Adjustable Personnel Stand for Ergonomic Conveyor Part Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Workers in automotive manufacturing factories face ergonomic challenges such as strain and injury from stretching and reaching over conveyor belts to retrieve parts, and lifting parts overhead, which can lead to musculoskeletal issues and accidents.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable personnel stand that can raise and lower in unison with the conveyor belt to optimize worker positioning, reducing strain by adjusting height based on the location of parts on the conveyor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If workers stand on the ground level to retrieve parts from the conveyor belt, then they can easily access parts at their height, but they experience ergonomic strain when reaching over the conveyor belt for parts located at the far edge
Solution Approach 1:
The personnel stand is designed with adjustable height capability, allowing it to dynamically change from a fixed ground-level position to an elevated position. This dynamic adjustment enables workers to optimize their working height based on the location of parts on the conveyor belt, reducing ergonomic strain when reaching for parts at the far edge while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The stand's height parameter is made variable rather than fixed. By changing the vertical position parameter of the stand, workers can adapt to different part locations on the conveyor belt, transforming the working condition from a static ground-level position to an optimized elevated position that reduces reaching distance and ergonomic strain.
2Adaptability or versatility
If workers lift parts overhead into racks or bins positioned at heights above their shoulders, then they can store parts in elevated locations, but this causes significant exertion and increases the risk of injuries
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable height stand provides dynamic support that adapts to different storage requirements. Instead of workers lifting parts overhead from a fixed ground position, the stand can be elevated to provide intermediate support, reducing the lifting distance and effort while still enabling parts to be stored at elevated locations in racks or bins.
Solution Approach 2:
The elevated stand acts as an intermediary tool between the worker and the elevated storage location. It provides a mechanical advantage by reducing the vertical distance the worker must lift parts, thereby mediating the interaction between the worker and the overhead storage while significantly reducing physical exertion and injury risk.
3Device complexity
If the personnel stand is fixed at ground level, then the structure is simple and stable, but it cannot accommodate parts located at the far edge of the conveyor belt without causing ergonomic issues
Solution Approach 1:
The stand transitions from a simple fixed structure to a dynamically adjustable structure. While maintaining basic structural simplicity and stability when at ground level, it gains the capability to elevate to an optimized height when needed, thereby accommodating parts at the far edge of the conveyor belt without compromising operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The stand is designed as a segmented or modular structure that allows it to be divided into movable and adjustable components. This segmentation enables the stand to change its height configuration while maintaining overall structural integrity and simplicity, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and operational adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A personnel stand assembly should raise and lower substantially in unison across the length thereof in response to action of a lifting mechanism beneath a platform. The platform raises and lowers to position workers standing thereon at an ergonomic level for retrieval of parts or items moving along a conveyor assembly. The position of the platform can be based on the location of the item or a feature of the item. The lifting mechanism may utilize a plurality of interconnected pivot arms and tension rods, wherein the tension bars remain in tension so that the platform raises and lowers substantially in unison.