Interchangeable End Pieces for Step Conveyor Width Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional step conveyors are inflexible and require significant effort to adapt to different parts with varying shapes and sizes, limiting their usability in applications with changing production processes or in fields like packaging and medical sectors where diverse parts need to be processed.
Innovation Solution
A step conveyor design featuring interchangeable end pieces and support components with adjustable angles and surfaces, allowing for easy conversion without modifying the actuators or movement mechanics, enabling adaptation to different part sizes and shapes by changing the conveying surface profile and step width.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the step conveyor uses a fixed conveyor surface design, then the structure is simple and reliable, but it cannot adapt to different part sizes and shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor surface is segmented into modular components: interchangeable end pieces with different widths and profiles, and removable support components. This segmentation allows the conveyor to be reconfigured for different part sizes without redesigning the entire system, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor surface transitions from a fixed design to a dynamic, reconfigurable system where end pieces and support components can be easily swapped. This dynamic capability enables the same physical structure to adapt to different conveying requirements, improving versatility while maintaining operational simplicity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the step conveyor is designed for specific part geometry, then separation and alignment performance is optimized, but it cannot handle varied production processes
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system achieves universality through interchangeable end pieces with different surface profiles and widths, plus removable support components. A single conveyor platform can perform multiple functions by changing these components, enabling reliable separation and alignment for various part geometries across different production processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows changing key geometric parameters (step width, surface profile, support component position) without affecting the fundamental conveying mechanism. This parameter flexibility maintains separation and alignment reliability while adapting to varied production requirements.
3Productivity
If the conveyor surface width is increased to handle larger parts, then more parts can be conveyed simultaneously, but separation efficiency decreases for smaller parts
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor surface is divided into adjustable segments (end pieces and support components) that can be independently configured. This allows the width to be reduced for smaller parts, maintaining separation precision while still accommodating multiple parts through strategic placement of support components.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor surface width becomes dynamically adjustable rather than fixed. The system can expand for larger parts to increase productivity or contract for smaller parts to maintain separation precision, adapting the physical dimensions to match the conveying requirements.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the step conveyor requires modification of actuators to adapt to new parts, then it can handle different geometries, but the conversion effort and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor is segmented into a fixed actuator system and interchangeable surface components. This segmentation isolates the modification requirement to only the surface components (end pieces and support components) rather than the entire system, dramatically reducing conversion time and effort while maintaining geometry adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The adaptable components (end pieces and support components) are extracted from the fixed actuator system. This extraction allows the actuators to remain unchanged while the interchangeable components provide the necessary geometric variations, eliminating the need for actuator modification and reducing conversion time.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4
AI summary
Step conveyor (1) for conveying parts (2) from a storage container (3) to a target position (4) located above the storage container (3), wherein the step conveyor (1) comprises at least one stationary plate (6, 7) and a conveying surface (8, 9) associated with each stationary plate (6, 7), which is angled to a side surface (10, 11) of the stationary plate (6, 7) and is movable by an actuator (12) of the step conveyor (1) with respect to the stationary plate (6, 7) in order to lift the parts (2) on the conveying surface (8, 9) along this side surface (10, 11) in the conveying direction (17), wherein the conveying surface (8, 9) or at least one of the conveying surfaces (8, 9) is formed by an end piece (13, 14) which is detachably attached to a conveying plate (15, 16) which is moved by the actuator (12) is displaceable, wherein the end piece (13, 14) extends the conveyor plate (15, 16) in the conveying direction (17).