Adjustable Fork Gripper for Stable High-Speed Pallet Stacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stacking apparatuses struggle to efficiently and stably stack products of various dimensions and shapes on carriers like pallets or roller containers at high speeds, as they often result in unstable layers due to uneven heights and limited flexibility in positioning.
Innovation Solution
A gripper apparatus with individually adjustable forks and beams, capable of vertical and horizontal movement, allows for precise positioning and stacking of diverse products by maintaining products at different levels, enabling efficient and stable high-speed stacking on a single pallet or container.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional stacking apparatuses are used to stack products of various dimensions and shapes, then the stacking speed can be maintained, but the stacking stability and layer uniformity deteriorate due to limited positioning flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper head incorporates movable beams that can be independently adjusted in position and orientation, transforming a static gripping structure into a dynamic one. This allows the beams to adapt to different product dimensions and shapes while maintaining high-speed stacking operations, resolving the contradiction between stacking speed and stability
Solution Approach 2:
The gripper head is divided into multiple independent beams that can be individually positioned and oriented. This segmentation allows each beam to be optimally configured for specific products within the layer, enabling both high-speed operation and stable stacking of diverse products
2Adaptability or versatility
If the gripper uses fixed beams to hold products, then the device structure remains simple, but the adaptability to handle diverse product dimensions and shapes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The beams are made movable with independent adjustment capabilities, allowing the gripper to adapt to various product configurations. This dynamic structure provides high adaptability while maintaining relatively simple control mechanisms through centralized positioning systems
3Ease of operation
If products are stacked on uneven surfaces formed by products of different heights, then the next layer positioning becomes difficult, but maintaining all products at the same level reduces stacking flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The movable beams can be independently positioned at different heights and angles, allowing them to accommodate uneven product surfaces in the layer below. This enables easy positioning of the next layer products while maintaining the flexibility to handle diverse stacking configurations
Solution Approach 2:
Each beam can be independently adjusted to provide locally optimized support and positioning. This allows different parts of the gripper to accommodate different product heights and shapes, making positioning easier while preserving overall stacking flexibility
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for stacking objects (2) on a transport carrier. The apparatus is provided with a forming platform, a loading platform on which a transport carrier to be loaded, such as a pallet or a roller container, can be placed, and a gripper which is movable between the forming platform and the loading platform. The gripper comprises a support frame (32) which is provided with at least one row of parallel forks, which forks comprise an upright (36) to which a horizontal beam (39) is altached at a distance beneath the support frame (32), wherein the beams (39) can be moved backward and forward in their longitudinal direction, wherein each fork is individually adjustable vis-a-vis the support frame (32).