Vibratory Small-Part Feeding With Intermediate Rail Disturbance Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing feeding systems for small parts, particularly closure elements, suffer from disturbances and abnormalities during the transition from vibrating spiral conveyors to feed rails, leading to potential shutdowns and inefficiencies, especially in sensitive pharmaceutical and bio-pharmaceutical applications.
Innovation Solution
A feeding device with a monitoring system and intermediate rail that detects abnormalities, allowing independent interruption of vibrations on the intermediate rail and vibrating spiral conveyor to rectify issues without halting the feed rail, using a manipulator for automated or manual rectification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If vibrations are applied to both the vibrating spiral conveyor and the feed rail to move small parts continuously, then productivity is improved, but disturbances and abnormalities may arise during the transition region causing shutdowns
Solution Approach 1:
The feeding system is divided into three independently controllable vibratory segments: the vibrating spiral conveyor, the intermediate rail, and the feed rail. Each segment has its own vibratory drive that can be independently activated or deactivated, allowing selective interruption of vibrations in specific regions without stopping the entire feeding process.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediate rail is introduced as a buffer zone between the vibrating spiral conveyor and the feed rail. This intermediate segment allows disturbances to be contained and rectified locally without propagating to the feed rail, thereby maintaining continuous operation of the overall system.
2Reliability
If vibrations are interrupted to rectify abnormalities in the vibrating spiral conveyor or intermediate rail, then system reliability is improved, but shutdown periods occur reducing productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows independent interruption of vibratory drives for the vibrating spiral conveyor and intermediate rail while maintaining vibrations on the feed rail. This segmented control enables fault rectification in specific regions without causing system-wide shutdowns, thereby maintaining productivity during maintenance operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring device continuously detects abnormalities before they cause complete system failure. By identifying issues early in the vibrating spiral conveyor or intermediate rail sections, the system can interrupt vibrations only in the affected area and rectify faults proactively, preventing cascading failures and maintaining overall system productivity.
3Reliability
If a monitoring device is added to detect abnormalities on the intermediate rail, then system reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A monitoring device is integrated into the intermediate rail to continuously detect abnormalities such as misplaced or incorrectly oriented small parts. The monitoring information feeds back to the control unit, which automatically responds by interrupting vibrations in the affected area and initiating rectification procedures, thereby improving reliability through real-time surveillance without requiring complex manual inspection systems.
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
Prevents or reduces shutdowns by continuing the feed process, enabling continuous operation and maintaining product usability, particularly for sensitive pharmaceuticals, by rectifying disturbances without interrupting the feed rail's vibrations.
Implementation Method 1
by means of the vibratory drive, vibrations can be applied to the vibrating spiral conveyor to move the small parts in the direction of the outlet
Implementation Method 2
to the feed rail to move the small parts along the feed rail
Implementation Method 3
vibrations can be applied to the intermediate rail to move the small parts along the intermediate rail in the direction of the feed rail
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a feeding device (1) for feeding small parts, in particular closure elements, comprising a vibrating spiral conveyor (20) having an outlet (200), a feed rail (20), which is arranged downstream of the outlet in the feed direction, and a vibratory drive (201, 211, 221), wherein, by means of the vibratory drive (201, 211, 212), vibrations can be applied to the vibrating spiral conveyor (20) to move the small parts in the direction of the outlet (200) and to the feed rail (21) to move the small parts along the feed rail (21), wherein an intermediate rail (22) is arranged between the outlet (200) of the vibrating spiral conveyor (20) and the feed rail (21), wherein vibrations can be applied to the intermediate rail (22) by means of the vibratory drive (201, 211, 221) to move the small parts along the intermediate rail (22) in the direction of the feed rail (21), wherein a monitoring device (3), associated with the intermediate rail (22), is provided, wherein the monitoring device (3) is designed to detect an abnormality and/or disturbance in the movement of the small parts along the intermediate rail (22), and wherein the feeding device is designed to temporarily interrupt the application of vibrations to the intermediate rail (22) and to the vibrating spiral conveyor (20) to rectify an abnormality and/or disturbance without interrupting the application of vibrations to the feed rail (21) for moving the small parts along the feed rail (21). The invention further relates to a method for feeding small parts.