Adjustable Fork Pallet Truck with Lateral Wheel Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pallet trucks face challenges in accommodating non-standard pallets due to fixed fork distances, leading to increased costs and complexity in managing diverse pallet specifications, which affects service life and operational ease.
Innovation Solution
The pallet truck features an adjustable fork distance mechanism, utilizing a side-shifting driving component and transmission device that switches the load-bearing wheel assembly between lateral and longitudinal rolling states, allowing for adaptable fork positioning and reducing wear, thereby enhancing operational simplicity and longevity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the fork distance is fixed in common pallet trucks, then the structure is simple, but the adaptability to different pallet specifications is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the fork distance adjustable rather than fixed. The connection between the fork and the frame is designed to be movable, allowing the fork distance to be dynamically changed according to different pallet specifications. This resolves the contradiction by enabling adaptability while maintaining operational simplicity through a straightforward adjustment mechanism.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple types of pallet trucks are used to meet diverse pallet needs, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity and management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universality by designing a single pallet truck model that can handle multiple pallet specifications through adjustable fork distance. The truck serves multiple functions by accommodating different pallet sizes and types, eliminating the need for maintaining multiple specialized truck types. This reduces management complexity while improving adaptability.
3Duration of action of moving object
If the load-bearing wheel assembly continuously rolls in the same direction, then the operation is simple, but the service life is reduced due to wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by designing the load-bearing wheel assembly to alternate between rolling forward and rolling laterally in a cyclic manner. This periodic change in rolling direction distributes wear across different surfaces of the wheels, extending their service life. The mechanism automatically switches rolling directions during operation, maintaining ease of use while reducing cumulative wear on any single wheel surface.
Data Source
AI summary
A pallet truck according to the present application includes a front frame, a rear frame, a lifting component, two fork bodies, a guide bar, a transmission device, and a load-bearing wheel assembly. The distance between the fork bodies can be adjusted by using the side-shifting driving component, thereby providing different fork distances and significantly improving the adaptability. During the adjusting process, the transmission device can switch the load-bearing wheel assembly from the longitudinal rolling state to the lateral rolling state, thereby avoiding wear of the wheels, which is beneficial to improving the overall life of the device and reducing the maintenance cost. In addition, the transmission device is pushed out as the rear frame is lifted, and thus the operation process is simple and reliable.