Unfolding Guide Curvature for Medicine Packaging Wrinkle Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medicine packaging apparatuses face issues with generating wrinkles in package sheets during the heat sealing process, leading to poor airtightness and contamination, and struggle to prevent medicine residue in the hopper without causing discomfort or false failure detection.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates a sheet supply section, an unfolding guide with convex curved surfaces to minimize sheet wrinkles, and a vibration mechanism for the hopper to prevent residue, ensuring efficient packaging and reduced noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If the path length from the printing section to the heat sealing section is shortened, then package sheet waste is reduced and apparatus size is decreased, but wrinkles are generated on the package sheet during heat sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The unfolding guide incorporates curved surfaces instead of flat surfaces to gradually unfold the package sheet. This curvature allows the sheet to be opened smoothly without creating tension imbalances that cause wrinkles, while still maintaining a compact apparatus structure and reducing the path length from printing to heat sealing sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The unfolding guide applies localized unfolding action at specific positions along the package sheet path. By creating a controlled unfolding zone with curved surfaces at the critical location where the sheet transitions from folded to flat state, the system prevents wrinkles without requiring excessive path length or complex mechanisms throughout the entire system.
2Volume of moving object
If the path length from the printing section to the heat sealing section is shortened, then apparatus size is decreased, but wrinkles are generated on the package sheet during heat sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The unfolding guide uses curved surfaces to compact the apparatus structure while maintaining proper sheet handling. The curved geometry allows the package sheet to be unfolded in a space-efficient manner, reducing the overall apparatus volume without creating the tension imbalances that lead to wrinkles during heat sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The unfolding guide operates in a three-dimensional space utilizing vertical and lateral dimensions rather than only horizontal path length. By unfolding the sheet in multiple dimensions through curved surfaces, the system achieves compact apparatus size while maintaining sufficient unfolding distance to prevent wrinkles.
3Length of moving object
If a triangular plate unfolding guide is used to shorten the path length, then apparatus size is reduced, but wrinkles are unavoidably generated on the package sheet
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the angular triangular plate design with curved surfaces. This curvature eliminates the sharp edges and corners of the triangular guide that create concentrated stress points and tension imbalances, thereby preventing wrinkles while still achieving path length reduction and apparatus compactness.
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 solution effectively reduces sheet waste, downsizes the packaging apparatus, and prevents medicine residue without causing discomfort or false failure detection, enhancing packaging efficiency and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a vibration mechanism for the hopper to prevent residue
Implementation Method 2
the heat sealing section employs a method of heat-sealing the package sheet by passing the package sheet between a pair of heater rollers
Data Source
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AI summary
A distance from a printing section to a heat sealing section of a medicine packaging apparatus is shortened without generating wrinkles on a package sheet. A unfolding guide 65 included in a packaging unit 4 for unfolding and opening a package sheet 61 has a main ridge 94 extending along with the fold of the package sheet 61, and a pair of unfolding guide surfaces 90a, 90b which are convex curved surfaces stretching from the main ridge 94 and which are symmetrical to each other with respect to the main ridge 94.