Self-Propelled Inspection Device with Balanced Suspension
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile container and/or vehicle inspection devices face issues with radiation exposure risks for operators and mechanical instability due to uneven road surfaces, leading to poor scanning and imaging effects.
Innovation Solution
A self-propelled inspection device with a gantry, balanced suspension, and rotatable wheels ensures even stress distribution, eliminating the need for an operator cab and simplifying assembly, while integrated radiation shielding and power supply systems enhance safety and functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a cab is provided for operators to drive the inspection device, then the device can be operated and moved, but operators are exposed to radiation and may be injured
Solution Approach 1:
The operator cab is completely removed from the inspection device. The device is designed to be self-propelled through automated driving motors on the wheels, eliminating the need for operators to be present in a cab during operation. This extraction of the cab structure removes operators from the radiation exposure zone while maintaining the device's mobility and operational capability through automation.
2Speed
If four wheels are provided for the device to travel, then the device can move, but the rack becomes over-positioned and easily twisted on uneven road surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The fourth wheel is designed with rotational freedom relative to the rack structure, allowing it to dynamically adapt to uneven road surfaces. When the road surface is uneven, the swing beam and fourth wheel can rotate independently to maintain contact with the ground, preventing the rack from being twisted or distorted while preserving the device's mobility through all four wheels.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the road surface is uneven, then the device can adapt to terrain variations, but one wheel becomes warped causing uneven stress on the rack
Solution Approach 1:
The swing beam connecting the fourth wheel to the rack is designed with rotational joints that allow the wheel assembly to dynamically adjust its position and orientation in response to terrain variations. This dynamic adaptation enables the wheel to maintain contact with uneven surfaces without transmitting excessive or uneven stress to the rack structure, as the rotational joints absorb and distribute the mechanical loads.
4Measurement precision
If detectors are aligned with the center of the ray beam, then scanning and imaging precision is improved, but any rack distortion will affect the relative position of detectors and radiation source
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic wheel adjustment mechanism prevents rack distortion by allowing the fourth wheel to rotate independently on uneven surfaces, thereby maintaining the rigid geometry of the gantry and detector mounting structure. This ensures that the relative positions of the detectors and radiation source remain stable and accurate, preserving measurement precision without requiring active compensation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotational joint design of the swing beam and fourth wheel assembly provides preemptive protection against rack distortion by accommodating terrain variations before they can transmit stress to the detector and radiation source mounting structures. This beforehand cushioning through mechanical compliance ensures that the sensitive measurement components remain undisturbed regardless of road surface conditions.
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 provides a safer, more stable, and efficient inspection process by reducing radiation exposure risks for operators and maintaining accurate scanning and imaging despite uneven surfaces, while simplifying assembly and operation.
Implementation Method 1
a radiation source, mounted on the first vertical beam and connected to the power supply apparatus, and used for generating a ray beam
Implementation Method 2
a detector array mounted in the horizontal detector cabin and the vertical detector cabin, each of detectors is respectively connected to the power supply apparatus, each of the detectors is respectively aligned with a center of the ray beam
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a self-propelled container and/or vehicle inspection device, comprising: a rack, a power supply apparatus, a radiation source, a detector cabin, at least two driving motors (8), and a controller. A fixed beam (4), a first vertical beam (2), a transverse beam (1) and a second vertical beam (3) of the rack are fixed to one another; the bottom of the second vertical beam (3) is rotatably mounted with a swing beam (5), forming a balancing suspension. Where a road surface below the device is uneven, the swing beam (5) correspondingly rotates relative to the second vertical beam (2) so as to keep two wheels on the swing beam (5) in close contact with the ground all the time, so that the rack can be stressed uniformly to prevent distortion of the rack and to ensure unchanged relative positions of the first vertical beam (2), the transverse beam (1) and the second vertical beam (3). In the device, a cab of the inspection device is dispensed with, the driving motors (8) for the wheels are connected to the controller, and the controller controls the operation of the driving motors (8) according to a set program, driving the wheels to rotate, so as to control the self-propelling of the inspection device. Thus staff are not required to drive within the cab and any anxiety of the staff can be eliminated.