Parcel Recirculation Diverter for Throughput Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for singulation, gapping, and high-speed induction in parcel processing systems suffer from inefficiencies due to inaccuracies in synchronization between the provisioning system and downstream processes, leading to reduced productivity and significant capacity inefficiencies, with up to 20% lost productivity in state-of-the-art systems.
Innovation Solution
A parcel processing system that includes a diverter to recirculate parcels when the flow rate exceeds the processing capacity of downstream devices, allowing for controlled extraction and recirculation to match the synchronization requirements, thereby optimizing the gapping and singulation processes, and utilizing a control system to manage the flow to ensure consistent throughput and gap alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the parcel transport operates at high speed to increase throughput, then productivity is improved, but synchronization accuracy with downstream processing devices deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary gapping and singulation actions upstream before parcels reach the downstream processing device. By pre-positioning parcels with correct gaps and spacing at high speed, the system maintains synchronization accuracy without limiting overall throughput, as the synchronization-critical operations are completed in advance rather than at the bottleneck downstream device
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary provisioning system between the high-speed transport and downstream processing device. This intermediary layer handles the synchronization-critical gapping and singulation functions, allowing the high-speed transport to operate independently at maximum throughput while the intermediary mediates to ensure proper synchronization with downstream devices
2Productivity
If the provisioning system operates at higher capacity than downstream processing, then productivity is improved, but flow control accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the parcel flow into multiple independent streams, each handled by separate provisioning channels operating in parallel. This allows the overall provisioning capacity to exceed downstream capacity while each individual stream maintains precise flow control, as the segmentation distributes the control burden across multiple manageable channels rather than one overloaded control system
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the operation of individual provisioning channels based on real-time downstream capacity and upstream demand. By enabling dynamic on/off switching and rate adjustment of parallel channels, the system can provision at high aggregate capacity while maintaining precise flow control by activating only the necessary number of channels to match downstream processing needs
Data Source
AI summary
Parcel processing systems and methods. A parcel processing system includes a parcel transport configured to receive a flow of parcels, and transport the flow of parcels at a rate greater than a processing capacity of a downstream processing device. The parcel processing system includes a diverter configured to divert individual parcels from the flow of parcels to be recirculated. The parcel processing system includes the downstream processing device configured to process the remaining flow of parcels. The parcel processing system includes a control system configured to cause the diverter to divert the individual parcels from the flow of parcels until the remaining flow of parcels is not greater than the processing capacity of a downstream processing device.