U-Shaped Conveyor for Product Grouping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for gripping and transferring individual products to form ordered groups face issues such as requiring multiple packaging machines due to belt width limitations and instability caused by counter-flow arrangements, which can lead to product damage and inefficient layouts, especially when handling delicate items.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring a U-shaped conveyor with pushers and manipulators that cover the entire belt width, allowing for single-machine operation and stable product grouping by moving ordered products in the same direction as loose products, with adjustable speed to match flow rates and optimized placement of products on sections to ensure efficient grouping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a counter-flow arrangement is used where the conveyor moves ordered groups opposite to the belt direction, then the layout can be compact, but the arrangement becomes unstable when belt width exceeds manipulator work area requiring multiple packaging machines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional counter-flow arrangement by making the conveyor follow a U-shaped path that allows it to move in the same direction as the belt on the return side. This inversion resolves the contradiction by enabling a single packaging machine to handle wide belts while maintaining stable operation, eliminating the need for multiple machines while preserving layout compactness.
2Ease of operation
If the conveyor moves ordered groups in the same direction as the belt, then the layout is improved, but the arrangement becomes unstable due to flow rate variations causing product damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the conveyor speed adjustable and controllable. The conveyor speed can be dynamically adapted to match variations in belt flow rate, ensuring stable operation while moving ordered groups in the same direction as the belt. This dynamic control prevents product damage while maintaining layout efficiency.
3Productivity
If manipulators cover the entire belt width, then single-machine operation is enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses another dimension by implementing a U-shaped conveyor path that extends the conveyor in the longitudinal direction rather than expanding manipulator coverage across the entire belt width. This dimensional change allows a single packaging machine to handle wide belts efficiently without increasing manipulator complexity, as the U-shaped path provides additional working space along the conveyor's length.
Data Source
AI summary
Device for gripping and transferring individual products (P), comprising: - a belt (12) on which individual products (P) are randomly arranged, - a conveyor (14) carrying a plurality of sections (16) for groups of products, and - a plurality of manipulators (28, 30, 32, 34) programmed to pick up the individual products (P) from the belt (12) and to deposit the products (P) on said sections (16) so as to form ordered groups (G) of products on said sections (16), wherein said conveyor (14) comprises at least one U-shaped path in a horizontal plane, said U-shaped path extending at least partially above said belt (12).