Adjustable Tow Bar Lifting Device for Container Relocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy containers become too heavy for smaller construction-site equipment to move as they fill up, limiting their relocation within a site without requiring a hook-lift truck, leading to inefficiencies and additional costs.
Innovation Solution
A lifting device with an adjustable tow bar and undercarriage that can be manually lowered to support the container's weight, allowing for local movement without hydraulic, electrical, or pneumatic power, and featuring a telescopic tow bar for adjustable length and locking mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a container is placed on the ground by a hook-lift truck, then the container can be left at a construction site, but the container becomes too heavy for smaller equipment to move as it fills up
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting device is divided into separate functional components: an undercarriage with wheels for ground contact, a tow bar for attachment to the container, and a lifting mechanism. This segmentation allows the container to be partially lifted off the ground, reducing the weight borne by smaller moving equipment during relocation.
Solution Approach 2:
The lifting device acts as an intermediary between the container and smaller construction equipment. By providing its own undercarriage and lifting mechanism, it mediates the weight transfer, allowing smaller equipment to move the container without bearing the full weight.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a hook-lift truck is used to move the container, then the container can be relocated, but the truck's size restricts navigation to open areas and broad roads
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting device separates the lifting function from the transportation function. The undercarriage with wheels provides ground contact capability suitable for construction sites, while the tow bar connects to smaller equipment, eliminating the need for large hook-lift trucks and improving navigability.
Solution Approach 2:
The lifting device serves multiple functions: it provides ground contact through its undercarriage, enables lifting of the container end, and interfaces with various smaller equipment types through the tow bar, making it universally applicable on different construction site terrains.
3Ease of operation
If hydraulic or pneumatic actuators are used to lift the container, then the lifting function is achieved, but the system requires complex power supply infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The undercarriage is designed to be adjustable between raised and lowered positions without requiring external hydraulic, pneumatic, or electrical power. The system uses passive mechanical adjustment, allowing the container end to be lifted by smaller equipment while the undercarriage supports the container weight on the ground.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex power supply systems (hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical) are completely removed from the lifting device. Only simple mechanical components remain, which can be adjusted manually or by small motors, eliminating the need for infrastructure power supply.
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
Enables the local movement of fully loaded containers within a construction site using smaller equipment, reducing reliance on large trucks and associated costs, while maintaining flexibility in container placement.
Implementation Method 1
the undercarriage being arranged to be brought from the raised position into the lowered position by means of manual force and/or gravity
Data Source
AI summary
A lifting device is for a container. The lifting device is arranged to be attached at one end of the container. The lifting device comprises a tow bar being adjustable between an erect position and an unfolded position; an undercarriage connected to the tow bar and provided with one or more wheels, the undercarriage being adjustable between at least a raised position and a lowered position, and the undercarriage being arranged, in the lowered position, to carry at least part of the weight of the container. The undercarriage is arranged to be adjusted from the raised position into the lowered position by means of manual force and/or gravity. The undercarriage is arranged to be adjusted from the raised position to the lowered position when the end of the container has been lifted above the supporting surface. A method is for using a lifting device for a container.