Article Transport Facility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing article transport facilities face challenges in downsizing and simplification due to the need for temporary mounting sections between transfer devices, which restricts operation timing and increases facility complexity.
Innovation Solution
The article transport facility design includes a first transfer device with a fork that can pass through a communication section to directly transfer articles to a second transfer device, eliminating the need for temporary mounting sections by supporting the article with a posture where the supported surface intersects with the fork's movement trajectory, allowing for direct transfer without intermediate mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a picking station is provided between transfer devices for temporary article placement, then article transfer operation is easily performed with little restriction on operation timings, but the facility size increases and configuration becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the picking station from the system by implementing direct fork-to-fork transfer. The first fork can directly place articles onto the second fork without requiring an intermediate picking station, thereby removing the associated space and structural complexity while maintaining transfer functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the transfer function directly between forks by positioning the second fork's support section and communication section to receive articles directly from the first fork. This combines what were previously separate operations (transfer to picking station, then transfer from picking station) into a single direct transfer action
2Productivity
If a picking station is provided between transfer devices, then article transfer operation is easily performed, but the facility requires additional space and downsizing becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The picking station and its associated space are completely removed from the facility. The direct fork-to-fork transfer mechanism eliminates the need for any intermediate mounting section, thereby reducing the overall facility footprint and enabling downsizing while maintaining productive article transfer operations
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the vertical dimension by positioning the communication section to allow the first fork to pass through in the up-down direction. This three-dimensional approach enables direct transfer without requiring additional horizontal space that would be needed for a traditional picking station layout
Data Source
AI summary
A second fork of a second transfer device includes a support section with a supporting surface for supporting an article, a fork disposition space disposed below the supporting surface such that a first fork projecting along a first advancing and retracting direction is disposed in the fork disposition space, and a communication section allowing the fork disposition space to communicate with an upper space above the supporting surface in an up-down direction. The first fork is passable through the communication section in the up-down direction.