Rotating Cutout Wheel for Uniform Consumer Product Stacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for stacking consumer products are inefficient in forming uniform stacks and often require complex mechanisms that increase operational costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A system with multiple travel paths in a side-by-side configuration, utilizing a rotating wheel with cutouts to form stacks of consumer products, followed by a conveyor system that adjusts orientation and discharges the stacks at varying elevations, incorporating a heat tunnel for further processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If existing systems use complex mechanisms to stack consumer products, then stacking capability is achieved, but operational costs and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the stacking process into discrete segments: multiple travel paths convey products independently to a wheel, where cutouts on the wheel's periphery capture and stack products one by one. This segmentation allows each component to perform a specific function, simplifying the overall system while maintaining high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single-plane conveyor to a three-dimensional stacking arrangement. The wheel rotates in a horizontal plane while discharge points are positioned at unique elevations, creating vertical stacking. This dimensional change enables efficient stacking without requiring complex mechanical arms or multi-axis positioning systems.
2Manufacturing precision
If discharge points are positioned at unique elevations, then uniform stacks are formed, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel acts as an equipotential platform where all discharge points, despite being at unique elevations, are accessed through rotation in a horizontal plane. This allows products to be discharged at different heights to form uniform stacks without requiring complex individual positioning mechanisms for each discharge point.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel's circular geometry with evenly spaced cutouts provides a natural curvature-based solution for achieving uniform stacking. The rotational motion along the circular path ensures consistent spacing and orientation of products in the stack, simplifying the discharge point configuration while maintaining high precision.
3Productivity
If multiple travel paths convey products simultaneously, then productivity increases, but synchronization difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel serves multiple functions simultaneously: it receives products from multiple travel paths, stacks them in sequence, and discharges them at unique elevations. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate synchronization mechanisms for each travel path, as the wheel's rotation naturally coordinates the stacking process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the wheel's own rotational motion to synchronize product receipt and stacking. As the wheel rotates, cutouts automatically pass in front of discharge points in successive order, creating self-synchronization without external control mechanisms. The elevation differences between discharge points provide passive guidance for forming uniform stacks.
Data Source
AI summary
The system includes a plurality of travel paths for conveying consumer products, the travel paths being in a side-by-side configuration, each one of the plurality of travel paths having a discharge point at a unique elevation, and a first wheel defining a first set of cutouts around a periphery of the first wheel, the first wheel being configured to rotate in a horizontal plane as each one of the first set of cutouts accepts one of the consumer products from each of the plurality of travel paths, in a successive order as the first set of cutouts pass in front of the discharge points, in order to form stacks of the consumer products in each of the first set of cutouts.