Flat Pallet Segmented Boards Coupling Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual loading and unloading of large and heavy industrial pallets is labor-intensive and strenuous due to the need for lifting or depositing articles over significant distances, posing health risks to personnel.
Innovation Solution
A flat pallet design featuring two identical boards with a coupling mechanism, including grip and receiving elements, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly, hinged connection, and enhanced stability through ribs and steel pipes, facilitating easier handling and reduced weight during loading and unloading.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional industrial pallets are used, then the pallet can support large and heavy articles, but manual loading and unloading becomes labor-intensive and strenuous
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet is divided into two separate boards instead of being a single solid structure. Each board can be handled independently, reducing the weight that personnel must lift while maintaining the overall load-bearing capacity when boards are coupled together. The coupling mechanism allows the boards to be easily attached and detached.
2Stability of the object's composition
If traditional industrial pallets are used, then the pallet provides stable support for articles, but the pallet dimensions require lifting articles over more than a meter distance
Solution Approach 1:
By splitting the pallet into two shorter boards, the working height is reduced, allowing articles to be loaded and unloaded over a shorter vertical distance. The rib structures on the boards provide structural stability and rigidity to compensate for the segmented design.
3Ease of manufacture
If two identical boards with coupling mechanisms are used, then manufacturing costs can be saved and ease of manufacture improved, but the device complexity increases due to coupling mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet is designed as two identical separate boards, each with integrated coupling mechanisms. This allows for standardized manufacturing of individual boards and simplifies assembly by requiring only the coupling of pre-manufactured components rather than complex integrated construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling mechanisms are designed to be self-aligning and easy to engage, allowing workers to assemble and disassemble the pallet without specialized tools or complex procedures. The grip and receiving elements automatically align when boards are brought together.
4Ease of operation
If boards are made swingable about an axis by more than 25 degrees, then coupling and uncoupling becomes easier, but the structural stability during operation may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling mechanism incorporates a hinged connection that allows controlled angular movement (greater than 25 degrees) for easy coupling and uncoupling operations. The hinge enables the boards to be swung into position and locked together, providing dynamic adaptability during assembly while maintaining stability during use.
Data Source
AI summary
A flat pallet for handling and storing articles includes two identical boards. Each board has at least one length side which is provided with a coupling mechanism. The coupling mechanism includes a grip element and a receiving element of a configuration complementing the grip element. The grip element is spaced from a first transverse side of the board by a distance which corresponds to a distance of the receiving element from a second transverse side of the board, wherein the grip element of one board is constructed for engagement in the receiving element of the other board.