Plate-Shaped Member Storage Rack for Stable Vertical Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional storage racks for large-size heavy-weight plate-shaped members, such as solar panels, face challenges in maintaining the members in a standing posture due to bending and instability, leading to difficulties in conveying and storing these items effectively.
Innovation Solution
A storage rack design with upper and lower supporting portions and edge storage portions that allow for stable support and orientation of the members, along with a posture changing mechanism to ensure the members are held vertically, reducing bending and enhancing stability during storage and transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the large-size heavy-weight plate-shaped member is stored in the rack in a laid posture, then the member can be easily stored, but the member may bend by its own weight to be damaged and the interval between members must be increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional storage approach by storing plate-shaped members in a standing posture rather than a laid posture. This inversion allows the members to support themselves vertically, preventing bending deformation while reducing the interval between members, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of storage and member integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional laid storage to three-dimensional standing storage by utilizing the vertical dimension. This dimensional change enables the plate-shaped members to be stored upright with proper support, eliminating bending issues while maximizing space utilization and maintaining structural integrity.
2Quantity of substance
If the plate-shaped member is caused to stand before it is carried in the rack, then the degree of bending and interval between members can be reduced, but the carrying operation becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by causing the plate-shaped member to stand before it is carried into the rack. This pre-positioning step, performed by the robot arm, simplifies the subsequent storage operation and enables high-density vertical stacking, thereby increasing storage capacity despite the added initial step.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic elements through the robot arm's ability to manipulate the plate-shaped member's posture. The robot can dynamically adjust the member from a horizontal to a vertical orientation during the carrying process, enabling flexible and efficient standing storage while managing operational complexity through automation.
3Quantity of substance
If the plate-shaped member is completely standing when carrying it in the rack, then storage density is maximized, but the member easily falls by the application of unexpected external force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by providing support structures within the rack that counteract the instability of completely standing members. These supports prevent the members from falling due to external forces while maintaining the high-density vertical storage configuration, thus resolving the contradiction between storage capacity and stability.
4Ease of operation
If the plate-shaped member is stored in a slightly inclined posture, then the carrying operation is simplified, but the member bends by its own weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the orientation parameter from slightly inclined to completely standing posture. This parameter change, achieved through the robot arm's precise positioning, eliminates bending deformation caused by gravity while maintaining operational simplicity through automated handling, thus resolving the contradiction between operation simplicity and member integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
A rack includes: a rack main body including a storage space configured to store a plurality of plate-shaped members and a carry-in opening; a plurality of upper supporting portions configured to respectively support upper edge portions of the plurality of plate-shaped members; lower supporting portions respectively provided under the plurality of upper supporting portions and configured to respectively support lower edge portions of the plurality of standing plate-shaped members; and lower edge portion storage portions provided to be each located at an outer side of an end of the upper supporting portion and an end of the lower supporting portion in the arrangement direction and configured to store the lower edge portions of the plate-shaped members, and at least one of the upper supporting portions is configured to be able to support the upper edge portion of the plate-shaped member.