Transverse Conveyor for Elongate Product Sorting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for sorting and packing elongate products like cucumbers are limited by manual processing speed and accuracy, and the accessibility of packing containers within the feed path restricts processing speed and increases the risk of product damage.
Innovation Solution
Placing packing containers outside the feed path allows for easier access and quick maintenance, using a conveyor transverse to the supply direction to prevent product rotation and damage, and employing multiple parallel tracks or conveyors for simultaneous product release and classification, enabling faster processing and efficient container exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If packing containers are placed in the feed path of products, then products can be directly released into containers, but accessibility and dimensions of packing containers are limited and processing speed is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the packing container from the feed path of products and places it on a separate conveyor running transversely to the product supply direction. This separation allows the packing container to be easily accessible for exchange and maintenance while products continue to flow through the feed path uninterrupted, thereby improving both processing speed and accessibility simultaneously
2Productivity
If manual processing is used on packing tables, then products can be sorted and packed, but processing speed is limited and sorting accuracy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical sorting and packing operations with an automated system where products are released from transport containers onto a conveyor and automatically directed into packing containers based on their classification. This mechanical-to-automated substitution increases both processing speed and sorting accuracy by eliminating human reaction time limitations and manual handling errors
3Ease of manufacture
If products are released onto packing tables for manual processing, then sorting can be performed, but extra operations increase and product quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts products from the traditional packing table system and implements a direct release mechanism where products are transferred from transport containers to packing containers via a conveyor system. This eliminates unnecessary intermediate handling steps and manual operations that cause product damage, while maintaining sorting capability through the automated classification system
4Productivity
If the conveyor is placed parallel to the supply direction, then products can be transported continuously, but products must be rotated which causes damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional conveyor arrangement by placing the conveyor running transversely (perpendicularly) to the product supply direction instead of parallel to it. This inversion allows products to be transported continuously without rotation, as the transverse conveyor receives products directly from the feed path and transfers them to packing containers in their original orientation, thereby eliminating rotation-induced damage
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for sorting and/or automatically packing vulnerable, elongate products such as cucumbers, comprising the following steps of: - individualizing the products; - orienting the individualized products; - transporting the products in transport means; - transferring the products in an oriented position to at least one conveyor; and - releasing the products on the conveyor into at least one packing container or a compartment thereof, wherein the at least one packing container is placed in the transport means outside the feed path of the products.