Rotatable Carousel Cabinet for Last Mile Delivery Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current storage and retrieval systems face challenges in efficiently managing high volumes of items, particularly in urban areas, where 'last mile delivery' issues arise due to consumers often being away during delivery times, necessitating innovative solutions for secure and accessible storage and dispensing of items.
Innovation Solution
A modular storage cabinet with rotatable carousels and compartments, allowing for secure storage and efficient dispensing of items through a system of intake and outtake chutes and bins, enabling random access and customizable capacity, which can be placed in urban centers to address 'last mile delivery' challenges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated storage and retrieval systems are used to manage high volumes of items, then storage capacity and retrieval efficiency are improved, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is divided into multiple independent carousels, each with its own compartments. Each carousel can rotate and operate independently to service its designated portal sector, breaking down the large complex system into manageable modular units that can be accessed separately
Solution Approach 2:
The carousels are designed to rotate dynamically to bring different compartments into alignment with the portal sector. This dynamic positioning allows the system to adapt to different storage and retrieval needs without requiring a completely complex reconfiguration of the entire system
2Quantity of substance
If multiple carousels with compartments are implemented to increase storage capacity, then item storage capability is improved, but mechanical complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Storage capacity is increased by adding more carousels rather than making each carousel more complex. Each carousel maintains a simple rotational mechanism with multiple compartments, and the system scales capacity by replicating these simple modular units
Solution Approach 2:
Each carousel is designed with universal functionality to store and retrieve various items. The same rotational mechanism and compartment structure are reused across multiple carousels, reducing the need for different complex mechanical designs for different storage needs
3Ease of operation
If carousels are made accessible from multiple sides to improve accessibility, then ease of operation is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire carousel structure accessible from multiple sides simultaneously, the system rotates the carousel to bring the needed compartment to a single accessible portal sector. This inverts the approach by making the item accessible through rotation rather than making the structure openly accessible from all directions
Data Source
AI summary
A cabinet for storing items has at least one carousel rotatable about an axis of the cabinet, and each carousel has a plurality of compartments formed about the axis. The cabinet is structured to store items into the compartments or discharge items out of the compartments.