Foldable Container Guide Rail System for Safe Stacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional foldable containers face safety issues and inefficiencies in folding mechanisms, particularly when stacked vertically, leading to potential accidents and inadequate support under load, which complicates storage and transportation.
Innovation Solution
A foldable container design featuring side walls with a guide rail system, rotatable upper and lower plates, and corner fitting members, along with a transfer cart and rollers, to facilitate controlled folding and prevent arbitrary movement under vertical loads, ensuring safe and efficient stacking and transportation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the side wall is folded by pulling the rotation axis rod with a belt, then the container can be folded, but the side wall may be suddenly folded causing safety problems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing guide rails before the folding operation occurs. The guide rails are pre-installed on the container body and side walls, establishing a controlled path that prevents sudden or arbitrary folding. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures that when folding is initiated, it follows a predetermined safe trajectory rather than occurring suddenly or unpredictably.
2Ease of operation
If the front plate and rear plate are rotated towards the inner side during folding, then the upper and lower side plates can be folded, but a serious safety accident may occur if a worker is inside
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rails are pre-installed to define a controlled folding path before any folding operation begins. This preliminary arrangement ensures that the front and rear plates rotate along a predetermined trajectory that avoids the interior space where workers might be present, preventing safety accidents before they can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide rails act as an intermediary mechanism between the folding force and the plates. Instead of directly rotating the plates toward the interior, the guide rails mediate the motion, constraining it to a safe external path that eliminates the hazard to workers inside the container.
3Device complexity
If the upper plate and lower plate closely contact each other as the side wall is folded, then the folding is simple, but the container becomes vulnerable to stacked load and cannot stack sufficient containers
Solution Approach 1:
The container structure is segmented into modular components: the container body, side walls with guide rails, and separable upper/lower plates. This segmentation allows each component to maintain its structural integrity independently. The guide rails on the side walls provide rigid support that prevents collapse under stacked loads, while still permitting the plates to be folded separately along controlled paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide rails are pre-installed on the side walls to provide structural reinforcement before stacking operations occur. This preliminary reinforcement ensures that when containers are stacked vertically, the side walls with integrated guide rails can bear the load without collapsing, enabling sufficient stacking capacity while maintaining a relatively simple folding mechanism.
4Reliability
If the side walls are arbitrarily folded by vertical load, then the stacked containers may collapse, but adding more support structures increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rails are merged with the side wall structure, forming an integrated component rather than a separate support addition. The guide rails are directly attached to the side walls, combining the lateral support function with the folding guidance function. This merging provides the necessary structural reinforcement for stacking stability without significantly increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide rails serve multiple functions simultaneously: they guide the folding motion of the side walls during empty-state folding, provide structural reinforcement to prevent arbitrary folding under vertical loads, and enable stable vertical stacking. This multi-functionality achieves reliable stacking stability without adding dedicated support structures that would increase complexity.
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 design allows for convenient folding and prevents accidental folding under vertical loads, enhancing safety and stability during storage and transportation by maintaining structural integrity and preventing container collapse.
Implementation Method 1
a guide rail (140) disposed at lower portions of the one pair of side walls (110) in a direction transverse-crossing between the side walls (110) so as to guide the movement of the side wall (110)
Implementation Method 2
a roller (112) provided at both end portions of the transfer cart (111), and the guide rail (140) is provided with a guide groove (141) configured to guide movement of the roller (112)
Implementation Method 3
a stopper (142) that is disposed at an upper side of the guide groove (141) to prevent deviation of the roller (112)
Implementation Method 4
an upper plate (120) and a lower plate (130), wherein each of the upper plate (120) and the lower plate (130) is divided into at least two unit plates that are rotatably connected to each other
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a foldable container which includes a pair of side walls disposed side-by-side; a guide rail disposed in a direction transverse-crossing between lower ends of the one pair of side walls to guide movement of at least one of the side walls; an upper plate and a lower plate, wherein each of the upper plate and the lower plate is divided into at least two unit plates that are rotatably connected to each other so as to be folded by the movement of the side wall, and wherein each of the upper plate and the lower plate connects upper ends of the pair of side walls to each other and connects lower ends of the one pair of side walls to each other; and a door rotatably connected to each of a front end and a rear end of the side wall.