Parcel Packaging System Volume-Based Station Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Distribution logistics systems face inefficiencies in parcel sorting and transportation due to varying parcel sizes, leading to increased labor and processing time, as smaller parcels are often sorted and handled individually despite sharing common destinations.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize multiple parcel packaging stations with varying volume capacities, where parcels are sorted and packaged based on their overall volume to a common destination, allowing for efficient consolidation into larger packaging units like bags or gaylords, reducing processing time and labor through a tote delivery conveyor system controlled by a volumetric algorithm.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If smaller parcels are sorted and handled individually, then sorting precision is maintained, but processing time and labor increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple small parcels into a single packaged unit (bag or container) that is treated as one entity in subsequent handling. This merging of individual parcels into a collective unit reduces the number of handling operations required, thereby increasing processing speed while maintaining sorting accuracy through the use of packaging stations that consolidate parcels before transport.
2Productivity
If multiple packaging stations with varying capacities are used, then packaging efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the packaging function into multiple stations with different volume capacities (small, medium, large packages). Each station is specialized for a particular package size, allowing the system to handle diverse parcel volumes efficiently. This segmentation enables parallel processing of different parcel types simultaneously, improving overall packaging efficiency despite the increased number of stations.
Solution Approach 2:
Different packaging stations provide locally optimized packaging solutions based on parcel volume requirements. Each station is configured with appropriate packaging materials and dimensions suited to its specific capacity, ensuring that each parcel receives the most appropriate packaging treatment without requiring a single complex universal packaging system.
3Productivity
If parcels are consolidated into larger units, then handling costs are reduced, but measurement precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary volume measurement and classification of parcels before consolidation. By measuring and categorizing parcel volumes in advance, the system can assign parcels to appropriate packaging stations and consolidate them into larger units efficiently. This preliminary action ensures accurate volume assessment is done when individual parcels are still separate and easier to measure, maintaining measurement precision while enabling subsequent consolidation for reduced handling costs.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for packaging parcels includes a plurality of parcel packaging stations associated with varying packaging volume capacities. The system further includes a tote delivery conveyor configured to provide transport links to the plurality of parcel packaging stations, for transporting thereto, a tote containing a batch of parcels sorted to a common destination. The system is configured to select a parcel packaging station for the batch of parcels, from the plurality of parcel packaging stations, based on an overall volume of parcels being sorted to that destination. The tote delivery conveyor is controllable to transport the tote containing the batch of parcels to the selected parcel packaging station.