Dock Leveler Hold-Down Bracket for Stable Lip Stowage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dock levelers face challenges in maintaining a stowed position during storage, shipping, or transportation due to the upward and downward biasing forces, and conventional methods like steel bands are cumbersome and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A bracket system including a top and a bottom portion, with a hook and a main body, is used to couple to the lip and lip keeper or frame, resisting biasing forces and maintaining the dock leveler in a stowed position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If steel bands are used to hold the dock leveler in the stowed position, then the dock leveler can be secured during storage and shipping, but the method becomes cumbersome and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is divided into distinct functional portions: a top portion with a hook for engaging the lip, a bottom portion for securing to the lip keeper or frame, and a main body extending between them. This segmentation allows each portion to perform its specific function efficiently while simplifying the overall installation process compared to cumbersome steel bands.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket serves as an intermediary component that mediates between the dock leveler's biasing forces and the stowing requirement. By introducing this intermediate holding structure, the system achieves reliable stowed position maintenance without requiring complex direct restraint mechanisms like steel bands.
2Ease of operation
If the dock leveler is designed with upward and downward biasing forces for operation, then the leveler can function properly during loading and unloading, but these forces make it difficult to maintain the stowed position
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is designed to apply preliminary counteracting force to the biasing forces before the dock leveler can move from the stowed position. The hook engages the lip and the bottom portion secures to the lip keeper or frame, creating preliminary restraint that opposes the upward and downward biasing forces, thereby maintaining stowed position stability without affecting operational functionality.
3Device complexity
If a simple holding mechanism is used for the stowed position, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to resist biasing forces is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket merges multiple functions into a single integrated component: it combines the hook for lip engagement, the connection point for the lip keeper or frame, and the structural element that spans the lip length. This merging provides sufficient strength to resist biasing forces while maintaining relatively simple device complexity, as it replaces multiple separate components with one unified bracket structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket extends in the dimensional space spanning the length of the lip, creating a distributed restraint system rather than a single-point attachment. This dimensional extension allows the bracket to resist biasing forces more effectively by distributing the load along the lip length, thereby increasing strength without proportionally increasing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A bracket may temporarily hold a dock leveler in a stowed position, such as during transportation or storage. One embodiment may include a bracket. The bracket may include a top portion, a bottom portion, and a main body. The top portion may include a hook shaped to couple proximate to a top end of a lip of the dock leveler when the lip is in the stowed position. The bottom portion may be configured to couple to a lip keeper or frame of the dock leveler. The main body may extend between the top portion and the bottom portion and may be configured to span a length of the lip to hold the dock leveler in the stowed position.