Gondola Deflection and Independent Drive Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intermediate storage systems face issues with gondola collisions due to insufficient gap between vertically transported gondolas, oscillations leading to product loss, and mechanically resource-intensive common drives causing imprecisions and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
The system features independently actuated intake and output stations with variable receiving capacity, using carrier plates and elevators with chain pairs and deflecting devices to minimize gondola gaps and prevent collisions, along with separate drives for each chain pair to eliminate common drive inefficiencies and imprecisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the gap between successive catches is reduced to minimize the gap between gondolas, then the space utilization is improved, but the gondola collides with the following gondola during movement over the chain wheel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the chain wheel radius variable rather than fixed. The chain wheel radius is adjusted dynamically based on the gap between gondolas - when the gap is small, the radius is increased to provide a larger arc for gondola passage, preventing collision. This resolves the contradiction by allowing small gaps while maintaining collision-free operation through adaptive geometric parameters.
2Device complexity
If a common drive is used for both chain lines to reduce mechanical complexity, then the device complexity is reduced, but imprecisions arise from production and assembly tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the common drive into two independent drives, one for each chain line. This allows each chain line to be controlled and adjusted independently, compensating for manufacturing tolerances and distortion. The segmentation resolves the contradiction by sacrificing some mechanical simplicity to achieve the required precision through independent adjustment capabilities.
3Productivity
If the gap between successive gondolas is minimized, then the productivity is improved, but the gondola swings at upper deflections causing product to slip or fall out
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the chain wheel radius variable to adapt to different operating conditions. When gondolas are conveyed at high speed with minimal gaps, the radius is adjusted to reduce the deflection angle and centrifugal forces, thereby stabilizing the gondolas and preventing product spillage. This resolves the contradiction by dynamically optimizing the geometric parameters for both high productivity and product stability.
Data Source
AI summary
An intermediate storage including an intake station and an output station, two vertical conveyors, and two horizontal conveyors forming a conveying circuit with the two vertical conveyors. All conveyors are in a form of chain conveyors. The two vertical conveyors each include chains including catches and are arranged in pairs, each with an individual chain drive. Level differences which occur in operation between transferring edgers of unit load suppliers and carrier plates can be identified and corrected immediately. To keep a mutual gap between successive gondolas small, the gondola of a gondola pair that is running ahead is deflected sideways in the region of the deflection. A collision with the following gondola is thus reliably avoided.