Unstacking Conveyor With Floating Stationary Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Belt conveyors with steep angles struggle to prevent stacked articles from sliding off, as existing solutions do not effectively resist the downward or upward movement of articles, leading to inefficiencies in unstacking and conveying processes.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a stationary surface suspended above the angled conveyor, which exerts a downward or forward moment on articles due to its weight and coefficient of friction, counteracting the forces causing articles to roll or rotate down the conveyor, thereby maintaining them on the conveyor belt.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a belt conveyor is arranged at a relatively steep angle to help unstack articles, then unstacking efficiency is improved, but articles tend to slide off or roll down the conveyor
Solution Approach 1:
A stationary surface is introduced as an intermediary element between the moving belt and the articles. This stationary surface provides frictional resistance that prevents articles from sliding off while allowing the belt to continue moving at steep angles for effective unstacking
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor system is divided into separate functional components: a moving belt for conveying and a stationary surface for providing frictional resistance. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, with the belt providing motion and the stationary surface providing stability
2Productivity
If multiple conveyor belt segments with increasing belt travel speed are used to provide belt space for upper articles, then unstacking capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The frictional resistance function is extracted from the moving belt and transferred to a separate stationary surface. This eliminates the need for complex multi-segment belts with varying speeds, as the stationary surface alone provides the necessary resistance to prevent sliding while the single belt maintains uniform motion
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 stationary surface effectively resists the tendency of articles to roll or rotate, ensuring stable unstacking and conveying by providing sufficient frictional resistance, allowing for efficient handling of articles along declined or inclined conveyor sections.
Implementation Method 1
The stationary surface resists the tendency of articles to roll down toward the bottom of the angled conveyor
Implementation Method 2
The stationary surface may be positioned to exert a downward force on the articles
Data Source
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AI summary
A conveyor system can include a feed conveyor (14), a declined conveyor, and an inclined conveyor (16). A declined stationary surface (42) is suspended above the declined conveyor and positioned to exert a counter-moment on the articles related to the weight of the stationary support surface and the coefficient of sliding friction of the stationary support surface that is sufficient to resist forward rotation of the articles down the declined conveyor. An inclined stationary support surface (42) is suspended above the inclined conveyor and positioned to exert a forward-moment on the articles related to the weight of the stationary support surface and the coefficient of sliding friction of the stationary support surface that is sufficient to resist counter-rotation of the articles that results in movement of the articles down the inclined conveyor. The vertical height of the stationary surfaces can be adjusted. A related method is also described.