Relay-Table Palletizing Layout for High-Speed Blank Material Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mechanization techniques for loading products on pallets fail to keep up with the processing speed of product production, and increasing the number of robots is limited by the width of the belt conveyor.
Innovation Solution
A palletizing system utilizing a belt conveyor, relay table, first and second robots, cameras, image processing, and controllers to efficiently transfer and stack products on pallets, with a second robot correcting overlap disturbances using a third robot if necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of robots is increased to match product production speed, then loading speed is improved, but device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the loading task into two segments: a first robot handles individual product picking and stacking on the relay table, while a second robot handles transferring completed stacks to the pallet. This segmentation allows parallel processing and increases overall loading speed without proportionally increasing the number of robots.
Solution Approach 2:
The relay table serves as an intermediary between the belt conveyor and the pallet. It temporarily stores stacked products, allowing the first robot to continue stacking while the second robot transfers stacks to the pallet at its own pace. This mediator enables asynchronous operation and resolves the speed mismatch between picking and palletizing.
2Productivity
If manual loading is used, then flexibility is maintained, but productivity decreases due to limited human processing speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical loading with an automated robotic system. Two robots work in coordination: the first robot mechanically picks products from the conveyor and stacks them on the relay table, while the second robot mechanically transfers stacks to the pallet. This substitution dramatically increases loading speed while maintaining flexibility through programmable control.
3Productivity
If products are stacked directly on the pallet by one robot, then device complexity is reduced, but loading speed cannot keep up with production speed
Solution Approach 1:
The first robot performs preliminary action by stacking multiple products into a complete stack on the relay table before the second robot transfers it to the pallet. This preliminary stacking action allows the system to process products in batches, increasing the overall loading speed to match production speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension to the loading process by using the relay table as a buffer. Instead of direct one-to-one transfer, products are accumulated in time and space on the relay table, then transferred as a group. This dimensional change in the process flow enables higher throughput.
Data Source
AI summary
A first robot (104) is arranged in association with a belt conveyor (101), and performs a first transfer operation of picking up a product such as a blank material conveyed by the belt conveyor (101) and stacking it on a relay table (102). A second robot (108) performs a second transfer operation of transferring a loaded body of a plurality of blank materials stacked on the relay table (102) to a pallet table (103).