Tilted Transport Box Gravity Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for loading piece goods, particularly fragile postal parcels, into transport boxes are inefficient and prone to damage due to the risk of parcels falling and causing downtime, as conveyor belts often require stopping and result in high drop heights, leading to damage and long loading times.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a transport box with a loading opening and a conveyor device where the transport box is tilted to allow piece goods to fall into a receiving pocket, preventing them from getting stuck in the segmented locking device and allowing for a controlled, gravity-assisted loading process, minimizing drop height and preventing damage, while maintaining continuous loading.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the conveyor belt is pulled back to stack further layers of mailbags, then more layers can be loaded, but mailbags fall down and piece goods are damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The transport box is pre-positioned at an inclined angle before loading begins. This preliminary positioning creates a gravity-driven slope that prevents piece goods from falling when the conveyor belt retracts, allowing continuous operation without stopping to prevent damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The inclination angle of the transport box is changed from horizontal to a specific angled position during loading. This parameter change enables gravity to control the movement of piece goods, allowing them to slide smoothly to the rear when the conveyor belt moves back, preventing falls and damage while maintaining loading productivity.
2Reliability
If the conveyor belt stops to allow controlled unloading, then piece goods can be safely unloaded, but loading time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor belt operates continuously without stopping during the loading process. The inclined position of the transport box ensures that piece goods are safely guided to the rear as the conveyor belt continuously feeds them, eliminating downtime while maintaining controlled unloading through gravity.
3Productivity
If piece goods are dropped from high conveyor belt, then loading speed increases, but piece goods are damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The inclined transport box creates a gradual slope that reduces the effective drop height. Piece goods slide down the incline rather than falling vertically, converting potential energy into controlled kinetic energy along the slope, which prevents damage while maintaining loading speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The gravity that would cause harmful falls is converted into a beneficial force by positioning the transport box at an incline. The same gravitational force that could damage piece goods during vertical drops is harnessed to guide them smoothly along the inclined surface to the rear of the box.
4Ease of operation
If the segmented locking device is positioned close to the loading opening, then it can effectively close the opening, but piece goods get stuck in the segments
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented locking device is extracted from the main loading area and positioned in a receiving pocket at the rear of the transport box. This separation prevents piece goods from interfering with the locking mechanism while the inclined surface continues to guide goods effectively to the rear where the locking device operates independently.
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
This method enables quick and safe loading of piece goods by distributing the cargo according to gravity, reducing the risk of damage and optimizing the use of transport volume, allowing for efficient and uninterrupted loading of fragile items.
Implementation Method 1
a tipping of the transport box for gravity-controlled moving away of at least some of the fallen cargo
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4
AI summary
The method involves providing a transport box (12) which has a single-loading opening (14) for loading of cargo (18). A conveyor (16), particularly conveyor belt, is arranged relative to the loading opening. The cargo is over-turned from the conveyor over a drop height (a) within the transport box. An independent claim is also included for a single-loading system for use in a loading arrangement for loading of cargo, particularly postal packages.