Extendable Boom Loader Drawer Unit Pivoting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mail and parcel handling systems face challenges in efficiently loading packages into containers, leading to physical strain on workers due to heavy lifting and cramped working conditions, which can result in injuries and increased labor costs.
Innovation Solution
An extendable boom loader system with a distal boom element, package tray, and drawer unit that can pivot to reach the floor of a container, along with a package stop and securing mechanism to manage package flow, and sensors to control the loader's operation, minimizing manual labor and reducing mechanical stress on the deployment mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If packages are manually loaded into containers, then workers can directly place items, but physical strain and injuries increase due to heavy lifting and cramped conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical lifting and carrying with an automated extendable boom loader system that mechanically transports packages into containers, eliminating the need for workers to physically lift heavy items into elevated or confined spaces
Solution Approach 2:
The extendable boom loader acts as an intermediary device between the package source and container, providing a mechanical bridge that allows packages to be loaded without direct worker intervention in the hazardous loading zone
2Productivity
If the boom loader structure is extended to reach container floors, then package loading efficiency improves, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The boom loader is divided into multiple telescoping boom elements that can extend and retract independently, allowing the structure to reach container floors while maintaining manageable complexity through modular segmentation
Solution Approach 2:
The boom elements are nested within each other in a telescoping configuration, with each boom element containing the next smaller one, enabling compact storage when retracted and extended reach when deployed
3Ease of operation
If the package tray is extended from the boom element, then packages can be positioned for loading, but the deployment mechanism experiences increased mechanical stress
Solution Approach 1:
The package tray is designed as a dynamic component that can move between extended and retracted positions, allowing it to reach forward for package positioning while returning to a retracted position to minimize stress on the deployment mechanism during non-use
4Length of moving object
If the drawer unit is extended from the package tray, then reach to container floor is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The loading mechanism is segmented into hierarchical levels: boom elements, package tray, and drawer unit, with each segment providing incremental reach extension to achieve floor-level access while maintaining operational simplicity through modular design
Data Source
AI summary
An extendable boom loader and system. The extendable boom loader includes a distal boom element and a package tray. The boom element includes a package stop that moves to a first position blocking passage of packages and a second position allowing passage of packages, and a securing mechanism that holds the package stop in the first position. The package tray moves to first and second positions, respectively retracted within and extending from the boom element. The tray includes a tray package stop apparatus that prevents packages from sliding off a distal end of the tray. The distal boom element further includes a drawer unit that moves to first and second positions, respectively retracted within and extending from the tray. The drawer unit is configured to pivot down, while in its second position, to reach a floor of a container being loaded using the extendable boom loader.