AGV Fork Arm Floating Hook Assembly for Short Pallet Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional AGV trolleys with rigid hooks face issues of structural damage due to misalignment and cannot handle short pallets, leading to reduced versatility.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a floating hook assembly in the fork arm mechanism that retracts when the top cover contacts it, allowing the fork arm to be lifted at any position in the guide groove, preventing damage and enabling the lifting of short pallets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid hook is used on the traditional AGV trolley, then the hook can provide stable support for the fork arm, but the top cover of the fork arm easily collides with the hook directly when the system is abnormal or human error occurs, causing damage to the structural parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by transforming the rigid, fixed hook into a floating hook assembly that can move dynamically. The floating hook is connected to the frame through a guide groove and can slide along it, allowing the hook to automatically adjust its position. When the fork arm's top cover contacts the hook during abnormal conditions, the hook can move along the guide groove instead of being rigidly fixed, thereby avoiding direct collision and structural damage while maintaining stable support functionality.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the avoidance opening on the top cover of the fork arm must be aligned with the hook on the frame, then the rigid hook structure is maintained, but for some short pallets, the fork arm cannot be completely moved away from the frame, making it impossible for the fork arm to lift and place these short pallets, resulting in reduced versatility of the AGV trolley
Solution Approach 1:
The floating hook assembly enables dynamic positioning along the guide groove, allowing the fork arm to be lifted at any position within the guide groove's range. This eliminates the requirement for precise alignment between the avoidance opening and the hook, thereby enabling the AGV to handle short pallets that cannot be accommodated by rigid hook structures while maintaining overall system stability.
3Reliability
If the top cover of the fork arm directly hits the rigid hook when misalignment occurs, then the hook provides fixed support, but this causes damage to the structural parts and extremely high maintenance costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements beforehand cushioning by designing the floating hook assembly with a guide groove that allows the hook to move and absorb impact forces before they can cause structural damage. The floating mechanism acts as a cushioning element that prevents direct collision between the top cover and the hook during abnormal conditions, thereby protecting structural parts and reducing maintenance costs while maintaining fixed support functionality during normal operation.
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 floating hook assembly prevents structural damage and enhances the AGV's versatility by allowing it to lift and place short pallets efficiently.
Implementation Method 1
a compression spring and a ball-headed pin, and the compression spring is mounted inside the first hook base, the first hook is rotatably mounted on the first hook base through the first pin shaft, one end of the compression spring is connected to a side wall inside the first hook base, the other end of the compression spring is connected to the ball-headed pin, and the ball-headed pin abuts against the first hook
Implementation Method 2
a tension spring, and the second hook is rotatably mounted on the second hook base through the second pin shaft, one end of the tension spring is connected to the second hook base, and the other end of the tension spring is connected to the second hook
Data Source
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AI summary
The present application provides an AGV forklift, a fork arm active cargo handling method and a fork arm passive cargo handling method. The AGV forklift includes a frame and a fork arm mechanism. The frame is provided with a guide groove, and a groove wall of the guide groove is provided with a floating hook assembly. The fork arm mechanism includes a top cover. When the fork arm mechanism is lifted upward and the top cover contacts the floating hook assembly, the floating hook assembly retracts to avoid the top cover. When the fork arm mechanism continues to be lifted upward and the top cover detaches from the floating hook assembly, the floating hook assembly extends out and resets. The present application solves the problem of the rigid hook used in the traditional AGV trolley that, when the system is abnormal or human error occurs, a top cover of the fork arm is easy to collide directly with the hook to cause damage to the structural parts, and the fork arm cannot pick up and place short pallets, resulting in low versatility of the AGV trolley.