Vertical Transporter with Dual Loading Openings for Direct Floor Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing floor-to-floor transport systems require lengthy circulating transport, especially when moving articles between floors, as they need to be elevated to the highest point and then directed to the destination floor, leading to increased transport time and reduced production efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A floor-to-floor transport system that uses a vertical transporter with a loading transport line and unloading transport line, featuring dual loading and unloading openings and a transferer controlled by a controller to selectively route articles between upward and downward paths, allowing direct routing to the destination floor without circulating transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If circulating transport is used to transport articles between floors in a vertical transporter, then the system structure is simple and operates in one direction, but the transport time becomes excessively long especially when transporting to lower floors
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical transporter is segmented into two independent circulation systems: an upward path with loading openings for upper floors and a downward path with loading openings for lower floors. This segmentation allows articles to be transported directly to their destination floor without completing a full circulation cycle, significantly reducing transport time while maintaining system simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single-dimensional circulation path to a two-dimensional path structure with separate upward and downward paths. This dimensional change enables direct routing to different floor destinations, eliminating the need for articles to travel to the highest point and return, thus reducing transport time without complicating the overall system structure
2Device complexity
If a single loading opening is provided in the vertical transporter, then the system structure is simple, but additional transfer equipment is required at each floor
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical transporter is designed with multiple loading openings that serve different functions: loading openings in the upward path serve upper floors while loading openings in the downward path serve lower floors. This multi-functionality allows a single vertical transporter to handle transport to multiple destinations without requiring additional transfer equipment at each floor, reducing both device complexity and facility costs
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided are a floor-to-floor transport system and a floor-to-floor transport method capable of reducing a time required for transporting an article from the current floor to another floor. A floor-to-floor transport system 100 that transports an article between different floors by using an upward path Va and a downward path Vb in a vertical transporter V that revolves in one direction includes, on at least one floor: a loading transport line 20 that transports to the vertical transporter V an article to be transported to another floor; a first loading opening 11 through which the article is loaded into the upward path Va in the vertical transporter V; a second loading opening 12 through which the article is loaded into the downward path Vb in the vertical transporter V; a transferer 50 that selectively transfers to the first loading opening 11 or the second loading opening 12 an article transported by the loading transport line 20; and a controller 60 that controls the transferer 50 depending on a destination of the article.