Variable-Depth Storage Racks for Postal Package Space Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage solutions for items like postal packages face inefficiencies due to varying package sizes and unpredictable storage durations, leading to wasted space and potential errors in item placement.
Innovation Solution
A storage arrangement with vertical racks of varying widths and depths, combined with a sensor system and control unit that measures item dimensions and optimally places items within the storage structure, minimizing unused space and ensuring accurate item positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If multiple items are stored on the same shelf to maximize space utilization, then space efficiency improves, but the risk of errors in identifying and memorizing correct item positions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system divides the warehouse into multiple independent compartments, each dedicated to storing a single item type. This segmentation ensures that each compartment has a clear one-to-one correspondence with its stored item, eliminating identification errors while maintaining space efficiency through optimized compartment dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
Each compartment is designed with specific local dimensions (width, depth, height) tailored to the characteristics of the item it stores. This local customization allows maximum space utilization for each item type without compromising identification accuracy, as each compartment's dimensions are optimized for its specific item.
2Ease of manufacture
If fixed-size storage compartments are used, then the storage structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but significant empty space remains when storing items of varying sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system employs adjustable shelving mechanisms that allow compartment dimensions to be dynamically modified based on item size requirements. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the storage structure to adapt to various item dimensions, maximizing space utilization while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardized adjustment components.
Solution Approach 2:
The compartment dimensions (width, depth, height) are made variable through adjustable parameters such as shelf positions and compartment configurations. This allows the storage system to optimize space utilization for different item sizes by changing dimensional parameters without requiring complete restructuring of the storage facility.
3Quantity of substance
If the warehouse size is expanded to accommodate more items, then storage capacity increases, but the cost and difficulty of expansion work increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system uses nested or stacked compartment designs that allow multiple storage levels within the same footprint. This nesting approach increases storage capacity by utilizing vertical space and overlapping configurations, thereby expanding capacity without requiring proportional increases in warehouse floor area or structural expansion.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage system transitions from two-dimensional floor-based expansion to three-dimensional vertical utilization through multi-level shelving and stacked compartments. This dimensional change allows significant capacity increases within the same horizontal footprint, avoiding the need for expensive warehouse expansion while maximizing space utilization.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an arrangement (100) and a method for storing items and is applied, for example, in the storage of postal packages and the like. The invention provides for detecting the size of an item to be stored and placing said item inside a storage structure (30) in sufficient, but not excessive, space. In the arrangement and method according to the invention, at least two - preferably three - dimensions of the item in directions perpendicular to each other are considered to determine the space in which to store it. Correspondingly, the storage structure of the arrangement according to the invention comprises a plurality of vertical racks (32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 44', 46') in which rack groups are present in which compartments of different width, and possibly of different depth, can be defined. Said racks can possibly be mounted on rotatable platforms (45, 47) to further increase the capacity of the storage structure.