Segmented Receptacle Assembly for Reverse Vending Machine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Reverse vending machines face inefficiencies due to heavy, cumbersome bins that require excessive storage space and pose safety risks when handling full loads, leading to frequent machine downtime and user dissatisfaction.
Innovation Solution
A receptacle assembly comprising a set of interconnected receptacles with guiding means on a base, allowing for even distribution and easier handling of empty containers, reducing the weight and volume of each receptacle to facilitate single-person lifting and emptying, and incorporating features like handles and guiding recesses for safe and efficient material transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If standard rectangular bins are used to collect empty containers, then the bins can hold a large volume of material, but the bins become too heavy and cumbersome to handle safely
Solution Approach 1:
The large rectangular bin is divided into multiple smaller receptacles (e.g., four smaller bins) that can be individually handled. Each smaller receptacle contains a portion of the total material volume, reducing the weight and size that a single person must manage while maintaining the overall collection capacity through the assembly of multiple units.
2Productivity
If the bin is made large to reduce the frequency of emptying, then the storage capacity increases, but the bin requires excessive storage space when not in use
Solution Approach 1:
The smaller receptacles are designed to nest within each other or stack efficiently when empty, minimizing the storage space required. When not in use or when needing storage, the receptacles can be nested one inside another or stacked vertically, reducing the footprint from that of a single large bin to a compact arrangement of nested or stacked smaller units.
3Productivity
If the bin capacity is increased to maximize truck load, then the transport efficiency improves, but double stacking becomes infeasible and storage space increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using one large bin that occupies excessive storage space and prevents double stacking, the system uses multiple smaller receptacles that can be efficiently stacked and stored. These segmented receptacles can be loaded into trucks in stacked configurations, maximizing transport load while maintaining compact storage when empty.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If instructions are given that the bin may not be fully loaded to ensure safety, then the risk of injury is reduced, but the bins have to be emptied more often
Solution Approach 1:
The total collection capacity is segmented into multiple smaller receptacles, each designed to hold a safe, manageable weight that can be easily handled by one person. This segmentation allows each individual receptacle to be filled to its safe capacity without posing handling risks, while the aggregate capacity of all receptacles together maintains high productivity by reducing the frequency of emptying operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A receptacle assembly for receiving empty containers includes a set of receptacles and a base. The base includes a guide adapted to control orientation of each receptacle in the set of receptacles when a receptacle is assembled on the base. When assembled on the base, each receptacle includes at least one inner side wall arranged adjacent to a side wall of another receptacle in the set of receptacles, and at least one outer side wall that does not face any side wall of a receptacle in the set of receptacles. The upper edge of a first inner side wall of a first receptacle extends downwards from a first intersection between the first inner side wall and one first outer side wall, to a point where the upper edge has a height which is lower than the height of any upper edge of each outer side wall of the first receptacle.