Conveyor Jam Prevention Through Event Detection and Object Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor systems face challenges in detecting and addressing jams or events caused by conveyed objects that could lead to disruptions in the transport path, necessitating a system capable of identifying and removing such objects to prevent further issues.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor system equipped with an event detector and a removal processor that identifies triggering events and transports problematic objects to a designated removal area, ensuring they do not reach the intended destination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the conveyor system monitors traversal time to detect jams, then jam detection capability is improved, but the system cannot identify and remove problematic objects before they cause disruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of problematic conveyed objects using the event detector before they can cause jams or disruptions. By identifying objects that may cause events (such as those with abnormal weight, dimensions, or properties) before they reach critical points in the transport path, the system can remove them in advance, preventing jams from occurring in the first place rather than merely detecting them after they happen.
2Productivity
If the conveyor system continues transporting all objects to the destination, then throughput is maintained, but problematic objects cause jams and disruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts problematic conveyed objects from the main transport stream by diverting them to a removal area. The removal processor identifies objects that have been detected as potentially problematic by the event detector and redirects them away from the main conveyor path before they can reach the transport destination or cause jams. This extraction approach allows the majority of normal objects to continue moving through the system maintaining throughput, while problematic objects are selectively removed to preserve transport path stability.
3Reliability
If the system removes objects that may cause events, then occurrence of jams is prevented, but additional processing complexity is introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary removal processor that acts as a mediator between the event detector and the conveyor mechanism. This intermediary component receives detection signals from the event detector, determines whether objects are problematic, and controls the diversion to the removal area. By using this intermediary layer, the system adds minimal complexity only where needed for detection and removal decisions, while the main conveyor mechanism remains relatively simple and unchanged.
Data Source
AI summary
Conveyor system may comprise conveyor mechanism(s) provided with transport path(s) along which conveyed object(s) are conveyed to transport destination(s); electric current detector(s) and/or abnormality detector(s) that detect triggering event(s) which may be event(s) occurring at conveyor mechanism(s) due to conveyed object(s) during transport of conveyed object(s); and removal processor(s) that, when triggering event(s) detected by electric current detector(s) and/or abnormality detector(s) satisfy triggering condition(s), cause conveyed object(s) to be transported by conveyor mechanism(s) to removal area(s) which are not transport destination(s).