Vertical Conveyor Damping Section for Package Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vertical conveyors for pharmacies require significant space, are complex, and often damage packages during transfer, especially for pharmaceuticals, which is undesirable.
Innovation Solution
A vertical conveyor design featuring a frame structure with reversibly deformable guide elements and support arms that form a damping section to gently handle unit loads, using textile fabric webs and a belt drive for vertical movement without a separate drive for horizontal support arm movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional vertical conveyors (spiral chutes or lifts) are used, then vertical transport capability is achieved, but space requirements increase and package damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible guide elements made of textile fabric that can deform reversibly to cushion package impact. These flexible films create a gentle receiving environment at the discharge section, preventing package damage while maintaining a compact vertical conveyor structure with reduced footprint compared to conventional rigid systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide elements are designed to form a receiving section with cushioning properties before packages arrive at the discharge section. This beforehand cushioning prepares a soft landing zone that absorbs impact energy, preventing package damage in advance while keeping the overall system compact.
2Reliability
If conventional lifts are used, then vertical transport is achieved, but device complexity and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the drive mechanism from the moving support unit and relocates it to a fixed position at the receiving section. This separation simplifies the moving components to essentially a passive gravity-fed system with flexible guide elements, dramatically reducing structural complexity and maintenance requirements while maintaining reliable vertical transport capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The support unit is designed to move vertically under its own weight and the weight of packages without requiring an active drive mechanism attached to it. The system uses gravity and the flexible deformation of guide elements to facilitate package transfer, creating a self-service mechanism that reduces complexity and maintenance needs.
3Ease of operation
If the support unit moves vertically with an integrated drive, then precise control is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drive mechanism is extracted from the moving support unit and repositioned at the fixed receiving section. This allows precise control of the vertical transport process while keeping the moving support unit simple and maintenance-free. The separated drive configuration maintains control precision without adding complexity to the moving components.
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 design minimizes space requirements, reduces maintenance, and gently handles packages, preventing damage while operating quietly and efficiently.
Implementation Method 1
a first guide means with a reversibly deformable material and a second guide means with a reversibly deformable material... the support arms deform the first and second guide means at least partially reversibly during a vertical movement of the support arms, and in the closed position form a damping section
Data Source
Figure 1a~3
Figure 4~7
Figure 8~10b
AI summary
The invention relates to a vertical conveyor for transporting unit loads and a method for vertically transporting unit loads. With known vertical conveyors, there is a risk that unit loads will be damaged during transport. To avoid this, the vertical conveyor according to the invention comprises a frame structure (10) with a receiving section (20) and a discharge section (30) for unit loads, a vertically oriented guide device (200) with a first guide element (201a) made of a reversibly deformable material and at least one second guide element (201b, 12), and a vertically movable support unit (100) with at least one support arm (110a, 110b) movable horizontally between a closed position and a release position, wherein the support arm (110a, 110b) at least partially encompasses the first guide element (201a) and the first and second guide elements (201a;201b, 12) and the support arm (110a, 110b) are designed such that the support arm (110a, 110b) reversibly deforms the first guide element (201a) during a vertical movement of the support arm and, in the closed position, forms a damping section (202) from the first guide element (201a) and the second guide element (201b, 12), which prevents a downward movement of the unit load.;