Multi-Carrier Transport Control With Event-Driven Station Transfer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current transport systems with multiple stations require unnecessary stopping and memory overhead due to unstructured tracking of transport elements, leading to delays and increased costs, as each station must manage all possible elements and rely on transfer points for orderly transfers.
Innovation Solution
A method where each transport element is assigned a virtual instance linked to the preceding and following elements, allowing event-controlled transfer between stations without traditional transfer points, using a control unit to manage instances and reduce memory requirements by creating a global pool of instances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional transfer points and unstructured memory tracking are used, then transport elements can be managed at each station, but unnecessary stopping occurs and memory overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies (instances) of transport elements in memory that mirror the physical elements. These instances are transferred between stations virtually, allowing the physical transport element to move continuously without stopping at transfer points. The virtual instance tracking enables orderly management while eliminating unnecessary physical stops.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical transfer point system with a virtual memory-based tracking system. Instead of physically transferring transport elements between station memories at designated transfer points, the system uses a centralized memory structure where instances are updated virtually, allowing continuous physical movement without mechanical transfer interruptions.
2Loss of information
If each station has dedicated memory for all possible transport elements, then complete tracking is possible, but memory costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the memory resources of all stations into a single centralized memory pool. Instead of each station having dedicated memory for all possible transport elements, the system uses one shared memory structure where instances are allocated dynamically, significantly reducing total memory requirements while maintaining complete tracking capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal memory pool that serves all stations simultaneously. This single memory structure can track any transport element anywhere in the system, replacing the need for multiple station-specific memory allocations. The memory is used efficiently by tracking only the actual positions of transport elements rather than reserving space for all possibilities at each station.
3Ease of operation
If transfer points are used for orderly transfers, then stations can manage transport elements, but additional memory and complexity are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the transfer point functionality from the physical system and relocates it to the virtual memory domain. The complex mechanical transfer points and their associated control logic are removed, replaced by simple virtual instance updates in memory. This maintains ease of operation while dramatically reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces virtual instances as intermediaries between the physical transport elements and the station control systems. These instances mediate the tracking and management functions, allowing stations to manage transport elements easily through virtual references without complex physical transfer mechanisms or large memory structures.
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
This approach eliminates unnecessary stopping, reduces memory needs, and simplifies the handling of transport elements by enabling efficient, event-controlled transfers and maintaining the sequence of elements, thereby improving system efficiency and reducing costs.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of linear motors that are arranged in a row and have a guide track, a plurality of transport elements that can be moved along the guide track by means of the linear motors
Data Source
AI summary
A method serves to operate a transport system, in particular a multi-carrier system, that comprises a plurality of linear motors that are arranged in a row and have a guide track, a plurality of transport elements that can be moved along the guide track by means of the linear motors, and a plurality of stations along the guide track, wherein each of the transport elements is associated with one of the stations. The method has the following steps:generating an instance for each of the transport elements,generating a list for each of the stations, wherein the instance for each of the transport elements associated with the respective station is associated with the list, and wherein, within the respective list, the instance of each transport element is linked to the instance of the transport element directly ahead of the observed transport element and to the instance of the transport element directly behind the observed transport element,transferring a transport element from a first station to a directly following second station and inserting the instance of this transport element into the list of the second station if a transport job that goes beyond the first station is present for the transport element,wherein the transfer of the instance takes place in an event-controlled manner and independently of a transfer point if a predetermined transfer condition is fulfilled, andcontrolling the linear motors to execute travel jobs of the transport elements.