Bulkhead Tether Apparatus for Refrigerator Trailers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bulkhead systems in containers are expensive and time-consuming to install and repair, and often result in lost or misplaced bulkheads during loading and unloading, with cable-based systems being unreliable due to stretching or breakage.
Innovation Solution
A bulkhead tether apparatus featuring a roller track, trolley, bulkhead bracket, and short chain that securely attaches bulkheads to the container, allowing them to be easily moved out of the way during loading and unloading while preventing removal from the container, using hook and loop fasteners for attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If cable-based bulkhead moving systems are used, then installation is simpler, but the cables tend to stretch or break and loaders cut them, reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, fragile cables with a simpler, more durable chain mechanism that is resistant to stretching and breaking. The chain is designed to be replaceable and robust against loader interference, effectively substituting a unreliable component with a more resilient one.
2Ease of operation
If multiple ceiling tracks and hinges are used for bulkhead moving systems, then bulkheads can be moved out of the way, but the system becomes expensive and time-consuming to install and repair
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the bulkhead moving system into separate functional components: a roller track fixed to the ceiling, a trolley that moves along the track, and a chain that connects the trolley to the bulkhead. This segmentation allows each component to be simpler and more replaceable while maintaining the overall mobility function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a trolley as an intermediary component between the ceiling track and the bulkhead chain. This trolley simplifies the connection mechanism, allowing the bulkhead to move along the track without requiring complex hinge systems directly attached to the ceiling.
3Ease of operation
If bulkheads are removed from containers to move out of the way, then loading and unloading is facilitated, but the bulkheads are often lost or not returned to the proper containers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-attaches the chain to the bulkhead bracket and the other end to the trolley on the ceiling track before the bulkhead is installed in the container. This preliminary configuration ensures that when the bulkhead is moved during loading/unloading, it remains tethered to the container via the chain and trolley mechanism, preventing loss or misplacement.
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 provides a cost-effective and easy-to-install system that prevents bulkhead loss, allows for multiple movement configurations during loading and unloading, and ensures the bulkheads remain within the container, reducing installation and repair costs while maintaining operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a roller track; a trolley movably attachable to the roller track
Implementation Method 2
a relatively short chain releasably attachable to the trolley and to the bulkhead bracket
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a bulkhead tether apparatus for a container (such as a refrigerator trailer) which generally includes a roller track, a trolley movably attachable to the roller track, a bulkhead bracket securely attachable to the bulkhead, and a relatively short chain releasably attachable to the trolley and to the bulkhead bracket. This combination enables the bulkhead to travel the length of the track, but prevents the bulkhead from being removed from the container. The combination also enables the bulkhead to be moved out of the way during loading and unloading in several different ways to facilitate loading products into and unloading products from the container.