Concentric Disc Fastener Storage with Machine-Readable Identifiers
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Solution Overview
Problem
In manufacturing processes, fasteners are often disorganized and provided in random orientations, leading to inefficiencies in assembly, as they are typically stored in boxes by size and dispensed through tubes with varied orientations, causing delays and potential lodging issues.
Innovation Solution
A fastener storage system comprising a disc with multiple apertures of varying diameters arranged in concentric rings, each with a machine-readable identifier, allowing fasteners to be stored and retrieved in a standardized orientation, eliminating the need for tubes and improving accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If fasteners are provided through tubes, then fasteners can be delivered to end effectors, but fasteners exit with varied orientations and can become lodged in tubes
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments fasteners by organizing them in separate apertures arranged in concentric rings on a disc, with each aperture sized for a specific fastener diameter. This segmentation allows each fastener to be individually accessed and retrieved in a consistent orientation, eliminating the orientation variability and lodging issues associated with tube-based delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from one-dimensional tube-based delivery to a two-dimensional disc surface with concentric rings of apertures. This dimensional change allows fasteners to be organized and retrieved from multiple radial positions while maintaining consistent orientation, solving the orientation consistency problem inherent in linear tube delivery.
2Ease of manufacture
If fasteners are stored in boxes by size, then fasteners are organized by diameter, but fasteners remain disorganized within boxes and require time to locate and retrieve
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-organizing fasteners in specific apertures on the disc according to their diameter requirements, with machine-readable identifiers pre-assigned to each aperture. This preliminary organization eliminates the need for time-consuming search and selection during retrieval operations, as the required fastener can be directly accessed from its predetermined location.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces manual search and selection in boxes with an automated identification system using machine-readable identifiers on the disc. This substitution of mechanical searching with automated identification significantly reduces retrieval time while maintaining the organizational structure by fastener size.
3Adaptability or versatility
If tubes are used to deliver fasteners, then fasteners can be transported to the manufacturing floor, but the system becomes complex and fasteners can become lodged
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the fastener storage and delivery function from the complex tube-based system and implements it on a simple disc surface with apertures. This extraction eliminates the need for tubes, reducing system complexity while maintaining the capability to deliver fasteners to end effectors through the simplified aperture-based interface.
4Adaptability or versatility
If fasteners are provided in random orientations, then all orientations can be accommodated, but assembly time increases due to lack of standardization
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies homogeneity by ensuring all fasteners are presented in a consistent, standardized orientation through the aperture-based retrieval mechanism. This uniform orientation across all fasteners, regardless of their original storage arrangement, enables faster and more efficient assembly operations while maintaining the ability to handle various fastener types.
Data Source
AI summary
Fastener storage is presented. The fastener storage comprises a disc with a plurality of apertures through a first face of the disc and arranged in a plurality of rings concentric with the disc, and a plurality of machine-readable identifiers on the first face of the disc.