Parallel Sleeve Transport Assembly for Packaging Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies lack an efficient and secure method for transporting multiple packaging units, such as vials, cartridges, and bottles, between various industrial processes, often requiring manual or individual unloading and reloading.
Innovation Solution
A transport assembly comprising an upper part with parallel sleeves and a lower part with apertures, allowing for secure stacking and simultaneous release of packaging units. The assembly can be configured between closed and open positions to facilitate transport and processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If packaging units are transported individually or in small batches, then handling and processing can be performed manually, but transportation efficiency and productivity are low
Solution Approach 1:
The transport assembly is divided into an upper part with multiple sleeves and a lower part with multiple apertures, allowing independent positioning and handling of each packaging unit while enabling collective transport. This segmentation enables efficient batch processing without requiring complex individual handling mechanisms for each unit.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple packaging units are combined into a single transport assembly that can be moved as one unit. The upper part with sleeves and lower part with apertures work together to secure multiple vials, cartridges, or bottles simultaneously, dramatically improving transportation efficiency compared to individual handling.
2Reliability
If packaging units are securely held during transport, then stability and reliability are improved, but ease of unloading and reloading becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The relative positioning between the upper part (sleeves) and lower part (apertures) can change dynamically. In the first configuration, the apertures are offset from the sleeves to securely hold packaging units during transport. In the second configuration, the apertures align with the sleeves to enable easy insertion and removal of units, thus providing both secure holding and ease of operation at different times.
Solution Approach 2:
The spatial parameter (relative position) between the upper and lower parts is changed between two configurations. By adjusting the alignment offset between apertures and sleeves, the system transitions from a secure holding state to an easy unloading state, resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
3Productivity
If multiple packaging units are transported simultaneously, then productivity and processing efficiency are improved, but device complexity and handling difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The transport assembly uses multiple discrete sleeves in the upper part and multiple discrete apertures in the lower part, each capable of holding one packaging unit. This segmented design allows batch processing of multiple units while maintaining simple, repeatable structural elements that do not significantly increase overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The transport assembly is designed to universally accommodate different types of packaging units (vials, cartridges, bottles) using the same sleeve and aperture structure. This multi-functionality enables batch processing of various products without requiring different specialized fixtures, thus improving productivity without proportionally increasing device complexity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the transport assembly allows for thermal transfer and processing in open configuration, then processing versatility and efficiency are improved, but stability and secure containment are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The transport assembly transitions between two dynamic configurations: a closed configuration where apertures are offset to securely contain units for transport, and an open configuration where apertures align with sleeves to allow thermal transfer and processing. This dynamic reconfiguration enables both secure containment and processing versatility at different times.
Data Source
AI summary
A transport assembly with an upper part including a plurality of sleeves, each sleeve extending along a sleeve axis between a top opening and a bottom opening, wherein the plurality of sleeves are arranged with their respective axes in parallel to one another, and a lower part including a plate with a plurality of apertures that each extend through the plate. The upper part and the lower part can be coupled such that each bottom opening is arranged adjacent to one of the plurality of apertures, and the upper part and the lower part can be moved relative to one another between a closed configuration in which a perimeter of each bottom opening intersects a perimeter of a corresponding aperture at two or more points, and an open configuration in which the perimeter of each bottom opening is aligned with or is enclosed by the perimeter of a corresponding aperture.