Differential Protruding Unit Spacing for Article Transport Stability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In article transport apparatuses, the movement of protruding/retracting units during acceleration or deceleration can cause articles to shift, leading to potential misalignment at transfer targets and reduced accommodation efficiency due to the need for increased spacing to prevent contact and movement issues.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus includes a first drive unit with a swing mechanism and a second drive unit with a reciprocating movement mechanism, allowing precise control of the spacing between protruding/retracting units to match article sizes, enabling safe transfer and withdrawal without article movement, while maintaining a compact configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the first protruding/retracting unit and the second protruding/retracting unit are moved by the same amount in the width direction, then the article can be safely prevented from moving during withdrawal, but the accommodation efficiency of the article at the transfer target location decreases due to increased spacing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies differential movement control where the first and second protruding/retracting units move by different amounts in the width direction. The control unit adjusts the movement amount of each unit based on article size, transitioning from fixed same-amount movement to dynamic differential movement. This resolves the contradiction by making the system adaptive rather than static.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit changes the movement parameter (width direction displacement) of the protruding/retracting units based on article dimensions. By varying the movement amount of each unit according to the specific article being handled, the system optimizes both article stability and space utilization, preventing excessive spacing while ensuring safety.
2Reliability
If the spacing between the first protruding/retracting unit and the second protruding/retracting unit in the width direction is increased to prevent article contact, then article movement is prevented, but the accommodation efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The spacing between the first and second protruding/retracting units is dynamically adjusted based on article size. The control unit calculates optimal spacing for each article, preventing excessive fixed spacing while ensuring adequate separation for safety. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between contact prevention and space utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different spacing requirements to different regions based on local article characteristics. Rather than using uniform spacing throughout, the control unit determines appropriate spacing for each specific article position and size, optimizing space utilization while maintaining necessary separation to prevent harmful contact.
3Device complexity
If the first protruding/retracting unit is not moved in the width direction during article transfer, then the configuration remains simple and compact, but the article may move and become offset from the correct position
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically determines when to move the first protruding/retracting unit in the width direction based on article characteristics and transfer conditions. The control unit activates width direction movement only when necessary to maintain positioning accuracy, avoiding unnecessary complexity while ensuring precision when required.
Solution Approach 2:
The first protruding/retracting unit is designed with multi-functionality, capable of both transfer direction movement and width direction movement. This allows the same component to serve multiple purposes: maintaining simplicity in basic configuration while enabling precision positioning when needed, resolving the contradiction between device simplicity and positioning accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A movement apparatus is provided that moves an article in a transfer direction. The movement apparatus is provided with a first protruding/retracting unit, a second protruding/retracting unit installed in a state spaced apart from the first protruding/retracting unit in the width direction, a first drive unit that moves the first protruding/retracting unit in the width direction, and a second drive unit that moves the second protruding/retracting unit in the width direction. The first drive unit is configured to move the first protruding/retracting unit in the width direction within a first setting range by swinging a first connection unit, and the second drive unit is configured to move the second protruding/retracting unit in the width direction within a second setting range wider than the first setting range by moving a second connection unit back and forth in a prescribed path.