Adaptor Pallet With Rotatable Locking Plate for Dolly Securing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adaptor pallets for transporting wheeled dollies are either complex and expensive with foot-operated locking mechanisms or awkward to use with hand-operated ramps, lacking a balance between being light, robust, and easy to use.
Innovation Solution
A novel adaptor pallet with parallel tracks, a lifting structure for fork-lift engagement, and a rotatable locking plate with a latch system that allows secure dolly placement without external manipulation means, enabling easy loading and locking with a single lifting motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If foot-operated locking fins or similar locking elements are used to secure dollies, then the dollies are securely locked to the pallet, but the manipulation system becomes complex making the adaptor pallet expensive to manufacture and heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex manipulation system from the locking mechanism, retaining only the essential locking fins that are passively activated by the dolly's own weight and movement, thereby simplifying the overall structure while maintaining securing reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The locking fins are designed to be automatically activated by the dolly itself during the loading process, eliminating the need for separate manipulation means and making the system self-servicing
2Strength
If a closed end adaptor pallet with a pivoting ramp is used to close the loading end, then the pallet structure becomes light and robust, but the user interface becomes awkward requiring hand operation with combined rotation and lifting motion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex pivoting ramp mechanism entirely, replacing it with a simple locking plate system that can be operated by foot, extracting the problematic hand operation requirement while maintaining structural robustness
Solution Approach 2:
The locking plate is designed to be passively manipulated by the operator's foot during the natural dolly loading process, making the system self-servicing and eliminating the need for dedicated hand operation
3Reliability
If dollies are transported individually on adaptor pallets, then each dolly can be securely transported, but the operation duration increases consuming valuable docking time
Solution Approach 1:
The adaptor pallet is segmented to accommodate multiple dollies simultaneously with separate tracking systems for each dolly, allowing parallel loading and securing operations that reduce total operation time while maintaining individual security
Solution Approach 2:
The pallet structure is pre-configured with multiple sets of tracks and locking fins positioned to automatically engage dollies as they are rolled onto the pallet, performing the securing action preliminarily during the loading process itself rather than requiring separate securing steps
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention provides an adaptor pallet (100) comprising two sets of parallel tracks (11, 12; 21, 22) for receiving the wheels (210) of a dolly (200). Between both sets of tracks, a lifting structure (30, 40) is arranged to connect the tracks (11, 12; 21, 22) at an elevated level. The adaptor pallet comprises a loading end (60) for introducing the dollies (200) to the pallet, and a closed end (70) which comprises a stopper (71) for limiting the movement of dollies in the longitudinal direction. The pallet further comprises a locking plate (50) rotatably connected to the lifting structure (30, 40) at one end, while another end of the locking plate (50) comprises a stopper protrusion (52) and means for releasably affixing the locking plate (50) into a horizontal position such that the stopper protrusion (52) limits the movement of the dollies at the loading end (60) of the adaptor pallet, wherein the locking plate (50) is releasable from the horizontal position into an angled position for opening the loading end (60) of the adaptor pallet.