Length-Adjustable Commercial Vehicle Frame With Transverse Rollers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial vehicles transporting containers face challenges in maintaining adjustable frame lengths, especially under unfavorable conditions like wet roads or angled tractors, and in accommodating high-cube containers within legal height constraints, due to limitations in existing roller bearing systems that require space and are not designed for high loads.
Innovation Solution
A commercial vehicle with a length-adjustable frame construction featuring rollers attached to cross members and outer surfaces of longitudinal members, allowing for lateral displacement and reducing vertical space requirements, enhancing transport height and load-bearing capacity, and incorporating roller packs for robustness and ease of movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If conventional roller bearing systems are used for length adjustment, then the frame construction can be adjusted in length, but the vertical space required is excessive, limiting transport height for high-cube containers
Solution Approach 1:
The roller axes are oriented transversely (perpendicular to the direction of travel) instead of longitudinally, changing the dimension in which the roller bearing occupies space. This transverse orientation allows the rollers to support the loading frame while minimizing vertical space consumption, enabling high-cube container transport while maintaining length adjustability
2Length of moving object
If conventional roller bearing systems are used, then length adjustment is possible, but the system is not robust enough to handle high loads during container loading and unloading
Solution Approach 1:
The roller bearing system is segmented into multiple individual rollers distributed along the longitudinal members, with each roller independently supporting portions of the load. This segmentation allows the system to handle high loads through distributed contact while maintaining the ability to telescopic the frame for length adjustment
Solution Approach 2:
The rollers act as intermediary elements between the loading frame and chassis frame, providing robust load transmission while enabling relative movement. The rollers are laterally attached to outer surfaces of longitudinal members, creating a mediator system that handles both high loads and length adjustment requirements
3Length of moving object
If slide-mounted frame constructions are used, then length adjustment is possible, but the frame construction cannot telescope under unfavorable conditions such as wet roads, loose ground, or angled tractors
Solution Approach 1:
The slide-mounted mechanical connection is replaced with a roller bearing system where the loading frame rolls on rollers attached to the chassis frame. This substitution eliminates the sticking problems of slide-mounted constructions, allowing reliable length adjustment even under unfavorable conditions such as wet roads, loose ground, or when the tractor is at an angle to the utility vehicle
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 solution provides reliable length adjustability, increased transport height, and improved load handling capabilities, ensuring safe and efficient transport of containers of varying lengths, including high-cube containers, even under difficult conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The chassis frame and the loading frame each have rollers such that the chassis frame and the loading frame can be displaced relative to one another along the side members
Data Source
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AI summary
The vehicle has a length-adjustable frame structure (10) with undercarriage frames (11) and loading frames provided with rollers (13) such that the frames are movable relative to each other along longitudinal beams (11b) of the undercarriage frames and longitudinal beams of the loading frames. The rollers of the undercarriage frames are fastened at a cross beam (11a) between the longitudinal beams of the undercarriage frames and/or the rollers of the loading frames are laterally fastened at outer surfaces of the longitudinal beams of the loading frames.