Tray Feeding System Roller Acceleration for Collision Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tray feeding systems are prone to interruptions and reduced throughput due to lightweight trays being easily disturbed, leading to manual intervention and increased labor costs.
Innovation Solution
A tray feeding system utilizing a roller slat conveyor with a driving zone and idle rollers, combined with a second conveyor belt with high friction to stabilize and position trays, allowing for synchronized acceleration and deceleration of conveyors to maintain tray alignment and prevent collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If lightweight trays are used for packaging, then packaging efficiency and cost are improved, but tray stability and reliability of feeding are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is segmented into multiple zones: a first conveyor zone with rollers for gentle transport, and a second conveyor zone with increased friction for stabilization. This segmentation allows lightweight trays to be handled differently in different sections, maintaining stability without requiring heavier trays throughout the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The second conveyor is designed with locally increased friction properties specifically at the tray receiving end, while the first conveyor maintains lower friction for smooth transport. This local quality change provides targeted stabilization exactly where trays are most vulnerable (during transfer) without affecting the overall lightweight design.
2Productivity
If trays are arranged closely together on the conveyor, then throughput is improved, but tray collision and system interruption are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary acceleration of trays in the first conveyor zone before they reach the second conveyor zone. This preliminary action ensures trays are already at the required speed when transferred, preventing collisions with stationary or slower-moving trays on the second conveyor, thus maintaining close spacing without increasing collision risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor system dynamically adjusts friction characteristics along its length, with the first conveyor providing low friction for smooth acceleration and the second conveyor providing high friction for controlled deceleration and positioning. This dynamic friction management allows trays to be closely spaced while maintaining individual control over their motion to prevent collisions.
3Reliability
If manual intervention is implemented to fix tray collisions, then tray feeding reliability is improved, but labor cost and time loss are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is designed to be self-regulating through its dual-zone friction configuration. When trays are transferred from the first to the second conveyor, the increased friction automatically provides the necessary stabilization and positioning without external intervention. The system corrects potential collision issues through its inherent mechanical design rather than requiring manual fixing.
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 system significantly reduces tray collisions, enhances throughput, and allows for flexible handling of trays of varying lengths, providing a reliable and high-capacity tray feeding solution with reduced manual labor.
Implementation Method 1
the friction between the trays and the conveyor belt is greatly reduced since these rollers can rotate to say backwards while the conveyor belt is moving forwards
Implementation Method 2
the rollers that are within the outputting end area of the first conveyor act as a kind of a driving wheels onto the trays that are positioned within this area
Implementation Method 3
the second conveyor is configured for conveying said trays with the trays being fixed by friction on the second conveyor
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3(a)~5
AI summary
This invention relates to a tray feeding system (200). A first conveyor (202) is adapted to be used as a buffer conveyor for trays (209), where the first conveyor includes a first conveyor belt (210) including a plurality of spaced apart rollers acting as free running rollers (207) having rotation axis being substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction of the first conveyor. The plurality of spaced apart rollers are arranged such that the rollers partly extend upward from the carrying surface of the first conveyor belt such that the trays resting on the first conveyor at least partly rest on the rollers. A second conveyor (293) has a receiving end (211) placed adjacent to an outputting end of the first conveyor and is adapted to be used as a tray conveyor where items are placed into the trays by a tray filling means (204; 205). The tray feeding system further includes a roller interacting means (212) positioned below and adjacent to the carrying surface of the first conveyor belt at an outputting end area (206) of the first conveyor, the roller interacting means being adapted to engage with the rollers upon arriving at the outputting end area when the first conveyor belts is moving forward causing a rotational movement of the rollers positioned within the outputting end area and thus an acceleration of the tray or trays resting on the first conveyor within the outputting end area of the first conveyor towards the receiving end of the second conveyor.