Transport Carriage Workpiece Verification Sensor
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing transport systems for workpieces often experience inefficiencies due to misrecognized transporting details of transport carriages, leading to incorrect delivery of workpieces and potential delays in processing, as the actual and recognized states of the carriages may become unintentionally different, causing errors and requiring retransport of workpieces.
Innovation Solution
A transport carriage equipped with a non-contact-type sensor for detecting workpieces through a receptacle, a lifting and lowering unit with a suspending member and electric motor for precise positioning, and an individual identification tag reader to determine if a workpiece is housed, ensuring accurate tracking and preventing inefficient transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the transport system operates automatically without verification, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to misrecognized transporting details
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the transport carriage autonomously verifies workpiece presence using sensors before and during transport. The determining unit compares the actual workpiece state with the controller's recognized state, correcting any discrepancies. This closed-loop feedback ensures transport accuracy is maintained while preserving automated operation efficiency.
2Productivity
If the transport carriage travels to deliver workpieces, then productivity is improved, but loss of time increases due to retransport when workpieces are misrecognized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the determining unit verify workpiece presence before the transport carriage departs and during its journey. This advance verification prevents misrecognized transports from occurring in the first place, eliminating the need for retransport and the associated time losses while maintaining high throughput.
3Device complexity
If the controller manages transport carriages without autonomous verification, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates in detecting workpiece presence
Solution Approach 1:
The transport carriage is equipped with self-service capabilities including sensors and a determining unit that autonomously verify workpiece presence and correctness. This self-verification mechanism enhances measurement precision without significantly increasing overall system complexity, as the verification functions are integrated directly into the carriage itself rather than requiring complex centralized control.
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 enables the transport carriage to autonomously verify the presence of workpieces, preventing unnecessary transport and maintaining efficiency by ensuring accurate delivery and reducing the likelihood of errors, thus enhancing the overall processing workflow.
Implementation Method 1
a non-contact-type sensor for detecting workpieces through a receptacle
Implementation Method 2
a lifting and lowering unit with a suspending member and electric motor for precise positioning
Data Source
AI summary
A transport carriage for transporting a workpiece by traveling on a transport passageway installed over a processing apparatus includes a receptacle for housing the workpiece, a storage area for storing the receptacle, a lifting and lowering unit for lifting and lowering the receptacle between the storage area and the processing apparatus, and a determining unit for determining whether the workpiece is housed in the receptacle or not.