ULD Conveying Unit With AGV-Driven Rollers for Flexible Sorting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manual conveying systems for loading units, such as ULDs, are labor-intensive, costly, and prone to failure, while AGV-driven systems are inflexible and require significant maintenance, leading to inefficiencies in air freight logistics.
Innovation Solution
A conveying unit with support rollers and drive means compatible with AGVs, allowing flexible, fail-safe transport and sorting of loading units, enabling modular and adaptable conveyor systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual conveying elements are equipped with driven transport rollers, then productivity is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The conveying unit is equipped with its own drive means that can be independently activated, allowing it to self-propel loading units without requiring external AGV intervention for every movement, thus improving productivity while maintaining simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The drive means on the conveying unit can operate in multiple modes: it can drive the conveying unit itself, or it can drive support rollers to move loading units, providing versatile functionality that improves productivity without proportionally increasing complexity
2Ease of operation
If AGVs are used to drive slave pallets, then labor requirements are reduced, but reliability decreases due to component failures
Solution Approach 1:
The conveying unit has its own drive means that can independently propel loading units, eliminating dependence on external AGVs and their vulnerable components, thus improving reliability while maintaining automated operation
Solution Approach 2:
The drive means on the conveying unit acts as an intermediary between the loading unit and the support rollers, providing a direct and reliable drive connection that eliminates the need for complex AGV-to-pallet coupling mechanisms
3Productivity
If conveyor systems are dimensioned for maximum utilization, then productivity is improved, but adaptability decreases when requirements change
Solution Approach 1:
The conveying system uses conveying units with drive means that can be dynamically activated or deactivated, and support rollers that can be selectively engaged, allowing the system to adapt its capacity and configuration to changing requirements while maintaining high productivity when needed
4Productivity
If driven transport rollers are installed on conveying units, then productivity is improved, but maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The drive means is integrated directly onto the conveying unit, allowing it to be maintained, repaired, or replaced independently without affecting other parts of the system, thus reducing overall maintenance intensity while maintaining productivity
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 reduces labor requirements, lowers operational costs, and enhances system flexibility, ensuring efficient and reliable transport even during peak demands without additional investments.
Implementation Method 1
support elements support the platform in such a way, in particular by being arranged at the corners of the platform, that the conveying unit can be driven under by an automated guided vehicle (AGV)
Implementation Method 2
The platform has openings from which the support rollers protrude, the uppermost points of which define a transport plane on which the load unit can be moved with minimal frictional losses
Implementation Method 3
Some or all of the drive means can be brought into operative contact with a drive means of the transport vehicle driving under the conveying unit and can be driven by this drive means, so that the drive means move a load unit resting on them
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
ULD transport between airside and landside still frequently takes place by completely manually shifting the ULDs (4) on manual conveying units (2) (slave pallets). The need for a high degree of reliability, acquisition and maintenance costs as well as high flexibility requirements prevent fully automatic solutions. The invention relates to a conveying unit (2), a conveying system and a method for transporting, storing and sorting loading units (4) on conveying units (4). The conveying unit (4) can have a driverless transport vehicle (16) driven under it and comprises transfer means (8) which determine different transport directions (24) and are driven from below in operative contact with the drive means (22) of the transport vehicle (16), so that a ULD (4) resting on the transfer means (8) is moved. The conveying unit (2) also comprises support rollers (10), on which a ULD (4) can be moved with minimal friction losses. A large and flexible transport plane can be provided using only one transport vehicle and a plurality of cost-effective conveying units. In the event of a transport vehicle malfunction or in the event of capacity peaks, a further transport vehicle or manual shifting can be used. This leads to almost 100% reliability.