Glazing Panel Handling System with Adjustable Supports
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Solution Overview
Problem
Handling and lifting heavy glazing panels, such as vehicle windscreens, pose health and safety risks due to the cumbersome nature of these panels, requiring innovative solutions to facilitate safe and efficient handling practices.
Innovation Solution
A glazing panel handling system featuring adjustable and height-adjustable upstanding supports with a locating formation, allowing the panels to be tilted or pivoted, combined with a handling tool that secures to the panel for safe movement and support, enabling operatives to handle panels with minimal effort and adhere to safe lifting practices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If heavy glazing panels are handled manually by operatives, then the panels can be moved and positioned, but health and safety risks increase due to the cumbersome nature and weight of the panels
Solution Approach 1:
A support structure with upstanding supports acts as an intermediary between the heavy glazing panel and the operative. The structure provides mechanical support at multiple points along the panel, allowing the operative to control and position the panel without bearing its full weight, thereby eliminating health and safety risks associated with manual handling of heavy panels.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure divides the support function into multiple segments through several upstanding supports positioned at different locations along the panel. This segmentation allows the panel to be supported in different attitudes (horizontal, inclined, vertical) and reduces the load on any single point, making the panel easier and safer to handle.
2Ease of operation
If a support structure with multiple upstanding supports is used to support the glazing panel, then the panel can be supported in laid down attitude and tilted, but the complexity of the handling system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure with multiple upstanding supports serves multiple functions: it supports the panel in horizontal attitude, enables tilting to inclined attitudes, facilitates transition to vertical attitude, and provides stable positioning throughout. This multi-functionality justifies the increased structural complexity by eliminating the need for multiple separate devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is designed to be dynamic rather than static, allowing the panel to transition smoothly between different attitudes (horizontal, inclined, vertical). The upstanding supports can be positioned and adjusted to accommodate various panel sizes and handling requirements, making the system adaptable rather than fixed.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the upstanding supports are made adjustable in spacing and height, then the system can accommodate different panel sizes and handling requirements, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The upstanding supports incorporate adjustable spacing and height mechanisms that allow the structure to dynamically adapt to different panel sizes and handling requirements. This adjustability transforms a static structure into a versatile system that can accommodate various glazing panel dimensions without requiring multiple specialized devices.
Data Source
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Figure 8A~8F
AI summary
A support structure (21) supports a glazing panel in a laid down attitude at a support zone. The structure provides access permitting a technician to move bodily into and/or out of the support zone and/or one or more support elements having a respective locating formation for locating the glazing panel with respect to the support structure such that the glazing panel can be tilted or pivotally moved with respect to the support structure. The structure provides for improved handling of glazing panels.