Container Gripper Frame With Guide Alignment and Obstruction Clearance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Gripping devices used by load handling devices often fail to properly align and securely engage with the top of storage containers due to obstructions, leading to incomplete or insecure gripping.
Innovation Solution
A gripping device with a frame having a downwardly extending peripheral wall and a gripping mechanism that can releasably grip containers from below, equipped with sensors, guide members, and a cable tensioner to ensure accurate alignment and secure engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the gripping device uses a traditional solid frame structure, then structural strength is improved, but obstructions cannot be accommodated and alignment with containers is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is segmented by introducing openings that divide the solid structure into separate regions, allowing obstructions to pass through while maintaining the overall structural integrity and strength of the frame
Solution Approach 2:
The frame structure is modified locally by adding openings in specific positions where obstructions are likely to occur, while keeping other portions of the frame solid to maintain structural strength where needed
2Device complexity
If the gripping device is lowered directly without alignment features, then device complexity is reduced, but alignment and engagement with containers becomes unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
Guide members are provided that extend below the frame to perform the alignment action preliminarily before the gripping mechanism engages with the container, ensuring proper positioning is established in advance
Solution Approach 2:
Guide members act as intermediary elements between the frame and the container, facilitating proper alignment and engagement without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms
3Use of energy by moving object
If cables are allowed to go slack during lifting operations, then energy consumption is reduced, but gripping reliability and safety are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The cable tensioner provides continuous feedback on cable tension status and automatically adjusts cable length to maintain proper tension, ensuring reliable gripping while optimizing energy usage by preventing excessive tensioning
Solution Approach 2:
The cable tensioner is configured to automatically regulate cable tension without external intervention, monitoring and adjusting cable length as needed to maintain optimal tension during lifting operations
Data Source
AI summary
A gripping device for being suspended from a load handling device for lifting and moving containers stacked in stacks in a grid storage structure including a plurality of tracks arranged in a grid pattern above the stacks of containers. The gripping device including a frame having a top side and a bottom side. The frame has a substantially downwardly extending peripheral wall defining at least one opening through the top side and bottom side of the frame. A gripping mechanism is mounted to the peripheral wall and is configured to releasably grip a container from below the frame.