Shelf Transport Vehicle Storage Assembly for Continuous Article Flow
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage assemblies have low productivity due to the time taken by Cartesian robots to transport articles, leading to accumulation and increased costs when velocity is increased.
Innovation Solution
Implementing transport vehicles that travel along shelves, recharge electrically while moving, and regulate speed for continuous article supply and pickup, eliminating the need for recharging stations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the movement velocity of the Cartesian robot is increased to improve productivity, then the article transport speed is improved, but the costs significantly increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the article transport task among multiple autonomous transport vehicles instead of using a single high-speed Cartesian robot. Each vehicle independently transports articles along its own path, segmenting the workload to achieve high productivity without requiring any single vehicle to move at excessively high speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
Transport vehicles equipped with electric batteries and charging means act as intermediaries between the storage locations and the sorting station. These vehicles can recharge during their routes, eliminating the need for expensive high-speed robotic systems while maintaining continuous operation through coordinated multi-vehicle deployment.
2Productivity
If the Cartesian robot moves quickly to improve productivity, then article supply rate is improved, but waiting times for other articles increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple transport vehicles operate simultaneously and continuously along the shelf, ensuring that article supply is uninterrupted. While some vehicles are transporting articles, others are recharging or preparing, creating a continuous cycle of article movement that eliminates waiting times and maintains steady productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
Transport vehicles recharge their electric batteries during their routes along the shelf, performing the recharging action in advance before they need to transport articles. This preliminary recharging ensures that vehicles are always ready to transport articles without causing delays to the overall system productivity.
3Device complexity
If a single transport vehicle serves all planes, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the transport function across multiple vehicles operating in parallel, with each vehicle handling specific routes or time windows. This segmentation allows the system to scale productivity by adding vehicles without proportionally increasing the complexity of control systems, as each vehicle operates semi-autonomously with standardized charging protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
Each transport vehicle is designed as a universal unit capable of serving multiple planes and performing both article transport and self-recharging functions. This multi-functionality allows a fleet of identical vehicles to handle diverse routing requirements, maintaining low device complexity while achieving high overall productivity through coordinated operation.
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
Significantly increases productivity by ensuring continuous article supply and pickup, avoiding waiting times and reducing costs by optimizing movement and recharging processes.
Implementation Method 1
The electric battery (8) of a transport vehicle of the plurality of transport vehicles is at least partially recharged while the transport vehicle is crossing a plane of the plurality of planes
Data Source
AI summary
A storage assembly includes a shelf which has a plurality of planes and a plurality of supports for articles. The storage assembly further includes a sorting station for supplying and/or receiving articles; a transit area interposed between the shelf and the sorting station; a plurality of transport vehicles for transporting articles, each transport vehicle having a housing for receiving one or more articles; A second plurality of guides flank the supports and extend along the planes in order to guide the transport vehicles. A lift is provided for lifting a transport vehicle of the plurality of transport vehicles towards a plane of the plurality of planes, while lowering means are included for lowering the transport vehicle of the plurality of transport vehicles from the plane of the plurality of planes towards the transit area, after the transport vehicle has completely travelled along the plane of the plurality of planes.