Adaptable Transportation Container Geometry Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Transportation containers often exhibit undesirable driving behaviors due to uneven weight distribution, leading to loss of vehicle control and tipping risks, as existing weight sensors only alert loaders when limits are reached without adjusting geometry for optimal driving conditions.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable transportation container system with interconnected segments, actuators, processors, and sensors that adjust geometry based on weight distribution, wind, speed, and weather data to optimize container shape for improved stability and aerodynamics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the container maintains a standard rectangular geometry, then manufacturing and stacking are simplified, but driving stability deteriorates when weight distribution is uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The container geometry is made dynamically adjustable through actuators that can change the cross-sectional shape from rectangular to other configurations. This allows the container to adapt its geometry in real-time based on weight distribution sensors, improving driving stability while maintaining the simplicity of standard rectangular containers for manufacturing and storage when not in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical parameters of the container geometry (cross-sectional shape, width, height) are changed in response to detected weight distribution conditions. When uneven weight distribution is detected, the system adjusts geometric parameters to optimize stability, thereby resolving the contradiction between fixed manufacturing simplicity and variable operational stability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the container geometry is adjusted to optimize driving conditions, then driving stability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple segments or panels that can be independently adjusted by actuators. This segmentation allows for controlled geometric changes without requiring complete structural redesign, managing complexity by breaking down the adjustment mechanism into manageable modular components.
Solution Approach 2:
Weight distribution sensors provide continuous feedback to the control system, which automatically adjusts the container geometry accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism simplifies operation by eliminating manual intervention, though it does increase system complexity through the addition of sensors and control electronics.
3Reliability
If weight sensors are installed to monitor load limits, then loading safety improves, but only weight limit detection is provided without geometry adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The weight sensors not only detect when load limits are approached for safety purposes but also provide continuous data about weight distribution patterns. This feedback is used by the control system to automatically adjust container geometry, thereby transforming a simple monitoring function into an active adaptation system that simultaneously achieves safety and versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The weight sensing system serves multiple functions: it monitors total weight for safety compliance, detects weight distribution patterns, and provides input data for geometry optimization. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making the same sensor system serve both safety monitoring and adaptability purposes.
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable transportation container system is provided including a container including a plurality of container segments defining a geometry, a container adjustment device interconnecting the plurality of container segments, one or more processors, and one or more memory modules. The one or more memory modules include a computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to identify a weight distribution of the container, identify an adjusted geometry of the container, and actuate the container adjustment device to change the geometry of the container to conform to the adjusted geometry.