Modular Conveyor Guide Track for Facade Element Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional conveyor systems for transporting and installing facade elements on buildings are costly and time-consuming to assemble, pose risks of personal injury due to heavy elements being lifted directly from trucks, and require complex and precise lifting mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor guide track with an open-ended rectangular profile and attachment units for connecting multiple tracks, allowing for efficient and safe transportation and installation of facade elements, featuring a longitudinal cavity for a trolley member and transversally positioned attachment units for secure locking, along with a lifting jig that simplifies the lifting process by providing a flat exterior surface and reducing precision requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional conveyor systems are used to transport facade elements, then the elements can be moved from trucks to buildings, but the assembly is costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is divided into modular guide track segments that can be easily assembled and disassembled. Each segment contains standardized attachment units with connection elements, allowing rapid assembly without complex procedures. The track is segmented into reusable modules that can be configured for different building heights and layouts.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection elements are designed to transition from a locked connected state to a easily releasable state. The attachment units incorporate mechanical features that allow quick release and reconfiguration, enabling the system to adapt dynamically to different assembly requirements and building configurations.
2Loss of time
If facade elements are lifted directly from trucks, then storage time and space are saved, but there is imminent risk of personal injury due to heavy weight
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor guide track system serves as an intermediary mechanism between the truck and the building facade. Instead of direct lifting, elements are transferred to the conveyor system which then transports them vertically. This intermediary system distributes the load and eliminates the need for dangerous direct manual handling or complex crane operations.
3Reliability
If robust and reliable assembly is used for heavy object transport, then the system is reliable, but it is costly and time-consuming to assemble
Solution Approach 1:
Connection elements and attachment units are pre-assembled and pre-positioned on the guide track segments during manufacturing. This preliminary preparation ensures that field assembly requires only simple connection steps, maintaining system reliability while dramatically reducing on-site assembly time and complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A conveyor guide track (10) for conveying facade elements, comprising an open-ended rectangular profile having an upper surface (11) and an oppositely disposed lower surface (12) having an slot (13) extending in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular profile (10) is provided. The upper (11) and lower (12) surfaces are joined at their longitudinal extending edges to a pair of side walls (14), wherein the upper surface (11), the lower surface (12) and the pair of side walls (14a, 14b) together from a longitudinal cavity within the profile suitable for slidably receiving a facade attachment trolley member also extending through the slot (13). The conveyor guide track (10) also comprises at least one attachment unit (15) for connecting the conveyor guide track (10) to a corresponding attachment unit (15) of another conveyor guide track, provided at each longitudinal end of the profile. Each attachment unit (15) of the conveyor guide track (10) is positioned transversally within the boundaries of the side walls (14a, 14b), thus forming a flat exterior side surface along the entire longitudinal extension of the profile and along at least one sidewall (14b) of the profile. A method (30) for connecting at least two such conveyor guide tracks (10) is also provided.