High-Capacity Tote Collapser With Collapsible Sidewalls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inventory systems face challenges in efficiently storing and transporting high-capacity totes due to low stacking density and inefficient use of space, with moving empty totes being costly and space-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A tote collapser system with collapsible sidewalls and a mounting frame, utilizing collapser brackets and a linear actuator to automatically or manually collapse sidewalls, allowing for efficient nesting and stacking of totes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If high-capacity totes with large volumes and straight sidewalls are used to store and transport items, then the ability to accommodate additional items is improved, but the stacking density decreases resulting in inefficient use of space
Solution Approach 1:
The tote sidewalls are designed to be collapsible rather than fixed, allowing the tote volume to dynamically change between expanded (for storage) and collapsed (for transport) states. This dynamic transformation resolves the contradiction by enabling high capacity when needed while minimizing space when empty.
Solution Approach 2:
Collapsed totes are designed to nest within other totes, creating a nested configuration that maximizes stacking density during transport. This nesting capability allows multiple empty totes to occupy the space of a single tote, directly addressing the space efficiency problem.
2Adaptability or versatility
If empty high-capacity totes are moved to a secondary location, then the ability to accommodate additional items at the original location is limited, but the cost of moving empty totes becomes prohibitively expensive
Solution Approach 1:
Empty totes are collapsed and nested within other totes for transport, dramatically reducing the number of totes that need to be moved. This nesting approach reduces transportation costs and energy consumption while maintaining the ability to quickly deploy totes where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The collapsible sidewall mechanism allows totes to transition between expanded and collapsed states, enabling cost-effective transport of empty totes in a compact form while maintaining full capacity when deployed at storage locations.
3Ease of operation
If manual collapsing of tote sidewalls is performed, then the operation becomes ergonomically challenging and time-consuming, but automated collapsing systems increase device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The collapsing mechanism is divided into discrete components including collapser brackets, latches, and actuator elements that can be independently manufactured and assembled. This segmentation allows for modular design that balances automation capability with manufacturing simplicity and ease of maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The tote design incorporates self-latching mechanisms and gravity-assisted collapsing features that reduce the complexity of automated systems. The structure is designed to collapse with minimal intervention, combining manual simplicity with automated assistance where most beneficial.
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
Enhances storage capacity and space efficiency by collapsing sidewalls of high-capacity totes, enabling compact transportation and increased density of stacked totes, thereby optimizing inventory management.
Implementation Method 1
A tote collapser may include a mounting frame and a set of collapser brackets coupled to frame members of the mounting frame. The frame members may be moved via a linear actuator.
Data Source
AI summary
A tote collapser can be used for unlatching and collapsing walls of a shippable tote. The collapser includes a mounting frame, and a set of collapser brackets. The mounting frame can include a first frame member and a second frame member movable relative to each other. The set of collapser brackets can include a first and a second collapser brackets attached to the first frame member, and a third and a fourth collapser brackets attached to the second frame member. Each collapser bracket can include an indexer shaped to align the tote in a specified orientation, a retainer extending perpendicularly from the indexer and configured to engage with top side of the sidewalls, a bumper shaped to engage with a latch on a sidewall of the tote, and a receiving space between the indexer and the bumper to receive a thickness portion of the sidewall of the tote.