Temperature-Controlled Delivery Compartment With Item-Positioning Conveyor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Temperature-controlled delivery vehicles often waste space and face access issues due to inefficient storage configurations, where larger areas are kept at refrigerated or freezing temperatures, and desired items are difficult to access.
Innovation Solution
A delivery vehicle with a temperature-controlled compartment and a conveyor mechanism that can be controlled by a circuit to position items adjacent to an access door, optimizing access and reducing cooling costs by minimizing door opening time through GPS and delivery route data integration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a larger area is kept at refrigerated or freezing temperatures to ensure item preservation, then item preservation is improved, but energy consumption and cooling costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The storage compartment is divided into multiple temperature zones (refrigerated zone and freezing zone) that can be independently controlled. This segmentation allows the system to maintain refrigeration only in the specific area where items require it, rather than cooling the entire storage space, thereby reducing energy consumption while ensuring proper item preservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor mechanism pre-positions items near the access door before delivery is needed. This preliminary action allows for faster item retrieval, reducing the duration that the door must remain open and minimizing cold air loss, thereby reducing the energy required to maintain refrigeration.
2Volume of stationary object
If traditional storage configuration is used to maximize storage capacity, then storage capacity is improved, but item accessibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor mechanism provides dynamic item positioning, allowing items to be automatically moved along the conveyor track and positioned at the access door as needed. This dynamic system maintains full storage capacity while enabling easy access to any item without requiring manual retrieval from deep within the storage compartment.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor mechanism acts as an intermediary between the deep storage areas and the access door. It facilitates item transfer from any location in the storage compartment to the door area, solving the accessibility problem while preserving maximum storage capacity.
3Ease of operation
If door opening time is extended to access items, then item accessibility is improved, but refrigeration efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Items are pre-positioned near the access door using the conveyor mechanism before delivery is required. This preliminary positioning minimizes the time the door needs to remain open for item retrieval, reducing cold air loss and maintaining refrigeration efficiency while ensuring quick access when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor mechanism enables rapid item transport to the door position, allowing the system to quickly complete the delivery action and close the door, minimizing the duration of refrigeration loss and improving overall energy efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
In some embodiments, systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to temperature-controlled delivery of items. A conveyor mechanism disposed within a temperature-controlled compartment of a delivery vehicle can provide easy access to items within the compartment. In some embodiments, the conveyor mechanism can be operated by a control circuit to convey items within the compartment to position the items adjacent to the access door according to various inputs.