Component Supply Device Magazine Slot Allocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing component supply devices face challenges in smoothly transferring pallets between magazines due to varying tray heights, which can occupy multiple slots, leading to movement errors when consecutive slots are not available.
Innovation Solution
The component supply device sets a moving destination based on the number of slots occupied by the pallet, using available slots from accommodation information to ensure proper alignment and minimize slot dispersion, allowing for smooth transfer between magazines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a pallet with a large height including a tray height is accommodated in the magazine, then the pallet can accommodate higher components, but the pallet occupies multiple consecutive slots in the up-down direction
Solution Approach 1:
The magazine is divided into multiple slots in the up-down direction, allowing the system to segment the vertical space into discrete units. This segmentation enables precise tracking and management of slot occupancy, which is essential for determining whether a tall pallet can be accommodated without blocking necessary slots for smooth transfer operations
Solution Approach 2:
The control device determines in advance whether accommodating a pallet would prevent smooth transfer operations by checking if the required number of consecutive slots are available. This preliminary check prevents situations where pallet transfer would be blocked, allowing the system to proactively manage slot allocation based on future transfer needs
2Reliability
If the required number of consecutive slots are not available when transferring a pallet, then the pallet cannot be moved, but this causes transfer errors and operational disruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The control device continuously monitors the occupancy status of slots in the magazine and uses this feedback information to determine whether pallet transfer can proceed. By checking the current slot availability before transfer operations, the system receives real-time feedback that enables informed decisions about whether to allow or block specific transfer operations
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs a preliminary determination of whether the required consecutive slots are available before allowing pallet transfer. This advance check prevents transfer errors by ensuring that sufficient slots will be available, allowing smooth transfer operations to proceed without disruption
3Ease of operation
If the control device allows pallet transfer without checking slot availability, then transfer operations are simple and fast, but errors occur when consecutive slots are not available
Solution Approach 1:
The control device automatically performs the slot availability check as part of the pallet transfer determination process. This self-service approach integrates the complexity of slot management into the control system itself, eliminating the need for manual checking while maintaining operational simplicity for the user
Solution Approach 2:
The control device uses accommodation information about slot occupancy to automatically determine whether pallet transfer should be allowed. This feedback mechanism enables the system to make intelligent decisions about transfer operations without requiring manual intervention, maintaining both simplicity and reliability
Data Source
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AI summary
A component supply device includes: multiple magazines each provided with multiple slots accommodating the respective pallets by allotting one or more of the slots depending on the height of the accommodating section, the multiple magazines including a first magazine accommodating the pallets to be dispensed to a supply area of the components, and a second magazine accommodating the pallets to be transferred to and from the first magazine; a loading/unloading device moving up and down relative to the multiple magazines with conveying the pallets into and out of the slots; a storage device storing accommodation information of the pallets accommodated in the multiple magazines; and a control device, in a case of moving the pallet from the first magazine to the second magazine among the multiple magazines, setting a moving destination from among available slots based on the accommodation information about the second magazine taking into consideration a number of slots occupied by the pallet to be moved, and controlling the loading/unloading device so as to move the pallet to the moving destination.