Material Vehicle Wheel Unlocking for Bidirectional Towing

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing automated guided vehicles (AGVs) used for towing material vehicles are either unidirectional, limiting their application in scenarios requiring bidirectional travel, or bidirectional but costly due to the need for expensive sensors and additional motors, and pose safety hazards with blind areas during turns.

Innovation Solution

A material vehicle with universal wheels that can be unlocked to switch between front and rear driving positions, allowing bidirectional travel without turning, using a traction apparatus that can rotate within the vehicle's space to change directions without occupying additional space.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a bidirectional travelling type of AGV is used to tow the material vehicle in two opposite directions, then the material vehicle can travel bidirectionally, but the AGV is costly due to expensive sensors and additional motors

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebidirectional travelling capabilityVSAvoidcost of sensors and motors

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies universality by making the material vehicle itself bidirectional through universal wheels that can be unlocked to change driving direction. Instead of requiring a bidirectional AGV with multiple motors and sensors, the material vehicle is designed with universal wheels that can function in both forward and backward directions, allowing a single-direction AGV to achieve bidirectional transport capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent inverts the traditional approach by making the material vehicle bidirectional rather than the AGV. Conventionally, the AGV is designed to handle bidirectional movement; here, the material vehicle is equipped with universal wheels that can be unlocked to allow the AGV to pull it in reverse, effectively inverting who provides the bidirectional capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Ease of manufacture

If a unidirectional travelling type of AGV is used to tow the material vehicle, then the AGV is cost-effective, but it cannot be adapted to scenarios where the material vehicle needs to travel bidirectionally

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecost-effectivenessVSAvoidbidirectional travelling capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies universality by making the material vehicle itself bidirectional through universal wheels that can be unlocked to change driving direction. Instead of requiring a bidirectional AGV with multiple motors and sensors, the material vehicle is designed with universal wheels that can function in both forward and backward directions, allowing a single-direction AGV to achieve bidirectional transport capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies dynamics by using universal wheels that can dynamically change their function. The wheels are locked during normal operation but can be unlocked to allow the material vehicle to be pulled in reverse, enabling dynamic adaptation between unidirectional and bidirectional modes without changing the AGV's capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If the bidirectional travelling type of AGV turns around to change direction, then it can travel in opposite directions, but it creates blind areas during turns which pose safety hazards

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedirection changing capabilityVSAvoidsafety hazards from blind areas

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the traditional approach by making the material vehicle bidirectional rather than the AGV. Conventionally, the AGV is designed to handle bidirectional movement; here, the material vehicle is equipped with universal wheels that can be unlocked to allow the AGV to pull it in reverse, effectively inverting who provides the bidirectional capability and eliminating the need for AGV turning.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the turning operation from the AGV by making the material vehicle itself capable of bidirectional movement through universal wheels. This removes the hazardous turning maneuver from the AGV's operational sequence, eliminating the blind areas and safety hazards associated with AGV turns.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS12350966B2Material vehicle, traction apparatus and system, and method for controlling bidirectional traveling of material vehicle

Publication Date: 2025.07.08 BEIJING JINGDONG QIANSHITECHNOLOGY CO LTD

AI summary

A material vehicle, a traction apparatus and system, a method for controlling the bidirectional traveling of a material vehicle, and a storage medium. A material vehicle (10) comprises a vehicle body (101), an unlocking assembly (102), a plurality of front universal wheels (103) and a plurality of rear universal wheels (104), wherein the plurality of front universal wheels (103) and the plurality of rear universal wheels (104) are all in a locked state; the vehicle body (101) is used for placing a target article; the unlocking assembly (102) is used for releasing the plurality of front universal wheels (103) from the locked state when same are in a horizontal rotation direction, and controlling the material vehicle (10) to travel in a first direction by means of the plurality of front universal wheels (103); and the unlocking assembly (102) is further used for releasing the plurality of rear universal wheels (104) from the locked state when same are in the horizontal rotation direction, and controlling the material vehicle (10) to travel in a second direction by means of the plurality of rear universal wheels (104), the first direction and the second direction being opposite to each other. By means of the unlocking assembly, the plurality of front universal wheels or the plurality of rear universal wheels can be released from the locked state thereof, such that the material vehicle can change the positions of driving wheels, and bidirectional traveling can be realized without needing to turn the material vehicle around.