Carriage-Type Conveyance Device with Automatic Lock and Low-Floor Cam Rails
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional carriage-type conveyance devices face difficulties in constructing a low-floor structure due to the need for elevating cam follower rollers to be higher than the conveyance carriage supporting level, which complicates aisle crossing with forklifts and carriages.
Innovation Solution
The carriage-type conveyance device incorporates an automatic lock mechanism and unlocking cam follower rollers positioned higher than the conveyance carriage supporting level, allowing the elevating cam follower rollers to project downward when the object support base is at the lowering limit position, and uses a crossing aisle floor member at the same level as the conveyance carriage supporting level, along with slope floor members to facilitate safe passage through aisle crossing areas without elevating cam rails above the supporting level.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If elevating cam follower rollers are positioned higher than the conveyance carriage supporting level, then the object support base can be elevated, but the floor structure becomes complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of positioning the elevating cam follower rollers above the conveyance carriage supporting level, the patent inverts the arrangement by positioning them below the supporting level. This allows the rollers to engage with cam rails that are also positioned below the supporting level, eliminating the need for elevated structures and simplifying the floor design while maintaining the elevating function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a vertical arrangement where cam follower rollers are positioned above the supporting level to a horizontal/below-level arrangement. By moving the elevation mechanism to a different spatial dimension (below the floor level rather than above it), the design achieves the same elevating capability with a simpler, lower-profile structure.
2Duration of action of moving object
If elevating cam rails are laid above the conveyance carriage supporting level, then the object support base can be raised, but the aisle crossing area becomes blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional arrangement by positioning the elevating cam rails below the conveyance carriage supporting level rather than above it. This allows the rails to be hidden beneath the floor level, enabling forklifts and carriages to pass through the aisle crossing area without obstruction while still providing the necessary raising capability for the object support base.
3Area of stationary object
If the conveyance carriage traveling path is laid across an aisle, then space utilization is improved, but the aisle crossing area creates obstacles for forklifts and carriages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the aisle crossing conflict by moving the elevating mechanism to a different spatial dimension (below the floor level). This allows the conveyance carriage to travel across the aisle while the elevation mechanism operates underneath, eliminating the obstruction for forklifts and carriages and maintaining full space utilization.
Data Source
AI summary
A conveyance device using a carriage having an object support base movable vertically controlled by cam rails on the floor side, has an automatic lock for locking the object support base at a rising limit position. Unlocking cam follower rollers of the automatic lock are provided higher than a conveyance carriage supporting level of a carriage traveling path. A cam follower roller for elevating the object support base is positioned higher than the conveyance carriage supporting level when the object support base is at the rising limit position. In an area in which the carriage traveling path and the aisle cross each other, a crossing aisle floor member is laid at the same level as the conveyance carriage supporting level, and the conveyance carriage can pass through this aisle crossing area in a state that the object support base is locked at the rising limit position by the automatic lock.