Lateral Traction Ropes for Passive Vehicle Hitching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transport installations with centrally arranged traction cables and support means are bulky, pose safety hazards, and complicate engagement and disengagement operations due to restricted space.
Innovation Solution
The transport installation features two lateral mechanisms for reversible attachment to traction cables positioned along the edges of the traffic lane, relocating traction cables and their support means outside the lane, enhancing safety and operational space, and allowing simpler direction changes at end stations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traction cables and support means are arranged centrally in the traffic lane, then the vehicle can be effectively牵引ed, but the central part becomes bulky and unsafe with moving parts present
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the traction cables and support means from the central traffic lane and relocates them to lateral positions. This removes the hazardous moving parts from the center, improving safety while reducing the bulkiness of the central area. The attachment mechanisms remain on the vehicle but now interact with cables positioned at the edges rather than center.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a central longitudinal arrangement to a lateral distribution. Instead of concentrating all traction elements in the center along the length of the vehicle, the system distributes them to the left and right sides, utilizing the lateral dimension to resolve the spatial conflict between safety and functional effectiveness.
2Ease of operation
If traction cables are arranged centrally, then traction can be provided, but engagement and disengagement operations become difficult due to restricted space
Solution Approach 1:
By extracting the traction cables from the constrained central position and placing them laterally, the patent creates sufficient operational space around the attachment mechanisms. This allows operators to easily access and perform engagement and disengagement operations without the spatial restrictions that would exist in a central arrangement.
3Reliability
If traction cables are positioned laterally outside the traffic lane, then safety is improved and central space is cleared, but the attachment mechanisms must be positioned on vehicle sides
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the attachment function into two separate lateral mechanisms positioned on opposite sides of the vehicle. Each mechanism independently interacts with its corresponding lateral traction cable. This segmentation allows the system to achieve safety through lateral positioning while distributing the attachment complexity across two simplified, symmetric mechanisms rather than one complex central mechanism.
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
This configuration clears the central lane, improves safety by removing moving parts, and simplifies cable engagement and disengagement operations, while enabling efficient vehicle guidance and movement.
Implementation Method 1
a body (11.1) linked to a chassis (11.2) resting on the ground via air cushions (23, 24) arranged under the vehicle
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a transport facility including at least one passive vehicle (11) resting on the floor and for moving forwards and backwards along a single running track (10), and traction ropes (12, 13) to which the vehicle (11) is hitched in series so as to be pulled along the track (10). The vehicle (11) includes two mechanisms (16, 17) arranged on the opposing lateral sides of the vehicle (11) for the reversible individual hitching of the vehicle (11) to the traction ropes (12, 13) arranged along at least one portion of each of the lateral edges (14, 15) of the running track (11).