Queue Chute Material Handling System for High-Rise Buildings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional material handling systems for high-rise buildings face issues such as user exposure to suction forces, energy inefficiency due to air leakage, noise, and limited simultaneous user access, as they rely on direct vacuum connections and lack queue management capabilities.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a material handling system with queue chutes that allow materials to accumulate before entering the main chute, featuring vertically extending queue chutes connected to loading stations, gates for controlled access, and level sensors for fullness detection, enabling efficient material flow and multiple user access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If direct vacuum connections are used in conventional material handling systems, then materials can be quickly evacuated, but user exposure to suction forces occurs and loose items are disposed of along with laundry
Solution Approach 1:
A queue chute is introduced as an intermediary component between the loading station and the main chute. The queue chute receives materials from the loading station and temporarily holds them before they are evacuated through the main chute by vacuum force. This intermediary structure prevents direct exposure of users to suction forces while maintaining efficient material evacuation capability.
2Productivity
If direct vacuum connections are used, then materials are quickly removed, but heated or cooled air is lost from the building increasing utility costs
Solution Approach 1:
The queue chute serves as a sealed intermediary chamber that allows materials to be transferred from the loading station without creating direct openings to the building interior. The gate mechanism controls access between the queue chute and main chute, preventing uncontrolled air leakage while maintaining continuous material disposal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Materials are pre-loaded into the queue chute through the loading station before vacuum evacuation begins. This preliminary loading action allows the system to prepare material batches in advance, enabling controlled gate opening and closing sequences that minimize air leakage while maintaining continuous operational productivity.
3Productivity
If conventional vacuum systems operate continuously, then materials are evacuated efficiently, but the systems are noisy and violent
Solution Approach 1:
The gate between the queue chute and main chute operates periodically rather than continuously. Materials accumulate in the queue chute during loading phases, then the gate opens in controlled periodic cycles to allow vacuum evacuation. This periodic operation reduces noise and violent forces compared to continuous vacuum operation, while maintaining overall evacuation efficiency.
4Reliability
If lockout mechanisms are installed to prevent unwanted access, then system security is improved, but multiple users cannot access the system simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into multiple independent loading stations, each with its own queue chute and gate mechanism. This segmentation allows multiple users to access different loading stations simultaneously without interfering with each other, while each station maintains its own access control and security features. The modular structure resolves the contradiction between security and simultaneous accessibility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system enhances operational efficiency by preventing energy waste, allowing multiple users to access the system simultaneously, and prioritizing material disposal, while maintaining system integrity and reducing noise and contamination risks.
Implementation Method 1
a chute pulling a constant vacuum
Implementation Method 2
the suction force created by the vacuum system
Implementation Method 3
gravity-assisted or vacuum-assisted queue chutes
Data Source
AI summary
A material handling system for the disposal of materials in multi-floor buildings. The material handling system has one or more main chutes each having one or more sets of loading stations, queue chutes, and gates. The queue chutes store material to be disposed, which is held back from entering into the main chute by the gate. The material is loaded into the queue chute via an opening in the loading station. The opening of the gates is controlled using a material handling system controller, which is controlled via a control panel or automatically using a timer or based upon the output of one or more level sensors that can determine the fullness of the queue chutes. The main chutes can have primary gates to allow for safe maintenance of the system. The loading stations can have secondary access to the main chutes.