Slip Conveyor Tray Gap Control via Dynamic Reciprocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing slip conveyor systems with multiple trays are complex, expensive, and difficult to maintain and clean, especially when used in food packaging, as they often fail to ensure consistent gaps between trays, leading to inefficiencies in product conveyance.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor assembly with at least two slip conveyors in series, each with a longitudinally extending surface and a drive assembly for movement, coordinated by a control system to allow relative longitudinal and vertical movement between adjacent end portions, enabling reversible direction of product conveyance and adjustable tray alignment for gap creation between adjacent trays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple trays are arranged in series to convey product, then product conveyance capability is improved, but device complexity increases and gaps between adjacent trays become difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor assembly is divided into multiple independent slip conveyors (trays) arranged in series, each capable of independent operation. This segmentation allows product to be conveyed through multiple stages while maintaining control over gaps between adjacent trays, resolving the complexity issue through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs dynamic positioning of trays where adjacent end portions can move relative to each other between overlapping configuration (for conveyance) and separated configuration (for gap creation). This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt between conveyance mode and gap formation mode, maintaining both productivity and structural control.
2Productivity
If trays are positioned with significant overlap to enable product flow, then product conveyance is enabled, but consistent gap maintenance between adjacent trays becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts tray positions through coordinated movement of adjacent end portions. The trays can be positioned in an overlapping configuration during conveyance operations and repositioned to create consistent gaps when needed, maintaining precision through active control rather than fixed positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system coordinates the drive assemblies to monitor and adjust tray positions, ensuring consistent gap maintenance. By providing feedback control over the relative movement of adjacent trays, the system maintains precise gap dimensions while enabling product flow through the overlapping configuration.
3Ease of operation
If fixed gate assemblies are used to control product flow, then product delivery to packaging machines is controlled, but the system becomes expensive and difficult to clean
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the complex gate assembly structure from the conveyor system. Instead of using fixed gates to control product flow, the system uses the relative movement and positioning of slip conveyors themselves to control product delivery, removing the problematic gate component entirely.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces static gate structures with dynamic tray positioning. The adjacent end portions of trays can move between overlapping and separated configurations, dynamically controlling product flow and delivery points without requiring fixed gate assemblies, thereby simplifying the overall structure and improving cleanability.
4Productivity
If multiple slip conveyors are activated simultaneously, then product conveyance throughput is increased, but appropriate gaps between adjacent trays may not occur
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically coordinates the operation of multiple slip conveyors, adjusting the timing and positioning of each tray independently. This allows multiple trays to be activated simultaneously for high throughput while maintaining precise gap control through coordinated movement of adjacent end portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system provides feedback control over the operation of each slip conveyor, monitoring tray positions and adjusting operation to ensure appropriate gaps are maintained even when multiple conveyors are active. This feedback mechanism enables simultaneous high throughput and precise gap positioning.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution allows for efficient and flexible product conveyance in both directions, simplifies maintenance, and facilitates precise delivery positioning, addressing the complexity and maintenance issues of traditional systems by enabling coordinated movement and adjustable tray alignment.
Implementation Method 1
The tray is longitudinally and in some instances also vertically reciprocated (oscillated) to cause the product to move from an upstream position to a downstream position on the tray
Implementation Method 2
the drive assemblies associated with the adjacent surfaces providing for relative longitudinal and vertical movement between the adjacent end portions
Data Source
AI summary
A slip conveyor assembly (10) having a plurality of slip conveyors (11 to 16). Each slip conveyor (11 to 16) has a tray (18) providing a conveyor surface (20) along which product is delivered. The trays (18) are arrangeable and caused to reciprocate so that product may be conveyed in either longitudinal direction, with at least two of the trays being arrangeable to provide a gap (32) therebetween to provide for delivery of product from the conveyor assembly (10).