Overhead Container Grid Transfer Using Air Bearings and Linear Motors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing overhead storage systems for containers face maintenance downtime and high costs due to wear of spherical ball bearings and unidirectional rollers, and the X-Y rail configuration limits transfer unit efficiency and requires separate paths for multiple units.
Innovation Solution
An overhead grid system using air bearings and linear motors to lift and propel transfer units along intersecting box beams, allowing simultaneous movement of multiple units in an X-Y plane without the need for separate paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If spherical ball bearings and unidirectional rollers are used to move transfer units along the rail system, then the transfer units can move along the guide system, but the rollers and ball bearings wear down quickly due to constant pickup and movement of extremely heavy loads, requiring frequent maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical rolling contact system (spherical ball bearings and unidirectional rollers) with a magnetic field-based linear motor system. The linear motors generate electromagnetic forces to propel transfer units along the rail system, eliminating mechanical wear between moving parts. This substitution of mechanical interaction with electromagnetic interaction directly resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of operation while eliminating the reliability issue caused by wear.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an air bearing system that uses pressurized air to create a cushion between the transfer unit and the rail system. This pneumatic system reduces friction and wear by replacing direct mechanical contact with air lubrication. The air bearing allows the transfer unit to move smoothly along the rails while preventing the wear that would occur with traditional mechanical bearings, thus resolving the contradiction between operational ease and maintenance reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If an X-Y configuration of the rail system is used, then the rail system provides a grid structure for transport, but two transfer units cannot use the same rail and must be at least one cell apart, reducing system efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic rail system where transfer units can move along rails in both directions and the system can adaptively allocate rails to multiple units. The linear motor system enables precise control and acceleration/deceleration of transfer units, allowing them to share rails more efficiently. This dynamic operation allows the system to optimize productivity by enabling closer spacing and more flexible routing of transfer units compared to the static X-Y grid configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional rail system where the same rail can serve multiple transfer units through time-sharing and directional flexibility. The linear motor system enables any transfer unit to accelerate, decelerate, and change direction along the rail, making the rail a universal transport path that can accommodate multiple units without requiring separate dedicated paths for each unit, thus improving overall system productivity.
3Productivity
If conventional mechanical means (rollers and ball bearings) are used for movement, then transfer units can be propelled along the guide system, but maintenance costs and downtime add up quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical bearing and roller systems with linear motors that use electromagnetic fields to propel transfer units. This eliminates the mechanical components that require maintenance, repair, and replacement. The linear motors have no moving parts that wear, significantly reducing maintenance costs and downtime while maintaining high productivity in transfer unit movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The linear motor system is self-maintaining in that it has no mechanical wear-prone components. The electromagnetic fields are generated by stationary coils and interact with magnets on the moving transfer units, creating a system that requires minimal maintenance beyond routine electrical checks. This self-service characteristic eliminates the need for frequent mechanical maintenance, reducing both cost and downtime.
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
Reduces maintenance downtime and costs while enhancing the efficiency and flexibility of container movement, enabling high-density storage and seamless transfer between various locations.
Implementation Method 1
each carriage of the plurality of carriages being an air bearing that lifts the transfer unit relative to the plurality of box beams
Implementation Method 2
a linear motor system having a stator and at least one rotor, the stator extending throughout the plurality of box beams, and a rotor of said at least one rotor attached to each carriage means of each said transfer unit, the linear motor system configured to move each transfer unit of said at least one transfer unit along said plurality of box beams
Data Source
AI summary
A port storage and distribution system for facilitating the transfer and/or storage of international shipping containers between container ships and ground transport carriers wherein an overhead grid guide track structure is provided that permits overhead transfer units to selectively engage and convey containers as required between the various ships, carriers and storage area without requiring multiple transfers of containers between different handling equipment.