Overhead Conveyor Hanging Pockets with Interchangeable Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing overhead conveyor systems struggle to adapt flexibly to different types of goods in terms of shape, size, and material, particularly in automated warehouses and production facilities where diverse items need to be transported and assembled.
Innovation Solution
The overhead conveyor system features a hanging pocket design comprising a base assembly and an interchangeable element, allowing for easy adaptation to various items by using different materials and sizes for the interchangeable elements, which can be easily attached and detached without tools, facilitating cleaning and reducing assembly time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the hanging pocket is designed with a fixed structure to ensure stability during transport, then transport reliability is improved, but adaptability to different types of goods deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hanging pocket is divided into a base assembly (containing the attachment means and rigid edge contour area) and an interchangeable element (containing the second pocket side wall). This segmentation allows the stable base assembly to remain fixed while the interchangeable element can be changed to adapt to different goods, thus resolving the contradiction between transport reliability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The base assembly is designed as a universal component that can accommodate multiple types of interchangeable elements through the attachment means. This allows a single base assembly to serve multiple functions by accepting different interchangeable elements tailored to different goods types, maintaining reliability while enabling versatility.
2Ease of manufacture
If the hanging pocket is designed as an integrated structure to simplify manufacturing, then ease of manufacture is improved, but adaptability to different goods deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the hanging pocket into a base assembly and an interchangeable element, the patent maintains relatively simple manufacturing for each component while enabling adaptability through the interchangeable element. The base assembly can be manufactured once and reused, while only the interchangeable element needs to be changed for different goods.
3Device complexity
If the hanging pocket uses a fixed design to reduce complexity, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different goods deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The segmentation into base assembly and interchangeable element actually reduces overall system complexity by allowing standardization of the base assembly. The complex adaptability requirements are isolated to the interchangeable element, which can be designed and changed independently without affecting the base assembly structure.
4Productivity
If the hanging pocket is designed with a single-piece construction to reduce assembly time, then productivity is improved, but ease of cleaning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the hanging pocket into removable components (base assembly and interchangeable element), the patent enables easier cleaning by allowing the interchangeable element to be detached and washed separately, particularly when made of machine-washable textile material. The assembly time increase is offset by the operational benefit of easier cleaning.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3~5b
AI summary
Hanging pocket system comprising at least two hanging pockets (10) in an overhead conveyor, with a first pocket side wall (12) and a second pocket side wall (14) which can be opened and closed to open and close a conveying material receiving area (16), and with a suspension element (20), wherein the first pocket side wall (12) has a rigid edge contour region (12r) and is pivotably connected to the suspension element (20) about a pivot axis (26), and wherein the second pocket side wall (14) is connected to the suspension element (20) such that by pivoting the first pocket side wall (12) about the pivot axis (26), the first and the second pocket side walls (12, 14) can be opened and closed, wherein the hanging pockets (10) differ in at least one aspect of the size, shape, and material of the second pocket side wall (14) or of the interchangeable element (60).wherein at least the edge contour areas (12r) and the attachment means (20), preferably the base assemblies (50), for which at least two hanging pockets (10) are identical.