Automated Tire Loader Unloader Rick-Rack Stacking Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current truck loading systems require significant human labor for stacking and unloading tires, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and existing automated solutions do not efficiently utilize space for optimal tire stacking patterns like the rick-rack pattern.
Innovation Solution
An automated tire loader/unloader system comprising a mobile base, drive subassembly, conveyance subassembly, industrial robot, distance measurement subassembly, and control subassembly that coordinates the movement and placement of tires within a trailer using a rick-rack or vertical stacking pattern, minimizing human intervention and optimizing space utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If manual stacking and unstacking of tires is used, then human labor is required to protect and extend the workforce, but the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the tire stacking task into discrete operations: the robotic arm picks individual tires from the conveyor and places them in specific positions within the trailer. This segmentation allows automated control while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular components.
Solution Approach 2:
A conveyor belt serves as an intermediary device between the tire source and the robotic arm, automatically transporting tires to the picking position. This intermediary component reduces the complexity burden on the robotic system while enabling full automation of the loading process.
2Productivity
If traditional stacking patterns are used, then loading is simplified, but space utilization in the trailer is not optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the stacking pattern based on real-time conditions. The robotic arm can switch between different stacking configurations (vertical, horizontal, rick-rack patterns) depending on the trailer's current state, tire dimensions, and space availability, maximizing cargo efficiency without requiring complex pre-planning.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors and vision systems that provide feedback on tire position, trailer occupancy, and stacking stability. This feedback loop allows the control system to optimize stacking patterns in real-time, improving space utilization while maintaining manageable complexity through adaptive rather than purely predetermined sequences.
3Loss of time
If automated robotic stacking is implemented, then human labor is minimized, but the system complexity and initial investment increase
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor belt performs preliminary action by continuously transporting tires to the robotic arm's working position before the actual picking and placing occurs. This pre-positioning of tires enables the robotic arm to operate at full speed without waiting for tire delivery, reducing overall loading time while keeping the robotic system's complexity manageable through standardized interfaces.
Data Source
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AI summary
An automatic tire loader/unloader for stacking/unstacking tires in a trailer is disclosed. In one embodiment, a mobile base structure provides a support framework for a drive subassembly, conveyance subassembly, an industrial robot, a distance measurement subassembly, and a control subassembly. Under the operation of the control subassembly, tires advance through a powered transportation path to an industrial robot which places the tires within the trailer in a vertical stacking pattern or a rick-stacking pattern, for example. The control subassembly coordinates the selective articulated movement of the industrial robot and the activation of the drive subassembly based upon the distance measurement subassembly detecting objects, including tires, within a detection space, dimensions of the trailer provided to the control subassembly, and dimensions of the tires provided to the control subassembly.