Parallel Conveyance for Heavy Workpiece Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inspection systems face challenges in increasing the throughput of conveying heavy metal workpieces, such as connecting rods, due to limitations in moving speed, as enhancing the drive source capacity is insufficient to improve tact time effectively.
Innovation Solution
A conveying apparatus and method that utilize multiple movers and feeders to synchronize the movement and feeding of workpieces between imaging, inversion, and transfer positions, allowing for efficient parallel conveyance of workpieces from a first imaging position to an inversion position and then to a second imaging position, optimizing the conveyance process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the capacity of the drive source (motor) is enhanced to increase the moving speed of heavy metal workpieces, then the moving speed may be improved, but the device complexity and cost increase significantly without achieving effective throughput improvement
Solution Approach 1:
The conveying system is divided into multiple independent conveyors (first conveyor, second conveyor, third conveyor) that operate in parallel. Each conveyor handles a specific stage of workpiece transport, allowing the system to achieve high throughput without requiring any single drive source to be excessively powerful. This segmentation enables distributed power requirements while maintaining high overall speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single linear conveying path to a multi-dimensional parallel conveying architecture. Multiple conveyors operate simultaneously at different spatial positions and stages, creating a three-dimensional conveying network. This dimensional expansion allows the system to process multiple workpieces in parallel, effectively increasing throughput without requiring exponential increases in individual motor capacity.
2Productivity
If a single conveyor system is used to transport workpieces through all stages, then the device complexity is low, but the productivity and throughput are limited due to sequential processing
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection system is segmented into distinct functional stages (imaging stage, inversion stage, second imaging stage) with dedicated conveyors for each. This segmentation allows each conveyor to be optimized for its specific function and enables parallel operation, dramatically increasing overall productivity compared to a single sequential conveyor system.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple conveyor systems are merged into a coordinated parallel architecture where first conveyor, second conveyor, and third conveyor work simultaneously. The conveyors are synchronized to maintain proper timing and positioning, combining their individual capacities to achieve system-level throughput that exceeds the sum of sequential operations.
3Loss of time
If workpieces are conveyed sequentially through imaging, inversion, and re-imaging stages, then the device complexity is low, but the tact time is excessive due to lack of parallelism
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection process is segmented into parallel independent stages, each with its own conveyor system. While one workpiece is being imaged by the first imaging device, another workpiece can simultaneously be conveyed through the inversion stage by the second conveyor, and a third workpiece can be prepared for the second imaging stage by the third conveyor. This segmentation eliminates waiting time and reduces tact time significantly.
Solution Approach 2:
The parallel conveyor system ensures continuous useful action across all inspection stages. Multiple workpieces are in different phases of the inspection process simultaneously, ensuring that imaging devices, inversion mechanisms, and conveyors are continuously utilized without idle time. This continuity maximizes system throughput and minimizes the overall tact time.
Data Source
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AI summary
A movement of the upstream workpiece to the first transfer position by the first mover and a movement of the downstream workpiece to the second transfer position by the second mover are performed in synchronization. A feed of the upstream workpiece from the first transfer position to the second transfer position by the first feeder and a feed of the downstream workpiece from the second transfer position to the third transfer position by the second feeder are performed in synchronization. A movement of the upstream workpiece from the second transfer position to the inversion position by the second mover and a movement of the downstream workpiece from the third transfer position to the second imaging position by the third mover are performed in synchronization.