Automatic Container Loading Plant with Guided Cantilever Beam
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in automatically loading palletized merchandise into completely closed containers with only one rear opening, which poses difficulties due to limited space and potential mechanical stress on the container.
Innovation Solution
A plant comprising a movable carriage with cantilevered prongs, a sliding beam, and a vertically movable seizing apparatus allows for efficient loading by positioning the beam close to the container, minimizing mechanical stress and avoiding interference with the container floor, using a guide supported by pins to prevent hyperstatic loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If the beam is positioned close to the container to minimize mechanical stress, then the mechanical stress on the container is reduced, but the space for inserting the load is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The solution moves the loading operation from a horizontal approach (from the rear opening) to a vertical approach (from above through the roof opening). The beam is positioned vertically above the container and inserts loads downward, utilizing the vertical dimension to bypass the limited rear opening space while maintaining close proximity to the container for minimal mechanical stress.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is accessed through multiple separate openings: the rear opening for initial positioning and the roof opening for actual load insertion. This segmentation allows the beam to approach the container from above through the roof opening, avoiding the spatial constraints of the rear opening while keeping the beam close to the container structure.
2Manufacturing precision
If the beam enters inside the container for precise positioning, then loading precision is improved, but the cantilevered portion length increases causing hyperstatic loads
Solution Approach 1:
A guide structure is introduced as an intermediary element between the beam and the container. The guide is fixed to the container and receives the beam, providing a constrained path for the beam to follow. This allows the beam to enter the container for precise positioning while the guide supports the beam, preventing excessive cantilevered loads and hyperstatic conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the structural parameters by introducing a guided insertion mechanism. Instead of a simple cantilevered beam extending into the container, the beam moves within a guide that provides lateral support and constraint. This parameter change transforms the structural behavior from a vulnerable cantilever to a supported insertion, maintaining precision while reducing stress.
Data Source
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AI summary
Plant for the automatic loading of a container with ordered stacks of sacks (14) comprising: at least one movable carriage (20) movable along a first direction; said movable carriage (20) having a plurality of first prongs (23) placed cantilevered; a guide (31 ) aligned with said container (12); a beam (32) sliding inside said guide (31 ) along a second direction perpendicular to said first direction; a seizing apparatus (44), having second prongs (48), associated to one end of said beam (32); said second prongs (48) being insertable with said first prongs (23); said at least one movable carriage (20) being movable from a first receiving position for receiving said ordered stacks of sacks (14) on said first prongs (23), to a second position where said first prongs (23) are located above said second prongs (48); said second prongs (48) being vertically movable; said beam (32) being longitudinally movable for entering inside said container (12).