Matrix Sorting System Conveyor Blockage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 'goods-to-person' sorting systems face conveyor line blockage issues due to frequent travel of stock boxes, limiting the number of sorting stations and maximum operating capacity.
Innovation Solution
A matrix sorting system with multiple branch lines and ring sorters, where stock boxes are routed based on order information and capacity optimization principles to minimize tailing boxes, order splits, and sorting stations, allowing a single stock box to complete sorting for all required orders at a ring sorter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If stock boxes travel to multiple sorting stations via conveyor lines, then sorting operations can be performed, but conveyor line blockage occurs and operating capacity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the sorting function into multiple independent sorting stations (first sorting station, second sorting station, etc.) distributed along the conveyor line. Each sorting station handles specific sorting tasks independently, allowing stock boxes to be sorted at different stations simultaneously rather than all traveling to a single station, thereby preventing conveyor blockage while maintaining high operating capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a linear single-station sorting approach to a multi-dimensional matrix layout where sorting stations are arranged in multiple rows and columns along the conveyor line. Stock boxes can be sorted at different spatial positions (different dimensions) along the conveyor, enabling parallel sorting operations that increase throughput without causing blockage
2Productivity
If the number of sorting stations is increased to handle large-scale sorting, then operating capacity improves, but conveyor line pressure increases causing blockage
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the sorting function from a single centralized location and distributes it across multiple sorting stations along the conveyor line. Each sorting station handles a portion of the sorting workload, extracting pressure from the conveyor line while maintaining high order completion capacity through parallel processing at multiple stations
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary routing decisions to assign stock boxes to appropriate sorting stations before they reach those stations. The control device determines which sorting station should handle each stock box based on the goods to be sorted, allowing stock boxes to be directed to the most appropriate station in advance, optimizing conveyor line flow and preventing blockage
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a sorting scheduling method, apparatus and matrix sorting system in the field of warehousing and logistics technology, wherein the matrix sorting system includes multiple branch lines and multiple ring sorters, each branch line spans multiple ring sorters, each ring sorter is spanned by multiple branch lines, each branch line is provided with multiple sorting stations at each ring sorter, each said branch line is used to convey a stock box to the corresponding sorting station, and the sorted goods to be packaged at said sorting station flow on the corresponding ring sorter. The present disclosure adopts the matrix sorting form, and the order quantity completed by a sorting station can be increased dozens of times compared to the existing sorting station layout, which alleviates the problem of conveyor line blockage and realizes large-scale sorting operations.