Tunable Accumulation Conveyor Control for High-Density Throughput

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional accumulation conveyors face challenges in maintaining high product density and throughput while accurately differentiating between product accumulation and flow, leading to inefficiencies and potential product damage due to complex and non-intuitive control systems.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a control system with sensors and a controller that determine zone operating states based on multiple conditions, including item detection and operational characteristics, to optimize accumulation logic and adjust release rates and aggressiveness, allowing for intuitive setup and operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If conventional accumulation conveyors use complex control systems to maintain high product density, then article density increases, but system complexity and difficulty of operation increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvearticle densityVSAvoidcontrol system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The conveyor is divided into multiple independently controllable zones, each with its own sensors and control logic. This segmentation allows the system to manage high article density through distributed control rather than a single complex centralized system, reducing overall control complexity while maintaining high density capabilities

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Each zone is equipped with sensors that provide real-time feedback on article presence and accumulation status. This feedback mechanism enables automatic adjustment of zone operation states based on actual conditions, eliminating the need for complex manual control systems while maintaining optimal article density

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If conventional accumulation conveyors increase throughput speed, then productivity increases, but product damage risk increases due to reduced accumulation control precision

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvethroughput speedVSAvoidproduct damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The control system dynamically adjusts the operation state of each zone based on real-time conditions, allowing the conveyor to optimize between speed and gentleness for different product types and accumulation scenarios. This dynamic adaptation enables high throughput while minimizing product damage through context-appropriate control strategies

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system allows adjustment of operational parameters such as zone speed, accumulation aggressiveness, and release rates to match product characteristics and throughput requirements. By changing these parameters rather than using fixed control logic, the system achieves high productivity while adapting to prevent product damage

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of operation

If conventional accumulation conveyors use traditional accumulation logic, then ease of operation is maintained, but ability to differentiate between accumulation and flow states deteriorates leading to inefficiencies

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperation simplicityVSAvoidaccumulation state differentiation

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

By dividing the conveyor into segmented zones with individual sensors and control logic, the system achieves precise detection of accumulation versus flow states in each zone independently. This segmentation maintains operational simplicity through standardized zone control while dramatically improving state differentiation precision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces traditional mechanical accumulation detection with electronic sensors and digital control logic that can precisely distinguish between accumulation and flow states. This substitution maintains ease of operation through automated electronic control while achieving superior state differentiation accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS11560275B2High-rate at high-density tunable accumulation conveyor

Publication Date: 2023.01.24 INTELLIGRATED HEADQUARTERS LLC

AI summary

Various embodiments disclosed herein provide for an improved accumulation conveyor and systems and methods for controlling a high rate, high density tunable accumulation conveyor. In one embodiment, an accumulation conveyor system determines whether an item detection variable associated with a second zone of a plurality of zones is satisfied, wherein the second zone is downstream of a first zone. In an instance where the item detection variable and an operational characteristic variable are satisfied, the accumulation conveyor system is configured to set a zone operating state associated with the first zone to inactive and send a command signal comprising the zone operating state associated with the first zone to a control module associated with the first zone. In another embodiment, a method for adjusting aggressiveness is disclosed. In another embodiment, a tunable release rate accumulation conveyor is disclosed. In still another embodiment, a tunable crowding accumulation conveyor is disclosed.