Recirculating Gantry Sortation Automation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current materials handling facilities face high labor costs and error-prone manual sortation processes when grouping items for shipment, leading to slow throughput and inefficiencies in sortation and pallet building.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of recirculating gantry systems that automate the sortation and pallet building process by using overhead gantries with actuators to retrieve and deposit items onto multiple parallel picking and stowage locations, enabling efficient routing and sorting of items into various destinations with reduced labor and error rates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual sortation is used, then labor flexibility is maintained, but throughput speed decreases and error rates increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses self-contained robotic actuators with integrated item retrieval, holding, and deposition capabilities. Each actuator autonomously performs sortation tasks without human intervention, with the robotic system self-managing the entire sortation process from item pickup to precise placement at destination locations.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical sortation operations are replaced with an automated robotic gantry system featuring actuators that mechanically retrieve items from conveyors and deposit them at stowage locations. The system substitutes human labor with robotic mechanisms including overhead gantries, actuators with item-holding capabilities, and automated positioning systems.
2Reliability
If manual sortation is used, then system complexity remains low, but error rates increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where actuators are controlled based on item identification and destination requirements. The automated system uses control feedback to ensure items are retrieved from correct conveyors, held during transit, and deposited at precise stowage locations, minimizing sortation errors through automated verification and correction.
Solution Approach 2:
The sortation system is segmented into distinct functional modules: item retrieval mechanisms at conveyor locations, intermediate holding capabilities on actuators, and deposition mechanisms at stowage locations. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, improving overall reliability while managing system complexity through modular design.
3Productivity
If automated gantry systems are implemented, then throughput increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The overhead gantry actuators are designed as multi-functional units that can perform multiple operations: retrieving items from various conveyor locations, holding items during transit, and depositing items at multiple stowage locations. This universality allows a single actuator to serve multiple functions, increasing throughput while reducing the number of separate components needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from two-dimensional conveyor-based sortation to three-dimensional operation by introducing overhead gantries that move vertically and horizontally. Actuators can access items from conveyors below, hold them at elevated positions, and deposit them at various stowage locations, adding a vertical dimension to the sortation process and significantly increasing throughput capacity.
4Productivity
If recirculating gantries are used, then labor costs decrease, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gantries operate on recirculating tracks that enable continuous operation without interruption. After depositing items at stowage locations, gantries automatically return to their starting positions to retrieve additional items, maintaining continuous sortation throughput. This continuous circulation eliminates idle time and maximizes automated sortation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The recirculating gantry system performs preliminary positioning and item retrieval actions before items are actually needed at stowage locations. Gantries anticipate sortation requirements by pre-positioning themselves at conveyor locations and retrieving items in advance, enabling smooth continuous operation and reducing waiting time in the sortation process.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are various embodiments for a vertically recirculating gantry system operating in parallel with multiple actuators on multiple gantries. A plurality of items are retrieved from a plurality of picking locations via a plurality of actuators disposed on a gantry spanning a width of the plurality of conveyors. The gantry is moved along a track toward a plurality of stowage locations. Individual items are deposited in respective stowage locations via the plurality of actuators as the gantry moves over the stowage locations.