Chain-Driven Shuttle Fork for Low-Cost Box Pickup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shuttle vehicles in intelligent warehousing systems face challenges in efficiently conveying and picking up material boxes due to complex structures and high manufacturing costs, particularly with telescopic forks.
Innovation Solution
A shuttle vehicle design utilizing a chain assembly and fork mechanism, where a chain drives a fork to move vertically and horizontally to engage with the material box grooves, simplifying the structure and reducing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional rubber or plastic materials are used for seals and grommets, then manufacturing cost is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but environmental pollution increases and ecological compatibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from traditional rubber/plastic to thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), which maintains similar processing characteristics and manufacturing ease while providing biodegradability and environmental compatibility. The TPE material can be processed using standard injection molding techniques without requiring fundamental changes to manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs biodegradable TPE materials that are designed to decompose after their service life, replacing traditional durable materials that persist in the environment. This approach accepts a shorter functional lifespan in exchange for environmental compatibility, with the material breaking down into harmless substances after use.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If thermoplastic elastomer material is used for seals and grommets, then environmental compatibility is improved and biodegradability is achieved, but manufacturing precision and material consistency become more difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
The thermoplastic elastomer material possesses self-regulating properties during processing, including automatic filling of mold cavities and self-leveling during cooling, which compensates for variations in material flow and reduces the need for tight process control. The material's viscoelastic nature allows it to adapt to minor dimensional variations in the molding process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the dynamic rheological properties of TPE materials, which exhibit temperature-dependent viscosity changes during processing. The material transitions from a viscous state during injection to a more rigid state during cooling, allowing for flexible process parameters that can accommodate normal manufacturing variations while maintaining consistent final product dimensions.
3Device complexity
If separate components are used for cable entry and seal functions, then device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to potential misalignment and gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the cable entry guide and sealing functions into a single monolithic component molded from TPE material. The integrated design eliminates the interface between separate components, ensuring continuous sealing contact and preventing gaps or misalignment issues that would occur with assembled parts. The single-component construction maintains simplicity while achieving superior sealing reliability.
Data Source
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AI summary
A shuttle vehicle, comprising a vehicle body (100), a travelling apparatus (200) and a box conveying and pickup apparatus (300); two horizontal support plates (110) provided in parallel and spaced apart are fixed on the vehicle body, the two horizontal support plates are located on the same horizontal plane, and the gap formed between the two horizontal support plates is perpendicular to a traveling direction of the vehicle body; the traveling device is fixedly connected to the vehicle body and is used for driving the vehicle body to move along a rail (10); the box conveying and pickup device comprises a chain assembly (310) and a fork (20), the chain assembly is provided below the horizontal support plates, and the chain assembly comprises a chain (311), a sprocket group (312) and a chain driving device (350); the chain is wound around the sprocket group, and the chain driving device is connected to the sprocket group and is used for driving the chain to move in a vertical plane perpendicular to the traveling direction; a first end (321) of the fork is fixedly connected to the chain, and a second end of the fork extends outwards in the normal direction of the chain; and a bent portion (322) bending upwards is formed at the second end, and is used for contacting with the inner wall of a groove (31) at the bottom of a material box (30), so as to push the material box to move along with the fork.