Endless Conveyor Order Allocation via Preliminary Evaluation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing conveying systems face inefficiencies due to long staging times for orders with multiple goods, which affects the logistic capacity and overall throughput at goods sinks, leading to reduced efficiency and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize an endless conveyor system with multiple connected goods sinks, where complete orders are evaluated for suitability based on characteristics of both the goods and sinks, allowing for optimized allocation and reduced staging times through automated evaluation and allocation processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If goods are randomly distributed in the endless conveyor, then the system is simple to operate, but the staging time increases significantly for orders with multiple goods
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs preliminary evaluation and allocation of complete orders to goods sinks before the goods physically arrive at the sinks. By detecting goods and forming complete order lists in advance, the system determines optimal allocation beforehand, reducing the staging time when goods actually need to be delivered.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual or mechanical allocation methods with an automated control unit that uses detection technology and algorithmic evaluation. The control unit automatically evaluates complete orders based on characteristics of goods and goods sinks, substituting mechanical distribution with intelligent automated decision-making.
2Quantity of substance
If the order size increases, then more goods can be processed per order, but the staging time approaches the circulation time
Solution Approach 1:
For larger orders containing multiple goods, the system performs preliminary detection and forms complete order lists before all goods have circulated through the entire conveyor. The control unit evaluates and allocates these complete orders in advance, so that when the last goods of a large order arrive at the assigned goods sink, they can be immediately processed without waiting for the full circulation time.
3Productivity
If more goods sinks are added to increase throughput, then the logistic capacity increases, but the device complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the goods sinks multi-functional by enabling each sink to handle multiple different complete orders through automated evaluation and dynamic allocation. The control unit assigns different orders to different sinks based on real-time characteristics, allowing each goods sink to serve multiple order types rather than being dedicated to a single order, thereby increasing throughput without proportionally increasing the number of sinks.
Data Source
AI summary
A conveying method for goods comprising the method steps of providing goods for multiple orders, wherein the goods are conveyed in conveyor containers in an endless conveyor along a goods conveying direction, detecting the goods provided in the endless conveyor, forming a list of complete orders on the basis of the goods provided in the endless conveyor, defining ordered goods as goods included in at least one of the complete orders, automatically evaluating the complete orders with regard to their suitability for allocation to one of multiple goods sinks, taking into account at least one characteristic of the ordered goods and/or the goods sinks, wherein the goods sinks are connected to the endless conveyor in terms of conveying technology, allocating a complete order to one of the goods sinks in dependence on the evaluation, and conveying the allocated ordered goods to the goods sink.