Flatbed Carrier Assembly with Segmented Body and Pivotal Ramp
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle transport systems face limitations in design specificity, requiring modifications to the donor vehicle's chassis frame, leading to issues with interchangeability, stability, and fuel efficiency, particularly for smaller vehicles, and lack effective cargo securing mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A flatbed carrier assembly with a modular design integrating a chassis mounting platform, carrier body subassembly, and a pivotal ramp assembly, allowing adaptation to various vehicle frames without modifying the donor vehicle, and featuring a strap latching system for secure cargo retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a flatbed carrier uses a long carrier body to support oversized vehicles, then it can accommodate larger vehicles, but it increases the overall length and reduces maneuverability for smaller vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier body is divided into a main body portion and an extension portion. The extension portion can be selectively deployed to accommodate oversized vehicles, while retracted for normal-sized vehicles. This segmentation allows the carrier to adapt to different vehicle sizes without permanently increasing its base length, thus maintaining maneuverability for smaller vehicles while providing capacity for larger ones.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier body length is made dynamic through the removable extension portion. Rather than being fixed, the carrier body can be configured in different lengths based on the size of the vehicle being transported. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by allowing the carrier to be long only when necessary, maintaining short length for maneuverability when transporting smaller vehicles.
2Length of moving object
If the carrier body is positioned fully retracted with locking pins engaged, then it achieves a compact transport configuration, but it cannot accommodate oversized vehicles requiring extended support
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier body is segmented into a permanent main body and a removable extension portion. The extension portion can be attached when oversized vehicles need to be accommodated, and removed when not needed, allowing the carrier to maintain a compact configuration for normal operations while providing extended capacity when required.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier body length parameter can be changed by adding or removing the extension portion. This allows the same carrier to operate with different effective lengths depending on the transport requirements, resolving the contradiction between maintaining a compact transport configuration and accommodating oversized vehicles.
3Reliability
If a wheel lift is integrated onto the flatbed carrier, then it provides additional vehicle securing capability, but it increases the device complexity and requires more structural modifications
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel lift mechanism is integrated with the flatbed carrier structure, combining two separate functions (vehicle lifting and flatbed transport) into a single unified system. This merging reduces the need for separate mounting structures and simplifies the overall assembly, thereby improving reliability through better integration while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the carrier body is made longer to support oversized vehicles, then it can accommodate larger vehicles, but it increases fuel consumption and reduces maneuverability
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier body is segmented into a compact main body and a removable extension portion. The extension is only added when oversized vehicles need to be transported, rather than being permanently attached. This allows the carrier to maintain a fuel-efficient short configuration for most operations while providing extended capacity when necessary, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and fuel consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier body length parameter is made variable through the removable extension. The carrier operates with a shorter, more fuel-efficient length for normal-sized vehicles, and only extends to a longer configuration when oversized vehicles require accommodation. This dynamic parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction by minimizing fuel consumption while maintaining the capability to accommodate larger vehicles when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A flatbed vehicle carrier assembly comprising a carrier body subassembly including a carrier floor supported by a carrier body slide enabling sill frame. An intermediate subframe subassembly is capable of sliding and being pivotally integrated with a slide enabling tilt and pivotal control subassembly, which is pivotally secured therebetween to a mounting platform support assembly. A pivot control device provides a means to rotate and rearwardly transfer and posture the intermediate subframe. The carrier body sill frame is slideably assembled to the intermediate subframe, being driven by a longitudinal control actuator. A ramp can be pivotally integrated into a loading end of the carrier body subassembly. The carrier and ramp floors are fabricated of a series of interlocking extrusion members. The edge rails can include one or more hook receptacles for receiving flat hooks for tie downs or a slot for receiving one or more sliding latching element assemblies.