Tilting Egg Breaker Feed for Low-Impact High-Speed Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for feeding eggs to high-speed egg breaking apparatuses result in eggs encountering impact loads and being dropped or broken prematurely due to rough handling, leading to inefficiencies and increased apparatus bulkiness.
Innovation Solution
The egg breaking devices are tilted about a third axis perpendicular to the primary axes, reducing the apparent velocity of the eggs and allowing for controlled delivery, eliminating the need for pre-acceleration, and subsequent tilting positions facilitate efficient draining and vibration to maximize albumen extraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If eggs are fed to high-speed egg breaking apparatus at normal processing velocity, then the apparatus structure remains compact, but eggs encounter impact loads and are dropped or broken prematurely
Solution Approach 1:
The egg breaking device is made dynamically tiltable about a third axis perpendicular to the first and second axes. By tilting the device during egg receipt, the effective velocity of the egg breaking device is reduced to match the feed conveyor velocity, minimizing impact loads on eggs. This dynamic adjustment allows the single conveyor to function effectively as if it were a two-conveyor system without the added complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The velocity parameter of the egg breaking device is dynamically changed by tilting it during egg receipt. The tilting velocity is controlled to correspond substantially to the difference between the velocity of the feed conveyor and the velocity of the common drive conveyor, effectively reducing the relative velocity to minimize impact on eggs while maintaining compact apparatus structure
2Manufacturing precision
If eggs are accelerated to match high-speed egg breaking devices, then egg catching accuracy improves, but apparatus bulkiness increases due to requiring two successive feeding conveyors
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a second high-speed conveyor to accelerate eggs, the invention dynamically tilts the egg breaking device to adjust its effective velocity. This dynamic velocity matching allows accurate egg catching without requiring the bulkiness of a two-conveyor system
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines the functions of two separate conveyors (one at normal velocity, one at high velocity) into a single feed conveyor by dynamically adjusting the egg breaking device velocity through tilting. This merging eliminates the need for a second conveyor while maintaining egg catching accuracy
3Productivity
If egg breaking devices operate at high velocity, then processing speed increases, but impact loads on eggs increase causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The egg breaking device operates at high velocity for most of its cycle to maintain productivity, but dynamically tilts during egg receipt to reduce effective velocity and minimize impact loads. After receiving the egg, it returns to high velocity for the breaking operation, thus maintaining both productivity and egg safety
Solution Approach 2:
The tilting action serves as a form of beforehand cushioning by reducing the relative velocity between the egg breaking device and the egg before contact occurs. This prevents impact damage before it can happen, allowing high-speed operation elsewhere in the cycle
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
This method minimizes the risk of egg damage, ensures accurate catching, and increases yield by up to 3% by reducing impact loads and optimizing the extraction process without increasing apparatus size.
Implementation Method 1
The tilting of the egg breaking device causes a brief apparent decrease of its velocity, which not only decreases the impact loads encountered by the egg when transferred thereto
Implementation Method 2
Once transferred, the egg accelerates together with the egg breaking device to the velocity of the common drive conveyor
Implementation Method 3
subsequent tilting positions facilitate efficient draining and vibration to maximize albumen extraction
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an egg breaking apparatus and a method of feeding eggs to an egg breaking apparatus, where eggs are fed to a plurality of egg breaking devices by means of a feed conveyor. Each egg breaking device receives one egg at a time and all egg breaking devices are mounted on a common drive conveyor, where the egg breaking devices are moved in relation to the feed conveyor in a first direction following a substantially vertical first axis at the area of the feed conveyor. The feed conveyor feeds eggs to the egg breaking devices along a substantially horizontal second axis. When near a position at the feed conveyor, the egg breaking devices are tilted about a third axis, which is substantially perpendicular to the first and second axes, in a second direction substantially opposite to said first direction. In a preferred embodiment the egg breaking devices are brought back into their initial, untilted position before or during a period of emptying of the broken egg and after the yolk has left the eggshell upon breaking of the egg, the egg breaking device is preferably tilted downwards in relation to the initial, untilted position, preferably to an angle of approximately 45 degrees below a horizontal plane. During a period of emptying of the egg the egg breaking device may be moved in an uneven pattern, e.g. serrated or corrugated, pattern, causing a vibration of the egg breaking device. It is also preferred, that the egg breaking device performs a second tilting at the end of the period of emptying of the egg. Guiding rail may be provided for guiding the egg breaking devices along a particular track, each egg breaking device preferably being provided with a projecting member capable of interacting with the guiding rail(s).