Compound Angled Universal Surface for Pillow Bag Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face challenges in accurately and efficiently forming patterns with pillow bags of varying positions, orientations, and dimensions, often resulting in damaged products and inefficiencies due to incorrect assumptions about bag dimensions, and lack reliable methods for measuring and placing moving, non-rigid pillow bags.
Innovation Solution
A system that measures the thickness and position of moving pillow bags using sensors and feed forward units, adjusting the pick and place process dynamically to accurately position and orient the bags, and uses a compound angled universal surface to maintain bag position and orientation, allowing for flexible pattern creation and transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a robot picks and places pillow bags based on assumed dimensions, then the picking and placing process can proceed, but the pillow bags may be damaged or misplaced due to incorrect dimension assumptions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary measurement of the actual pillow bag dimensions using sensors before the robot picks and places the bag. This advance measurement allows the robot to adjust its picking and placing parameters based on the measured dimensions, ensuring accurate placement without damage while maintaining high productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback loop where sensors continuously measure the position, orientation, and dimensions of pillow bags on the conveyor, and this measurement information is fed back to the robot controller to dynamically adjust the picking and placing operations, resolving the contradiction between speed and precision
2Adaptability or versatility
If the universal surface is fixed to the conveyor, then the structure is simple, but the universal surface cannot be decoupled to travel along various paths to pattern creation cells or transfer stations
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the conveyor system into separate independent modules: the conveyor belt that transports pillow bags and the universal surface that can be decoupled and directed to different destinations. This segmentation allows the universal surface to be flexible and adaptable while the overall system remains manageable in complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The universal surface is designed to be dynamically reconfigurable, able to couple with and decouple from the conveyor at different points along the path. This dynamic capability enables the surface to travel to various pattern creation cells or transfer stations, providing adaptability without requiring a completely complex reconfigurable system
3Reliability
If walls are added to constrain pillow bags on the universal surface, then the bags can be held in position, but the system loses universality and requires adjustment for different bag sizes and orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses adjustable parameters such as the angle of the universal surface and the position of movable barriers to adapt to different pillow bag sizes and orientations. By changing these parameters rather than adding fixed constraints, the system maintains both reliability in holding bags and versatility in handling different product types
Solution Approach 2:
The universal surface is designed with a compound angle that can accommodate various pillow bag configurations without requiring specific walls or constraints for each bag type. The surface itself provides the constraining function through its geometry, making the system universal and adaptable to different bags while maintaining position stability
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 effectively forms high-quality patterns with reduced damage and waste, increases efficiency, and conserves resources by accurately placing pillow bags of varying sizes and shapes, while enabling flexible pattern creation and transfer.
Implementation Method 1
a top surface of the universal surface, upon which a pattern is placed, is at a compound angle so that one corner is lower than all the other corners. One result of the compound angle is that gravity tends to pull bags towards the lowest corner.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for maintaining a pattern of non-rigid objects in a desired position and orientation. The first surface, second surface, and third surface are mutually orthogonal and meet at a point to form a lowest corner. The second and third surfaces are supported by, attached to and extend at least somewhat vertically from the apparatus. The first surface is oriented at an angle to a plane running through a bottom of the apparatus and thereby provides the lowest corner.