Article Transport Facility with Inclined Support for Stable Weighing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing article transport facilities face issues where the stacked state of articles in a container is disrupted during weight measurement, leading to operational inefficiencies and potential interruptions.
Innovation Solution
The article transport facility includes a transport conveyor and a weighing device with a support portion that can change between a withdrawn and protruding state, and the support surface is inclined such that one corner of the container is lower than others, ensuring stable article stacking during weight measurement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the container is supported horizontally on the weighing device during weight measurement, then the weight measurement can be performed, but the stacked state of articles in the container is disrupted causing articles to collapse
Solution Approach 1:
The support surface is designed with an asymmetric inclination angle (5-15 degrees) relative to the horizontal plane, creating an asymmetric support configuration that prevents article collapse while enabling weight measurement. This asymmetric inclination causes articles to lean against the container wall rather than collapse inward, resolving the contradiction between measurement capability and stacking stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The support surface inclination angle is optimized within a specific range (5-15 degrees) to achieve the desired effect. By changing the angular parameter of the support surface, the system achieves both stable article stacking and accurate weight measurement, transforming the horizontal support into an inclined support that prevents collapse.
2Ease of operation
If the support portion is withdrawn downward to allow container placement, then the container can be loaded, but the weighing device cannot measure weight until the support protrudes
Solution Approach 1:
The support portion is designed to be movable between withdrawn and protruding states, allowing dynamic adaptation to different operational phases. During loading, the support is withdrawn for easy container placement; during measurement, it protrudes to provide inclined support. This dynamic positioning resolves the contradiction between loading ease and measurement readiness.
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
This configuration allows for accurate weight measurement while minimizing disruption to the stacked articles, maintaining operational efficiency by preventing the collapse of articles in the container.
Implementation Method 1
a support surface of the support portion for supporting the container is inclined such that one of a plurality of corner portions located at corners of the container is lower than all the other corner portions in a view along the vertical direction... articles stored in the container lean against a side wall portion of the container or the adjacent other articles
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
An article transport facility in which articles are unlikely to be disrupted in a container supported by a support portion of a weighing device is realized. The article transport facility is provided with a transport conveyor (34) and a weighing device (24), in which the weighing device (24) includes a support portion (28) for supporting a container (C1) and a measuring portion (30) configured to measure a weight of the container (C1) supported by the support portion (28), the article transport facility is configured to be able perform a state change between a withdrawn state in which the support portion (28) is withdrawn downward relative to a transport surface (34A) of the transport conveyor (34) and a protruding state in which the support portion (28) protrudes upward relative to the transport surface (34A), by moving the support portion (28) and the transport conveyor (34) relative to each other in a vertical direction (Z), and a support surface (28A) of the support portion (28) for supporting the container (C1) is inclined such that one corner portion (8A) of multiple corner portions (8) located at corners of the container (C1) is lower than the other corner portions (8) in a view along the vertical direction (Z).