Glass Rack Transporter Load Detection for Rear-Cab Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The handling of glass-sheet supporting racks is challenging due to the large dimensions and arrangement of glass sheets, making it difficult for drivers to perceive the load, especially when the driver's cab is located at the rear of the self-propelled transporter, which complicates tasks like approaching, picking up, moving, and laying down the racks safely.
Innovation Solution
A self-propelled vehicle with a front rack-supporting chassis and rear tractor unit, equipped with ground-resting wheels, a hydraulically-operated lifting system, and an electronic vehicle-load detecting apparatus that reconstructs the profile of the glass-sheet supporting rack and adjusts the vehicle's operation to ensure safe handling, including fork-lifting, moving, and laying down glass-sheet supporting racks with lengths ranging from 6 to 10 meters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the driver's cab is located at the rear of the self-propelled transporter, then the driver has a clear view of the rear operations, but the driver is located more than ten metres away from the front and is unable to perceive the dimensions of the glass-sheet supporting rack and the load at the front of the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the copying principle by using cameras mounted on the front rack-supporting chassis to capture images of the glass-sheet supporting rack and load. These images are transmitted to display devices in the driver's cab, creating a visual copy of the front view that allows the driver to perceive load dimensions without being physically positioned at the front. This resolves the contradiction by providing information about the front load while maintaining the rear-cab configuration for rear operations visibility.
2Length of moving object
If the overall length of the glass-sheet supporting rack is up to 9 metres, then the vehicle can accommodate large glass sheets, but the driver's cab located at the rear makes it difficult to perceive the dimensions and complicates handling operations
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system creates visual copies of the long glass-sheet supporting rack from the front position, allowing the driver to see the full 9-meter length and positioning of the load. This enables proper assessment of rack dimensions and facilitates safer handling operations despite the rear-located cab.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera and display system acts as an intermediary between the driver and the front load. Instead of requiring direct line-of-sight from the rear cab to the front rack, the intermediary imaging system transmits visual information, simplifying the handling of long racks by providing the driver with appropriate spatial awareness.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the rack-supporting chassis is designed to accommodate racks up to 9 metres long, then the vehicle can handle large glass sheets, but the driver is often unable to perceive the dimensions of the glass-sheet supporting rack and the load
Solution Approach 1:
The front-facing cameras capture and transmit visual copies of glass-sheet supporting racks of various lengths (up to 9 meters) to the driver's cab. This allows the driver to perceive the actual dimensions and configuration of different rack sizes, enabling safe and accurate handling operations while maintaining the vehicle's adaptability to accommodate various rack lengths.
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 simplifies the driving process and enhances safety by providing real-time detection of the glass-sheet supporting rack's dimensions and load, allowing for precise control and reduced risk during handling, enabling the vehicle to handle large glass or marble sheets and other heavy items effectively.
Implementation Method 1
an electronic vehicle-load detecting apparatus that is adapted to detect certain geometric and structural features of the object being loaded into the rack-supporting chassis of the front chassis by reconstructing a profile of the same object
Data Source
AI summary
A self-propelled vehicle for handling glass-sheet supporting racks of the type comprising: a front rack-supporting chassis provided with a substantially U-shaped rigid oblong frame having two longitudinal beams that extend horizontally and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, on opposite sides of the vehicle midplane, and that delimit a large central slit or compartment open at the front and dimensioned to accommodate a glass-sheet supporting rack; a rear tractor unit which is firmly connected to the front rack-supporting chassis via mechanical means allowing the rack-supporting chassis to move vertically with respect to the tractor unit; a lifting apparatus Adapted to vary, on command, the height from the ground of the rigid oblong frame of the rack-supporting chassis; and an electronic vehicle-load detecting apparatus which is adapted to detect the geometric and/or structural features of the glass-sheet supporting rack during insertion into the central slit or compartment of the rack-supporting chassis.