Tray Sorting Conveyor with Cam-Guided Pusher Shoes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing parcel sorting systems face challenges in increasing throughput by maintaining high tray movement speed and minimizing tray pitch while allowing for precise loading of packages with dimensions close to tray size, and the ability to reject packages without disrupting the flow.
Innovation Solution
A system featuring a tray conveyor with trays spaced two by two and a loading unit with slat conveyors and pusher shoes guided by a cam rail, enabling oblique movement of packages onto moving trays and directing rejected packages to a receptacle controlled by a control unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the pitch between adjacent trays is reduced to increase throughput, then the overall throughput of the tray conveyor increases, but the loading precision becomes more difficult to maintain when package dimensions are close to tray size
Solution Approach 1:
A slat conveyor with pusher shoes acts as an intermediary mechanism between the package source and the tray conveyor. The slat conveyor receives packages, positions them precisely using pusher shoes that can be individually controlled, and then transfers them to the tray conveyor. This intermediary system allows for precise package positioning even when trays are closely spaced, because the pusher shoes can make fine adjustments to package position before transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The pusher shoes are designed to be movable and adjustable along the slat conveyor, allowing dynamic positioning of packages. The pusher shoes can be actuated independently to accommodate varying package sizes and positions, enabling precise loading onto trays with reduced pitch. The dynamic adjustment capability ensures that each package can be positioned accurately regardless of the reduced spacing between trays.
2Productivity
If the tray movement speed is increased to increase throughput, then the throughput increases, but the loading precision and control over package placement becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Packages are positioned and prepared on the slat conveyor before being transferred to the moving tray conveyor. The pusher shoes advance packages along the slat conveyor and position them precisely in advance of the transfer point. This preliminary positioning action occurs while the tray conveyor moves at high speed, allowing the system to maintain both high throughput and precise loading because the package is ready and positioned before the fast-moving tray arrives.
Solution Approach 2:
The slat conveyor serves as a buffer and positioning intermediary between the package supply and the high-speed tray conveyor. It allows packages to be prepared and positioned at a slower, more controlled pace while the tray conveyor operates at high speed. The pusher shoes on the slat conveyor can precisely position each package before transfer, decoupling the positioning precision requirements from the tray conveyor speed.
3Productivity
If packages with dimensions close to tray size are loaded, then the space utilization increases, but the ability to reject packages without disrupting flow becomes more constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The pusher shoes on the slat conveyor are segmented and can be individually controlled. Each pusher shoe can independently advance or hold back a package, allowing selective rejection of individual packages even when they are closely sized to match tray dimensions. This segmentation of the pushing mechanism provides fine-grained control over package flow, enabling rejection of specific packages without disrupting the overall flow to other trays.
Solution Approach 2:
The pusher shoes are dynamically controllable, allowing the system to adapt its behavior for each package. When a package needs to be rejected, the corresponding pusher shoe can be controlled to hold back or redirect that specific package while other pusher shoes continue to advance their packages normally. This dynamic control maintains space utilization while providing flexibility for package rejection.
4Productivity
If multiple pushers are used to load packages onto moving trays, then the loading rate increases, but the complexity of synchronizing pushers with tray movement increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple pusher shoes are merged onto a single slat conveyor system that moves in unison. Instead of having independent pusher mechanisms for each tray position, all pusher shoes are mounted on the same moving slat conveyor structure. This merging reduces synchronization complexity because the entire slat conveyor and all its pusher shoes move together as one unit, eliminating the need to independently synchronize multiple pusher mechanisms with the tray conveyor.
Solution Approach 2:
The slat conveyor acts as an intermediary carrier that holds and moves multiple pusher shoes together. By mounting all pusher shoes on this single intermediary structure, the system simplifies control - the slat conveyor's position and speed serve as a reference for all pusher operations. This intermediary structure coordinates the multiple pushers automatically through its own motion, reducing the complexity of synchronizing each individual pusher with the tray conveyor.
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
Enhances overall throughput by allowing precise loading and efficient rejection of packages, maintaining continuous flow even when packages have dimensions near tray size, and optimizing tray spacing for increased efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
each pusher shoe is further guided by a rail forming a cam under the slats of the slat conveyor and which follows a slanted trajectory so that a package appearing on one side of the slat conveyor and facing a pusher shoe is pushed transversely on the slat conveyor
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
System for sorting/handling parcels or packages, comprising a tray sorting conveyor loaded by a slat conveyor with pusher shoes A system for sorting/handling parcels or packages (P) comprises a tray conveyor (1) and a unit (3) for loading the packages onto the trays of the conveyor, which unit comprises several pusher shoes (5) which are slidably mounted on a slat conveyor and spaced apart in pairs at regular intervals, the pusher shoes being guided in a track (6) that forms a cam for pushing the packages onto the trays of the tray conveyor.