Parcel Singulation via Dynamic Conveyor Speed Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current feeder systems for high-volume product handling, such as mail handling, face challenges in singulating disordered streams of items into ordered, spaced streams, particularly with mixed item streams varying in size, leading to high error rates and reduced throughput.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that use conveyors and a control system to adjust the speed of parcels based on their position and dynamics, calculating a speed factor to maintain a target gap between parcels, ensuring accurate singulation and continuous monitoring and adjustment of parcel spacing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional mechanical singulators are used to singulate disordered items, then singulation can be achieved, but the system requires large floor space and has high error rates when handling material at the margins of mechanical specifications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical singulation systems with a controlled conveyor system that uses speed differentiation. Instead of relying on mechanical characteristics of the material, the system controls the speed of individual parcels or groups of parcels to achieve singulation, thereby reducing the need for complex mechanical structures and large floor space.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the speed of conveyors based on real-time detection of parcel positions and gaps. By continuously varying speeds to maintain optimal spacing, the system adapts to mixed item streams with varying sizes and weights, improving reliability without requiring large fixed mechanical structures.
2Reliability
If manual manipulation is used for singulation, then effective singulation can be achieved, but throughput is limited by individual capacity resulting in doubles or multiples
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual manipulation with an automated controlled conveyor system that can process multiple parcels simultaneously. The system uses speed control to singulate parcels at high throughput rates, eliminating the bottleneck of individual human capacity while maintaining effective singulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous operation by constantly adjusting conveyor speeds to singulate parcels as they move through the system. This continuous speed adjustment ensures that parcels are singulated without interruption, achieving both high throughput and reliable singulation without the stops and starts inherent in manual operations.
3Productivity
If conventional mechanical singulation schemes are used, then singulation can be performed, but performance degrades when encountering heavy bursts of material flow
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically responds to varying material flow conditions by continuously monitoring parcel positions and adjusting conveyor speeds in real-time. When bursts of material are detected, the system adapts its speed control strategy to maintain singulation effectiveness, ensuring stable performance under high volume conditions without degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses detection devices to monitor the actual positions and gaps between parcels, then feeds this information back to the speed control system. This feedback loop enables the system to automatically adjust speeds to compensate for bursts of material flow, maintaining both throughput and singulation reliability under varying load conditions.
4Productivity
If the feeder system does not provide minimum specified spacing between product items, then throughput can be maximized, but downstream processing equipment cannot properly handle the items one at a time
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts conveyor speeds to maintain minimum specified spacing between parcels while maximizing throughput. By continuously varying speeds based on detected gap sizes, the system ensures that parcels are spaced appropriately for downstream processing without creating bottlenecks that would reduce throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the speed parameter of the conveyors to achieve the desired spacing. By adjusting speeds up or down based on real-time gap measurements, the system maintains optimal spacing for downstream processing while preserving high throughput capability, resolving the trade-off between spacing precision and throughput rate.
Data Source
AI summary
Parcel processing systems and methods. A method for singulating parcels includes receiving an input stream of a plurality of parcels (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) including at least a leading parcel (1) and a lagging parcel (2) in a singulator system (10). The method includes updating position information of the leading parcel (1) and the lagging parcel (2) on a list (1650). The method includes determining a leading speed of the leading parcel (1). The method includes determining an actual gap between the leading parcel (1) and the lagging parcel (2). The method includes determining a speed factor between the leading parcel (1) and the lagging parcel (2). The method includes setting a lagging speed of the lagging parcel (2) according to the leading speed and the speed factor. The method includes controlling conveyors (20) to transport the leading parcel (1) at the leading speed and to transport the lagging parcel (2) at the lagging speed.