Loop Conveyor Sorting Center Injection Architecture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sorting centers face limitations in throughput due to kinematic constraints of conveying devices, leading to increased facility size and costs, with existing architectures not optimizing conveyor use efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A logistics installation with a loop conveyor that interlaces pre-sorting devices and injection zones, allowing for balanced distribution of articles across injection and exit zones using a control-command unit to optimize conveyor use based on pre-sorting information, enabling higher operational throughput without altering mechanical characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the size of sorting centers is increased to increase throughput capacity, then the processing speed and capacity are improved, but the cost and influence on the soil are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the conveyor loop into multiple injection zones and exit zones, with pre-sorting devices dividing articles into different streams that are injected at alternating zones. This segmentation allows parallel processing of multiple article streams simultaneously, increasing throughput without requiring a proportional increase in overall facility size.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a temporal dimension to conveyor utilization by implementing alternating injection zones that are activated at different times along the conveyor loop. This allows the same physical conveyor infrastructure to handle multiple sorted streams sequentially in time, effectively increasing capacity without expanding the physical footprint.
2Productivity
If conventional architectures are used with loop conveyors, then the system is simple to operate, but the conveyor use efficiency is not optimized
Solution Approach 1:
Articles are pre-sorted into different streams before being injected onto the conveyor loop. This preliminary sorting action allows the conveyor system to efficiently direct articles to their destination zones without requiring complex real-time decision-making during conveyance, optimizing throughput while managing complexity through upfront organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system monitors the positions of articles and the status of injection zones, dynamically controlling which pre-sorting devices inject articles into which zones. This feedback mechanism ensures optimal utilization of the conveyor loop by adjusting injection patterns based on real-time system state, thereby maximizing efficiency without requiring overly complex fixed architecture.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
Logistics installation (200) for sorting articles comprising a loop conveyor (210) comprising P pre-sorting devices (PT1, PT2) for articles, injection zones (ZI-1, ZI-2, ZI-3, ZI-4, ZI-5, ZI-6) for articles pre-sorted onto the conveyor, and exit zones (ZS-1, ZS-2, ZS-3, ZS-4, ZS-5, ZS-6) for unloading articles from the conveyor, the injection zones alternating one after the other with the exit zones along the conveyor, in which each injection zone is connected to only one pre-sorting device and each pre-sorting device is connected to one of the injection zones every P injection zones considered sequentially along the conveyor.