Box Packing Contact Angle Control for Ordered High-Speed Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing box-packing apparatuses face inefficiencies in packing a large quantity of articles in a short amount of time and maintaining an ordered state.
Innovation Solution
A box-packing apparatus comprising a conveyance unit, alignment unit, transfer unit, contact unit, drive unit, and control unit, which aligns articles for overlapping, transfers them to a box-packing route, and adjusts the angle of contact surfaces to facilitate efficient packing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If articles are conveyed sequentially one by one, then the apparatus structure remains simple, but the packing time becomes excessively long for large quantities of articles
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus segments the article group into multiple rows that can be conveyed and packed simultaneously. The alignment unit divides articles into multiple parallel rows, and the conveyance unit transports these rows together, enabling parallel processing and significantly increasing packing throughput without requiring a completely complex system redesign
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple articles are merged into a single aligned group that moves together through the packing process. The alignment unit combines individual articles into an ordered group structure, and the contact unit applies force to the entire group simultaneously, allowing bulk handling that improves efficiency while maintaining manageable system complexity
2Quantity of substance
If articles are aligned to overlap partially, then packing density increases, but the alignment process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment unit employs a dynamic mechanism where articles are conveyed along an inclined surface that naturally guides them into overlapping positions. The gradual inclination allows articles to self-align through their own weight and movement, creating the desired overlapping configuration without requiring complex positioning mechanisms or additional actuators
Solution Approach 2:
Articles self-align into the desired overlapping configuration through their interaction with the inclined conveyance surface. The geometry of the alignment unit causes articles to naturally settle into overlapping positions as they move along the incline, eliminating the need for external alignment forces or complex control systems
3Productivity
If the contact unit moves articles at a constant angle, then the mechanism is simpler, but articles cannot be efficiently oriented for packing
Solution Approach 1:
The contact unit's inclination angle is dynamically adjusted during the article group's movement. The control unit varies the angle from a first angle during initial contact to a second angle during the pushing phase, optimizing article orientation and packing efficiency at different stages of the transfer process without requiring overly complex real-time control systems
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter (contact angle) of the contact unit to optimize performance. By adjusting the inclination angle from a first value to a second value during the packing operation, the system adapts to different stages of article transfer, improving packing efficiency while maintaining manageable control complexity through predefined angle transitions
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed box-packing apparatus can pack a large quantity of articles quickly and orderly. It includes a conveyance unit, an alignment unit, a transfer unit, a contact unit, a drive unit, and a control unit. The alignment unit aligns articles conveyed on the conveyance unite so that mutually adjacent ones partially overlap and form an article group. The transfer unit transfers article groups to a box-packing conveyance route. The contact unit contacts articles on the box-packing conveyance route starting-end side in the transferred article group. The drive unit drives the contact unit under control of the control unit, to move the contact unit in the alignment direction of the article group while the contact unit is contacting and supporting the articles on the box-packing conveyance route and increase the angle formed by a contact surface of the contact unit and a horizontal plane after the contact unit starts moving.