Article Conveying Device with Dynamic Temporary Placement Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing article conveying systems lack a criterion for determining whether to temporarily place articles on a temporary placement table, leading to potential overflow when a large number of articles are supplied, and fail to efficiently manage cases where articles are either excessively or insufficiently supplied relative to container capacity.
Innovation Solution
An article conveying device equipped with detecting sections to monitor the position and posture of articles and containers, a working machine to handle article placement and relocation, and a controlling section that automatically decides when to place articles on a temporary placement section based on predicted arrival times and distances, ensuring continuous and constant article conveyance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a temporary placement table is used to store articles, then articles can be buffered when supply exceeds container capacity, but the temporary placement table may overflow when a large number of articles are supplied without proper management
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit continuously monitors the number of articles on the temporary placement table and dynamically adjusts the robot's article pickup decisions based on this feedback. When the table reaches a predetermined threshold, the system stops placing articles there and instead places them directly into containers, preventing overflow while maximizing buffer utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the robot's behavior mode based on real-time conditions. The robot alternates between two modes: placing articles on the temporary placement table (buffer mode) and placing articles directly into containers (direct placement mode), with the switching decision made dynamically based on the current article count on the table and container availability.
2Productivity
If multiple robots are used to contain articles efficiently, then containing operation speed increases, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The single robot dynamically adjusts its operational mode based on system conditions. It can switch between picking articles from the supply conveyor and placing them on the temporary placement table, or picking articles from the temporary placement table and placing them into containers. This dynamic behavior allows one robot to perform the work that would otherwise require multiple dedicated robots.
Solution Approach 2:
The single robot is designed to perform multiple functions: it can both transfer articles from the supply conveyor to the temporary placement table and transfer articles from the temporary placement table to containers. This multi-functionality replaces what would traditionally require multiple specialized robots, reducing system complexity while maintaining productivity.
3Speed
If articles are placed directly from supply conveyor to container, then conveyance speed is fast, but the system cannot handle cases where articles are excessively or insufficiently supplied relative to container capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The temporary placement table serves as an intermediary buffer between the supply conveyor and containers. It decouples the direct transfer relationship, allowing the system to handle mismatches between article supply rate and container capacity. The robot mediates the transfer process, deciding dynamically whether to use the intermediary table or transfer directly based on current system state.
Data Source
AI summary
An article conveying device having a temporary placement section and capable of conveying articles. The article conveying device has: a supplying section configured to sequentially convey or supply plural articles; a discharging section configured to sequentially convey plural containers for containing the articles; a temporary placement section on which at least one article can be temporarily placed; a first detecting section configured to detect a position/posture of the article on the supplying section and successively detect an amount of movement of the supplying section; a second detecting section configured to detect a position/posture of the container on the discharging section and successively detect an amount of movement of the discharging section; a working machine configured to convey the article between the supplying section, the temporary placement section and the discharging section; and a controlling section configured to control the working machine based on a predetermined condition.