Sausage Sorting and Grouping Device with Vibratory Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual handling of individual sausages, especially pre-frozen ones, in the sausage industry is cumbersome, physically demanding, and inefficient, requiring multiple people to sort and place them in packaging containers, which is exacerbated by the low temperature and variability in sausage dimensions.
Innovation Solution
A multi-part device comprising a sorting conveyor belt with cleats, a circulating conveyor for alignment, a grouping device for forming parameterizable groups, and a transfer device with a delta robot gripper to automatically sort, group, and transfer sausages into receiving containers without manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual handling of sausages is used, then flexibility in handling irregularly shaped sausages is maintained, but labor intensity and physical strain increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The sausages are fed individually onto the conveyor belt without manual arrangement. The system automatically sorts, groups, and packages them through mechanical means including vibratory channels, rotating drums with recesses, and gripper devices, eliminating the need for manual handling while accommodating irregular shapes through self-feeding mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical handling is replaced with automated mechanical systems including conveyor belts, vibratory channels for alignment, rotating drums with shape-matching recesses for grouping, and gripper devices for transfer. These mechanical systems automatically handle the sausages without human intervention, reducing labor intensity while maintaining handling capability for irregular shapes
2Productivity
If multiple people work at the conveyor belt to pick and place sausages, then sorting and grouping can be performed, but productivity per person decreases due to the cumbersome nature of the work
Solution Approach 1:
The handling process is divided into distinct functional segments: individual feeding onto the conveyor belt, vibratory channel alignment, drum-based grouping by shape, and gripper transfer to packaging. Each segment performs a specific function automatically, increasing overall throughput while reducing the complexity of individual operational tasks
Solution Approach 2:
Sausages are preliminarily aligned and sorted by shape in vibratory channels and on rotating drums before being transferred to packaging. The grouping is pre-established through mechanical sorting mechanisms, so that when sausages reach the packaging stage, they are already organized into groups, increasing throughput without requiring complex manual sorting operations
3Temperature
If pre-frozen sausages are handled manually, then the sausages maintain their frozen state, but the low temperature increases physical strain on workers
Solution Approach 1:
The frozen sausages feed themselves onto the conveyor belt without manual handling. The automated mechanical systems including conveyors, vibratory channels, and grippers handle the cold sausages, maintaining their frozen temperature state while eliminating physical strain on workers that would result from manual contact with cold products
4Adaptability or versatility
If a simple conveyor belt is used, then the device complexity is low, but it cannot automatically sort and group sausages by shape and size
Solution Approach 1:
Vibratory channels are used to automatically align and sort sausages by shape and size. The vibration causes sausages to settle into positions corresponding to their dimensions, enabling automatic sorting without complex mechanical manipulators. This adds sorting capability while keeping the system relatively simple through the use of vibratory physics rather than complex mechanical sorting mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
Rotating drums with recesses shaped to match sausage cross-sections are used for grouping. The curved, shape-matching recesses automatically sort and group sausages by shape as the drums rotate, providing adaptability for different sausage types while using simple rotational mechanics rather than complex sorting algorithms or manipulators
Data Source
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AI summary
Device for processing individual sausages, comprising: - a sorting device (3) comprising a conveyor belt (12) circulating in an approximately triangular geometry and having cleats or carrier rails (13), on which the sausages (21) placed in bulk onto an ascending section (14) of the conveyor belt (12) are individually distributed into the cleats or carrier rails (13); - a circulating first conveying device (4) receiving the sorted sausages (21) with individual cleats (26) or carrier rails, wherein each individual cleat (26) or carrier rail receives one sausage (21); - a grouping device (5) in which the sausages (21) transported by the first conveying device (4) are grouped into groups (42); - a second conveying device (6) with receiving sections (41) for each sausage (21) of a group (42), into which the sausages (21) are placed. (21) are transferred side by side from the grouping device (5),- a transfer device (7) comprising a gripper device (44) for gripping a sausage group (42) and transferring and placing the sausage group (42) into a receiving container (45).