Adjustable Gripping Pocket for Commercial Vehicle Rail Loading

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional commercial vehicle bodies face dimensional inaccuracies during manufacturing, leading to costly mechanical reworking and assembly adjustments to meet UIC specifications for railway loading, due to unavoidable tolerances in the manufacturing process.

Innovation Solution

The gripping pocket is designed to be fixed in a variable position on the longitudinal beam, allowing for individual adjustment through a gripping pocket holder that can be aligned transversely or angularly, with screw connections and eccentric adapter disks for precise positioning.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If gripping pockets are designed as welded or screwed structures with integral gripping edges, then the structure is simple and strong, but dimensional inaccuracies occur due to manufacturing tolerances requiring costly mechanical reworking

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedimensional accuracy of gripping edgeVSAvoidassembly cost and complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The gripping pocket is divided into separate components: the gripping pocket holder (5) attached to the longitudinal beam (4) and the gripping pocket (1) attached to the holder. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently with standard tolerances, then assembled together to achieve the required dimensional accuracy for the gripping edge (1.1).

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The gripping pocket holder (5) serves as an intermediary component between the longitudinal beam (4) and the gripping pocket (1). This mediator enables precise positioning and adjustment of the gripping edge (1.1) relative to the beam, compensating for manufacturing tolerances without requiring expensive mechanical reworking of the final assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If gripping edges are fixed in position during manufacturing, then assembly is simple, but subsequent adjustment requires extensive mechanical retrofitting work

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadjustability of gripping pocket positionVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The gripping pocket (1) is designed with adjustable positioning capabilities on the gripping pocket holder (5) through screw connections (3) and hole recesses (6). This dynamic design allows the gripping pocket to be repositioned as needed during assembly or maintenance, providing flexibility without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The position of the gripping pocket (1) on the longitudinal beam (4) can be varied by changing the insertion position of screws (3) into different hole recesses (6) on the gripping pocket holder (5). This parameter change approach enables flexible positioning while maintaining a relatively simple structural design, avoiding the need for extensive mechanical retrofitting.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If gripping pockets are made adjustable to compensate for tolerances, then dimensional accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedimensional accuracy of gripping edgeVSAvoidnumber of components
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The adjustment mechanism is localized to the gripping pocket holder (5) and gripping pocket (1) assembly, rather than requiring system-wide adjustments. The holder incorporates specific features (hole recesses (6), screw connections (3)) that enable precise positioning of the gripping edge (1.1) while keeping the rest of the commercial vehicle body structure simple and unchanged.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3196106B1Commercial vehicle structure for road vehicles
Publication Date: 2018.06.13 FAHRZEUGWERK KRONE BET GMBH
  • EP3196106B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3196106B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

Commercial vehicle body for road vehicles, in particular semi-trailers or swap bodies, with a commercial vehicle chassis having longitudinal crossmembers 4, on which at least one gripping pocket 1 comprising a gripping edge 1.1 is provided for the purpose of rail loading of the commercial vehicle body. In order to be able to adapt this commercial vehicle body cost-effectively to the requirements of the UIC rules, it is provided that the gripping pocket 1 is fixed in a positionally adjustable manner to the longitudinal crossmember 4 of the commercial vehicle body (Fig. 1).