Greenhouse Fruit Picking Box Transport via Sliding Rail
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Solution Overview
Problem
The transportation of picked fruits and vegetables in solar greenhouses is labor-intensive and time-consuming, requiring urgent solutions to improve efficiency during centralized picking periods.
Innovation Solution
A transportation device comprising a guide rail and a moving mechanism with a picking box, where the guide rail is fixed on supporting columns, and the moving mechanism, including a sliding block and connecting rod, allows the picking box to move along the guide rail, reducing labor and time required for transportation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual transportation is used for picked fruits and vegetables, then flexibility and simplicity are maintained, but labor intensity and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a moving mechanism as an intermediary device between the picking location and transportation destination. This mechanism includes a sliding block that moves along guide rails, carrying picking boxes filled with fruits and vegetables. The intermediary mechanism automates the transportation process, reducing manual labor intensity while maintaining operational flexibility within the greenhouse environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The transportation device enables self-service transportation by allowing the moving mechanism to autonomously transport picking boxes along the guide rails. The system does not require continuous manual intervention for each transportation task, as the mechanism can be set in motion and will transport the load automatically, significantly reducing labor input and time consumption.
2Productivity
If a transportation device with guide rail and moving mechanism is implemented, then labor intensity and time consumption are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transportation device is segmented into distinct functional modules: guide rails fixed to the greenhouse structure, moving mechanisms with sliding blocks, and picking boxes. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently and facilitates easy installation, maintenance, and adjustment within the greenhouse environment, reducing the overall complexity burden.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide rail system and moving mechanism are designed with universal application potential throughout the greenhouse. The same guide rail structure can support multiple moving mechanisms, and the picking boxes can be standardized for different crop types. This multi-functionality reduces the need for specialized components for each transportation task, thereby managing device complexity while enhancing productivity.
3Ease of operation
If the picking box is hung at the bottom of the moving mechanism, then loading and unloading becomes convenient, but the moving mechanism requires additional structural components
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of mounting the picking box on top of or alongside the moving mechanism, the design inverts the arrangement by hanging the picking box at the bottom of the moving mechanism. This inverted configuration allows for easier loading and unloading operations, as the box can be accessed from below, while the hanging connection minimizes the additional structural requirements compared to more complex mounting arrangements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device significantly reduces labor intensity and costs by facilitating efficient movement of picking boxes along the guide rail, enhancing work efficiency and ease of loading/unloading, thereby addressing the challenges of manual and labor-intensive transportation.
Implementation Method 1
a top of the moving mechanism is slidably connected to the guide rail
Data Source
AI summary
A transportation device for fruit and vegetable picking in a solar greenhouse is provided, which may include a guide rail, a moving mechanism and a picking box. The guide rail is horizontally fixed on side surfaces of multiple supporting columns in the solar greenhouse, an upper side and a lower side of the guide rail are respectively provided with horizontally extended sliding grooves, and a top of the moving mechanism is slidably connected to the guide rail through the sliding grooves, and the picking box is hung at a bottom of the moving mechanism. The transportation device is used to hang the picking box at a bottom of the moving mechanism, so that the moving mechanism can carry the picking box to move along the sliding grooves to transport the picking box to a destination, thereby saving time, saving labor and reducing a labor cost.