Lifting Platform With Articulated Arms For EV Maintenance Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lifting platforms obstruct repair and maintenance work on vehicles with electric drives, as their supporting arms interfere with maintenance flaps on the underbody, making it difficult to access and replace batteries.
Innovation Solution
A lifting platform with four supporting arms, where at least one pair is adjustable and double-jointed, allowing for horizontal bending to clear the underbody and accommodate vehicles with electric drives, ensuring the lifting columns are positioned in front of the vehicle's center, allowing full door opening without obstruction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional lifting platforms with supporting arms are used, then vehicles can be lifted for maintenance, but the supporting arms obstruct access to maintenance flaps on the underbody, making battery replacement difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting arms are divided into two distinct pairs: rigid supporting arms for vehicle support and articulated supporting arms that can be bent clear of the underbody. This segmentation allows the articulated arms to be positioned out of the way during maintenance operations while the rigid arms maintain vehicle elevation.
Solution Approach 2:
The articulated supporting arms are designed with additional joints that enable them to change their configuration dynamically. These arms can be bent horizontally in both directions and positioned clear of the vehicle underbody, providing unobstructed access to maintenance flaps and batteries while maintaining lifting functionality.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the lifting columns are positioned in the center of the vehicle, then the vehicle structure is stable, but the vehicle doors cannot be fully opened without obstruction
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting platform uses an asymmetric configuration with two rigid supporting arms and two articulated supporting arms of different lengths. The articulated arms are significantly longer and can be positioned to clear the vehicle center, allowing doors to open fully while the rigid arms provide stable support at the vehicle's structural points.
3Adaptability or versatility
If straight telescopic supporting arms are used, then the structure is simple, but the adjustment range is insufficient for larger vehicles like transporters and vans
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting platform is designed with a universal capability to accommodate various vehicle types including passenger vehicles, transporters, and vans. The articulated supporting arms with their extended adjustment range and ability to bend clear of the underbody provide the versatility needed to service different vehicle configurations while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary lifting platform for motor vehicles has four supporting arms that are pivotally mounted on a lifting device, especially on two lateral lifting columns, and the free ends of which are movable under support points of a motor vehicle being raised. The supporting arms form a first pair and a second pair of supporting arms. At least the supporting arms of the first pair of supporting arms are adjustable in length and are implemented in the form of rigid supporting arms, which are pivotable solely about their articulation points on the lifting device. The supporting arms of the second pair of supporting arms are in the form of double-jointed arms having an additional articulated joint and, in the retracted state, are typically at least twice as long as the supporting arms of the first pair of supporting arms.