple workpieces are transported simultaneously to the press, then the transport efficiency is high, but the press may be damaged due to excessive force
Solution Approach 1:
The workpiece separating device performs preliminary separation of individual workpieces from the stack before transport. By ensuring that only one workpiece is held and transported at a time, the system prevents the harmful effect of multiple workpieces arriving simultaneously at the press, which would cause excessive force and potential damage
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a workpiece separating device for a press installation. The separating device comprises at least one actuating device (1) having a longitudinally movable longitudinal profile (1.0) and a head (1.1) attached to the longitudinal profile (1.0) with freedom of rotation. The head (1.1) comprises a front surface configured to contact or be in contact with a lateral side of a workpiece (200), and the head (1.1) is configured to adapt its orientation to the shape or position of said lateral side of the workpiece (200) by rotation, the orientation of the front surface being adapted. The actuating device (1) comprises a motor (3) with a motor shaft, and the head (1.1) and said motor shaft rotate together when the orientation of the front surface of said head (1.1) is changed.