Traffic Barrier Lifter With Clamping Arms And Rotator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for moving traffic barriers, such as using excavators or frontend loaders with chains, pose risks of injury due to the need for physical attachment, which can result in accidents when handling heavy steel-reinforced concrete barriers.
Innovation Solution
A traffic barrier lifter with pivotal or articulated arms that enclose the barrier, equipped with vacuum pads or frictional grips, allowing secure attachment to heavy equipment without manual chaining, and featuring a rotator for orientation and lifting control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If chains or cables are used to attach barriers to excavator buckets, then the barriers can be lifted and moved, but workers are exposed to serious injury risks from falling barriers or chain failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device (the barrier holder with clamping mechanism) that mediates between the excavator bucket and the traffic barrier. This holder attaches to the barrier through a controlled clamping action rather than external chains, eliminating the need for workers to manually attach chains and reducing exposure to falling barrier risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual chain-attachment mechanical system with an automated clamping mechanism. The holder uses hydraulic or mechanical clamps that automatically grip the barrier when positioned, substituting the dangerous manual chain-attachment process with a controlled mechanical system that reduces worker exposure to hazards.
2Reliability
If manual chaining is required to attach barriers to equipment, then barriers can be secured for lifting, but the process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier holder is designed to attach to the traffic barrier through its own self-contained clamping mechanism rather than requiring separate chains or cables. The device serves itself by using integrated clamps that automatically engage with the barrier when positioned, eliminating the need for workers to manually assemble and attach external chaining systems.
3Ease of operation
If barriers are moved using traditional chaining methods, then they can be repositioned, but precise control over barrier placement and orientation is difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier holder incorporates a rotator mechanism that allows dynamic adjustment of the barrier's orientation during the lifting and placement process. This rotational capability enables the operator to precisely control the barrier's final orientation and position, something that is difficult to achieve with static chain-attachment methods.
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 solution enables safe and efficient movement of traffic barriers by eliminating the need for manual attachment, reducing the risk of injury and improving operational safety while allowing precise control over the barrier's placement.
Implementation Method 1
The arms carry vacuum pads that create a vacuum grip on a surface of the barrier
Implementation Method 2
equipped with vacuum pads or frictional grips, allowing secure attachment to heavy equipment
Data Source
AI summary
A traffic barrier lifter mountable on a boom and having a gearbox with a first and a second rotating axis; a pair of opposing arms directly mounted to the first and second rotating axis and a rotator capable of rotating the lifter relative to the boom, wherein the gearbox is capable of moving the pair of opposing arms from an open position to a closed position such that the arms can clamp onto a traffic barrier. The rotator being capable of rotating the arms and traffic barrier relative to the boom.