Facility for loading and unloading containers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container handling vehicles face challenges in maintaining lateral stability during container ascent and descent, leading to increased weight and reduced maneuverability due to the need for lifting tables, which also result in instability and potential spillage risks.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle chassis with retractable side retaining wedges and hydraulic suspension, allowing the chassis to lift and lower containers directly, ensuring lateral support during all phases of movement and reducing weight by eliminating the need for a lifting table.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a lifting table is mounted on the vehicle chassis to raise and lower containers, then the vehicle can perform loading and unloading operations, but the vehicle's total weight increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the lifting table from the vehicle chassis entirely. Instead, the station's lifting table lifts the container, and the vehicle chassis only provides lateral support through retractable wedges. This extraction eliminates the weight penalty while preserving loading/unloading functionality through cooperative station-vehicle operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs retractable lateral supporting wedges that can dynamically extend during container handling operations and retract when not needed. This dynamic configuration allows the wedges to provide lateral support only during critical phases (when the station's lifting table is raising/lowering the container), reducing weight and interference during other phases of operation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If lateral retaining wedges are extended beyond the chassis width to secure the container, then lateral stability is ensured, but the wedges interfere with passage through the station's tracks
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral retaining wedges are designed to be retractable, extending beyond the chassis width only when needed for lateral support during container handling, and retracting to allow passage through the station's tracks. This dynamic configuration resolves the contradiction between providing lateral stability and enabling track passage.
Solution Approach 2:
The wedges are positioned and extended in advance of critical operations (when the container needs lateral support during lifting/lowering), and retracted beforehand when passing through the station tracks. This preliminary action ensures lateral stability is available when needed without interfering with track passage.
3Ease of operation
If the vehicle chassis is equipped with a lifting table to support container weight, then loading and unloading can be performed, but the vehicle's speed is limited due to increased weight
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting table is extracted from the vehicle chassis and relocated to the station infrastructure. The vehicle chassis is reduced to providing only lateral support through retractable wedges, eliminating the weight that would limit speed while preserving container handling capability through the station's lifting table.
4Length of moving object
If the vehicle uses a narrow chassis to pass between the rails, then it can access the station, but it cannot provide sufficient lateral support for the container during lifting and lowering
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral supporting wedges are designed to be retractable, extending beyond the narrow chassis width only when needed for lateral support during container handling operations. During passage through the station and when not providing support, the wedges are retracted, allowing the narrow chassis to pass between the rails while still providing lateral stability when required.
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
The solution enhances lateral support and stability during container handling, reduces vehicle weight, and improves maneuverability by simplifying the design and reducing the overall weight of the vehicle, while maintaining efficient loading and unloading operations.
Implementation Method 1
a vehicle chassis with retractable side retaining wedges and hydraulic suspension, allowing the chassis to lift and lower containers directly
Implementation Method 2
A vehicle chassis with retractable side retaining wedges and hydraulic suspension, allowing the chassis to lift and lower containers directly, ensuring lateral support during all phases of movement
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~8
AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle (1) for transporting a container (2), comprising a chassis (3) supported on two axles (40) and capable of receiving at least one container (2), wherein said chassis (4) is further provided with wedges (5) for laterally retaining the container (2), characterized in that said wedges are provided in the form of a protrusion member on the side of the side-members (30) of said chassis (3), in that the rails (70) include, at the bearing surfaces (71) thereof, openings (73) for said side retaining wedges (5) to pass through, wherein the chassis (3) has a width smaller than that of a container (2) so has to pass between two bearing ramps for loading and unloading a container (2). The invention also relates to a facility comprising a plurality of stations and a station base module.