Foldable Transporter With Articulating Legs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current transportation solutions for tools and equipment, especially in industrial settings, are inefficient and labor-intensive for single operators, as they require manual handling and lack effective mechanisms for secure loading and unloading onto trucks, leading to difficulties in managing heavy loads and preventing tool loss.
Innovation Solution
A single-operator foldable transporter with articulating legs and a motorized system that adjusts leg length and angle, equipped with automatic edge detectors and loading ramps, allowing for easy loading and unloading onto trucks while maintaining a level bed, and featuring latch receivers for secure storage boxes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual handling is used for loading and unloading heavy tools and equipment, then labor intensity increases and operational efficiency decreases, but the device structure remains simple
Solution Approach 1:
The transporter employs dynamically adjustable legs with variable length and angle capabilities, allowing the structure to adapt to different loading scenarios. The legs can be adjusted to provide necessary support during loading heavy equipment onto trucks, transforming the static structure into a dynamic one that responds to operational needs.
Solution Approach 2:
A motorized system acts as an intermediary mechanism between the operator and the heavy load. This motorized system assists in adjusting leg positions and maintaining stability during loading and unloading operations, reducing the manual effort required while adding controlled complexity to the system.
2Adaptability or versatility
If fixed leg structure is used, then manufacturing is simpler, but adaptability to different truck heights and loading conditions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The legs are designed with dynamic adjustability, allowing operators to modify leg length and angle according to varying truck heights and loading conditions. This dynamic capability provides versatility across different scenarios while maintaining a relatively simple base structure that can be configured as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The leg structure is segmented into adjustable sections with multiple length configurations. This segmentation allows the legs to be reconfigured for different applications without requiring a completely different design for each truck height, balancing manufacturing simplicity with operational adaptability.
3Reliability
If no secure fastening mechanism is used, then the device structure remains simple, but tool loss and handling safety are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Latch receivers serve as intermediary fastening points that connect storage boxes to the transporter bed. These receivers provide secure attachment without requiring complex fastening mechanisms, maintaining reliability while keeping the overall structure relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch receivers are designed to work automatically with standard storage box configurations, providing self-service fastening where the storage boxes can be securely attached without requiring additional complex locking mechanisms or multiple operational steps.
4Ease of operation
If legs cannot be folded, then structural stability is maintained, but ease of loading onto trucks and storage space utilization is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The legs incorporate foldable joints that allow the structure to transition between stable operational positions and compact folded positions. During operation, the legs maintain necessary stability, but can be folded when not in use to facilitate easier loading onto trucks and improve storage space utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The leg structure includes segmented, foldable joints that enable the legs to be collapsed into compact positions. This segmentation allows the legs to be folded for easy storage and loading while maintaining structural integrity during operation, balancing ease of operation with stability requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system is disclosed including a transporter, having a top load bearing surface or bed, and four wheeled articulating legs, that may be operated by a single user/operator, and can be lowered or raised by changing the lengths or angles of its legs while maintaining the transporter bed level. The legs that may be folded up to be loaded onto or unloaded from a truck bed, or a stationary platform, by a single operator while carrying heavy load. The loading and unloading process is assisted by various safety brakes that prevent accidental slippage of the transporter off the truck bed. The legs' angles are changed using a dual-threaded lead screw. The transporter further includes two edge detectors on the front-end and the rear-end to detect the edge of the truck bed automatically, and prepare the folding of the transporter legs for loading onto the truck bed.