Mobile Apparatus with Steerable Third Wheel for Construction Site Material Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manual transportation methods for construction materials, such as wheelbarrows and dollies, face challenges like uneven surface navigation, tipping, and worker fatigue due to small wheel diameters and awkward loading/unloading processes, which reduce efficiency and increase the risk of injury.
Innovation Solution
A mobile apparatus with laterally spaced first and second wheels and a repositionable third wheel, allowing controlled directional movement and a platform height of at least 20 inches above the ground, along with an elongate arm and graspable handles for easy maneuverability and stability, facilitates the transportation and placement of building components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If small diameter wheels are used in manual transportation devices like wheelbarrows and dollies, then the devices can be maneuvered in tight spaces and lifted easily, but they struggle to navigate uneven surfaces and require frequent lifting over obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the wheel diameter parameter from small (traditional wheelbarrow/dolly) to large (at least 12 inches in diameter). This parameter change enables the wheels to roll over uneven surfaces, rocks, and debris without requiring frequent lifting, while the three-wheel configuration maintains maneuverability through a steerable front wheel and two fixed rear wheels.
2Adaptability or versatility
If workers manually carry building block components from staging locations to installation sites, then flexibility in delivery timing is maintained, but worker fatigue increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a dynamic material handling system where the mobile platform can be easily positioned and repositioned throughout the construction site. The platform adapts to different delivery locations and can accommodate various building materials, allowing workers to maintain flexibility in delivery timing while significantly reducing fatigue and increasing productivity through mechanical assistance.
3Productivity
If traditional powered material haulers are used for construction site transportation, then material handling efficiency improves, but equipment cost increases and skilled operators are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial automation by providing a platform that requires minimal operator intervention. While fully powered haulers provide complete automation, this invention takes a middle approach with manual operation combined with mechanical advantages from large wheels and a stable three-wheel configuration, achieving sufficient productivity improvement without the complexity and cost of powered systems.
4Quantity of substance
If workers transport heavy materials over long distances on construction sites, then material delivery capacity increases, but the risk of tripping and injury from uneven surfaces increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile platform serves as an intermediary between the workers and the uneven construction site terrain. The large-diameter wheels and stable three-wheel configuration absorb and mitigate the harmful effects of uneven surfaces, allowing workers to transport heavy materials over long distances without directly exposing themselves to tripping hazards and injury risks.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of facilitating production of a structure at a construction site, the method including the steps of: a) obtaining a mobile apparatus having: a frame; first and second wheels and a steerable third wheel spaced in a fore and aft direction from the first and second wheels and laterally between the first and second wheels; and a platform on the frame defining a first upwardly facing surface that is spaced at least 20″ above the subjacent surface; b) placing at least one building component in a transporting position on the first upwardly facing surface; c) advancing the mobile apparatus from the first location to a second location at or adjacent the construction site; and d) separating the at least one building component from the transporting position at the second location.