Segmented Bin Flow Directors for Sawmill Board Sorting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bin dividers in sawmills are heavy, flexible, and prone to vibration, requiring large air cylinders for movement, which can pinch boards and impede operator access to crossed boards, and do not allow efficient filling of bins.
Innovation Solution
The wig wag bin flow directors, comprising pivotally mounted diverter gates and flow directors with a rotatable shaft, allow for efficient board sorting by directing boards into bins using smaller actuators and curved arms that reduce the risk of pinching and facilitate smooth filling without impeding operator access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a full-length tube bin divider is used to direct board flow, then the bin can be filled efficiently, but the divider becomes very heavy and requires a large air cylinder to move it
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single full-length bin divider into multiple shorter flow directors (typically three per bin: two end directors and one center director). Each flow director is much lighter than a full-length divider, enabling the use of smaller, more cost-effective air cylinders while maintaining efficient board distribution across the bin.
2Ease of operation
If a long full-length bin divider is used, then board flow can be directed, but the divider becomes flexible and causes vibration when rotated and stopped
Solution Approach 1:
By replacing one long, flexible bin divider with multiple shorter flow directors, the system eliminates the flexibility and vibration problems. Each short director is rigid and stable during operation, while collectively they provide comprehensive flow direction control across the entire bin width.
3Ease of operation
If a full-length bin divider is used, then board flow can be controlled, but it pinches boards when moving back and forth
Solution Approach 1:
The segmentation into multiple short flow directors eliminates the pinching problem that occurs with a long, flexible divider. The shorter directors have less leverage and create smaller pinching forces, and their distributed arrangement prevents concentrated board damage that would occur at any single point along a long divider.
Solution Approach 2:
The flow directors are designed with pivot points that allow controlled movement. The dynamic configuration enables the directors to move with board flow while maintaining proper positioning, reducing harmful pinching effects compared to a rigid or overly flexible long divider.
4Productivity
If a full-length bin divider is used, then bin filling can be directed, but it impedes the operator from straightening out crossed-up boards
Solution Approach 1:
By using multiple short flow directors instead of one long divider, the system creates gaps between the directors that provide operator access to the board stream. Operators can reach through these gaps to straighten crossed-up boards while the segmented directors continue to direct overall board flow into the bin efficiently.
Data Source
AI summary
The flow director apparatus according to the present invention in such bins include a plurality of the flow directors which are pivotally mounted or mountable beneath said plurality of diverter gates and to said upper end of said frame so as to depend a free end of each flow director of said plurality of said flow directors downwardly from said upper end into an entrance cavity of said bin defined by said upper end of said frame. Each flow director is elongate and has a base end opposite said free end. Each flow director pivotally is mounted or mountable to said upper end of said frame at said base end of the flow director.