Articulating Carriage Walking Beam Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional carriage assemblies and casters are inefficient and unstable on uneven or irregular surfaces with small obstructions, leading to increased costs and reduced lifespan due to machining, welding, and break bending requirements, and are difficult to repair or replace.
Innovation Solution
An articulating carriage with a walking beam assembly, pedestal, and pivoting mechanism that allows the carriage to pivot over uneven areas and obstructions without stopping, assembled without machining, welding, or break bending, featuring a low driving moment and secure clamping mechanism for stability and ease of assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional carriage assemblies are used on uneven surfaces, then they can support loads, but they become unstable and inefficient due to the offset between support post and wheel axle creating tipping moments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional caster design by positioning the wheel axle offset from the support post rather than having the support post offset from the wheel axle. This inversion eliminates the tipping moment that causes instability on uneven surfaces, allowing the carriage to reliably support loads while maintaining operational efficiency.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional carriage assemblies encounter uneven areas or obstructions, then they can attempt to pass over them, but the wheels have difficulty and movement is impeded
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the offset configuration to position the wheel axle away from the support post, the patent enables wheels to more easily traverse uneven surfaces and obstructions without impeding movement, thereby improving both adaptability and productivity.
3Strength
If machining, welding, and break bending are used to configure carriage components, then structural strength is improved, but assembly costs and skilled labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the carriage into modular components (base, support post, wheel assembly) that can be manufactured separately using standard fabrication processes and then assembled through simple bolting or clamping operations. This segmentation maintains structural strength while dramatically reducing assembly costs and skilled labor requirements compared to monolithic designs requiring extensive machining and welding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a dynamic assembly system where components can be configured and adjusted during assembly without requiring permanent joining processes like welding. This allows for flexible configuration while maintaining structural integrity through properly engineered mechanical connections, reducing both cost and labor requirements.
4Strength
If the support post is offset from the wheel axle to provide stability, then load support is improved, but tipping moments increase on uneven surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional offset configuration by positioning the wheel axle offset from the support post rather than the support post offset from the wheel axle. This inversion maintains load support capability while eliminating the tipping moment that compromises stability on uneven surfaces.
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 articulating carriage efficiently and safely moves large or heavy objects across uneven surfaces, reducing the need for skilled labor and materials, while maintaining stability and ease of loading/unloading, and can be joined with other carriages for enhanced performance.
Implementation Method 1
a pivoting mechanism that allows the walking beam assembly to pivot relative to the pedestal so the articulating carriage may move over planar and non-planar areas
Implementation Method 2
Each of the caster assemblies have a wheel that is configured to rotatably engage the surface and support the base plate above the surface
Implementation Method 3
The contact surfaces are disposed in pivoting relation to the bushing assemblies on the hangers such that the contact surfaces contact the bushing assemblies below a plane
Data Source
AI summary
An articulating carriage for moving an object across a surface having a non-planar obstruction to allow movement of the object over the obstruction. The articulating carriage has a walking beam assembly that pivotally supports a pedestal to dispose a support surface thereof above the walking beam assembly. The walking beam assembly has a base plate, wheeled casters and a pair of spaced apart hangers having articulation openings. The walking beam pivots relative to the pedestal. In one embodiment, the pedestal is pivotally mounted on the walking beam assembly. In another embodiment, a pair of walking beam assemblies are connected with a crosstube that pivotally supports the pedestal. In another embodiment, a major crosstube assembly connects a pair of crosstubes to define a carriage having four walking beams. In yet another embodiment, a compound crosstube assembly connects pairs of major crosstube assemblies to define a carriage having eight walking beams.