Sorting Device Tray Stability via Electromagnetic Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing offline tilt-tray sorters face difficulties in maintaining the tray's stability and resetting it after unloading, leading to tilting issues during transportation in the express logistics industry.
Innovation Solution
A sorting device with a guide rail and a material vehicle equipped with a tray, electromagnets, and elastically telescopic pieces, allowing the tray to switch between transportation and unloading states using magnetic attraction and repulsion, while the telescopic pieces maintain balance and stability during resetting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an offline tilt-tray sorter with external power device is used, then the sorting function is achieved, but the tray is easily tilted and hard to reset after unloading
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the external mechanical power device with an electromagnetic system. Electromagnets are integrated into the guide rail to interact with magnets on the material vehicle, enabling contactless actuation of the tray for tilting and resetting operations, thereby improving reliability and ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the power device with the guide rail structure by integrating electromagnets directly into the guide rail. This merging eliminates the need for separate external power devices and improves the overall system reliability while maintaining the sorting function
2Adaptability or versatility
If the tray is rotatably connected to the vehicle frame, then the tray can tilt for unloading, but the tray becomes unstable during transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses electromagnetic force to dynamically change the positional parameter of the tray. By controlling the electromagnets, the tray can be held in a stable horizontal position during transportation or tilted to a specific angle for unloading, thus achieving both stability and adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback control through the electromagnetic interaction between the electromagnets in the guide rail and the magnets on the material vehicle. This feedback mechanism ensures the tray maintains its intended position during transportation and achieves precise tilting when needed, resolving the contradiction between stability and adaptability
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
The solution effectively maintains the tray's transportation state, facilitates easy unloading and resetting, and prevents tilting, enhancing sorting efficiency and stability.
Implementation Method 1
The magnet is disposed on a surface of the tray opposite to the material loading surface, and the magnet is connected to the electromagnet in an attraction way, to switch the material vehicle between a transportation state and an unloading state
Implementation Method 2
The elastically telescopic pieces are connected to the vehicle frame and the tray, for maintaining the transportation state or resetting the tray after the unloading state
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a sorting device, comprising a guide rail and a material vehicle moving on the guide rail. A plurality of sorting ports are disposed on both sides of the guide rail, and at least one electromagnet is disposed at a position of the guide rail corresponding to a sorting port; the material vehicle includes a vehicle frame, a tray, at least one magnet and at least two elastically telescopic pieces; the vehicle frame is used to bear the tray, and the tray is rotatably connected to the vehicle frame; the magnet is disposed on a surface of the tray opposite to the material loading surface, and the magnet is connected to the electromagnet in an attraction way, and the elastically telescopic pieces and the tray, for maintaining the transportation state or resetting the tray after the unloading state.