Amphibious Transport Vehicle for ISO Containers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for transporting standard containers from door to door are laborious and prone to damage due to multiple transshipments between container ships and land vehicles, and existing solutions either require special adaptations for individual containers or cannot handle standard containers efficiently.
Innovation Solution
An amphibious transport method using ISO containers that can transition seamlessly between land and water, equipped with control systems for remote or onboard operation, allowing for door-to-door transport without transhipment, utilizing a combination of wheels and screws for propulsion and stabilization, and incorporating loading/unloading mechanisms for efficient handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If containers are transported by conventional methods (ship to barge to lorry), then transport capacity is high, but handling complexity increases and damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines water transport and land transport capabilities into a single amphibious vehicle. The vehicle integrates a hull for water navigation with wheeled propulsion systems for land movement, eliminating the need for separate ships, barges, and lorries. This merging of transport modes reduces handling complexity while maintaining transport capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The amphibious vehicle serves multiple functions: it can transport containers over water using its hull and over land using its wheeled propulsion systems. This multi-functionality allows a single vehicle type to replace multiple specialized vehicles, reducing the overall complexity of the transport system while maintaining high productivity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If containers are transferred multiple times between different vehicles, then transport routes are flexible, but damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging water and land transport capabilities into one amphibious vehicle, the container remains in the same vehicle throughout the entire journey. This eliminates multiple transfers and associated damage risks while preserving route flexibility, as the vehicle can navigate both waterways and land roads.
3Ease of operation
If individual containers are specially prepared for land transport, then door to door transport is possible, but standard container compatibility is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The amphibious vehicle is designed with universal container handling capabilities. It can accommodate standard ISO containers using its loading means, providing door-to-door service without requiring special container modifications. The vehicle's versatility extends to handling both standard and non-standard containers while maintaining compatibility with existing container infrastructure.
4Ease of operation
If amphibious vehicles use both wheels and screws for propulsion, then transition between land and water is smooth, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The propulsion system is designed to be dynamic and adaptive. The vehicle switches between wheeled propulsion for land travel and screw propulsion for water navigation. This dynamic reconfiguration allows smooth transitions between environments while managing system complexity through intelligent control of the dual propulsion systems.
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
This method significantly reduces handling requirements, minimizes labor, and ensures efficient, damage-free transport of standard containers over both land and water without the need for special adaptations, enabling autonomous operation and flexible routing.
Implementation Method 1
The water mass W displaced by the combination of the means of transport with the container and the cargo floating in the water provides an upward force which is equal to W·g
Implementation Method 2
The means of transport comprises a propulsion means for propelling the means of transport over land and over water
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for transporting containers, especially ISO containers (112), comprising the steps of: - providing at least one amphibious means of transport (110a, 110b) which is outfitted with flotation means (120a, 120b), land transport members, propulsion means (122a, 122b), and control means, - coupling at least one ISO container with the means of transport, - moving the means of transport over land by means of the land transport members and the propulsion means, and - moving the means of transport with coupled ISO container over a body of water by means of the flotation means and the propulsion means, wherein the buoyancy of the means of transport with coupled ISO container is provided exclusively by the flotation means of that means of transport, and - unloading the ISO container.