Modular Jack and Dolly Assembly with Reversible Drive Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing jack and dolly assemblies for lifting and moving vehicles are cumbersome, requiring complex mechanical structures, excessive parts, frequent servicing, and often necessitate undesirable user positions, making them inefficient and difficult to operate, especially when trying to lift vehicles parked in parallel positions or when access to the lifting mechanism is limited.
Innovation Solution
A modular jack and dolly assembly with a simple gear mechanism that allows for quick reconfiguration and easy actuation, featuring reversible drive mechanisms, adjustable arms, and caster wheels, enabling lifting and movement of vehicles in any direction within a single plane without the need for multiple configurations or complicated actuation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If complex mechanical structures are used to impart pinching forces in prior art dollies, then lifting capability is achieved, but device complexity increases and ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical pinching mechanisms with a hydraulic system. The hydraulic jack uses fluid pressure to generate the necessary pinching force, eliminating the need for complicated mechanical linkages, levers, and multiple mechanical parts while maintaining effective lifting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs a hydraulic pump and fluid system to generate the pinching force. The hydraulic circuit includes a pump, fluid reservoir, and control valves that work together to generate and regulate the force required to pinch the vehicle wheel, providing a simpler and more reliable mechanism than traditional mechanical approaches.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple dollies in different configurations are required to lift vehicles in various positions, then lifting capability is maintained, but ease of operation deteriorates due to the need to possess and transport multiple permanent configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates adjustable and movable components that allow the dolly to adapt its configuration dynamically. The lifting arms can be adjusted to different positions and angles, and the dolly can be reconfigured between left and right orientations, enabling a single unit to handle various vehicle positions without requiring multiple permanent configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The dolly is designed as a universal device that can perform multiple functions and adapt to various scenarios. A single dolly unit can lift vehicles in different positions (front, rear, left, right) by adjusting its components, eliminating the need for multiple specialized dollies and simplifying operation.
3Force
If lifting mechanisms are positioned in locations that are difficult to access, then lifting capability is maintained, but ease of operation deteriorates due to time-consuming procedures and uncomfortable user positions
Solution Approach 1:
The hydraulic system allows for dynamic adjustment of the lifting mechanism position and operation. The user can control the lifting arms and adjust their positioning while the hydraulic system provides the necessary force, enabling operation from more comfortable and accessible positions without compromising lifting capability.
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 modular design provides a lightweight, easy-to-use solution that allows for efficient and adaptable lifting and movement of vehicles, reducing the need for cumbersome setups and minimizing user discomfort, enabling effective operation in various environments and scenarios.
Implementation Method 1
The arms are actuated by a simple and novel gear mechanism
Implementation Method 2
Caster wheels may be placed upon and extend adjacent to each lifting arm
Data Source
AI summary
A jack and dolly assembly and system including a shaft defining a longitudinal axis extending along the shaft and an interior hollow; a reversible drive mechanism at least partially positioned in the interior hollow of the shaft; a proximal arm removably secured to the shaft and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis; a distal arm removably secured to the drive mechanism, the distal arm being spaced from and substantially parallel to the proximal arm; wherein the reversible drive mechanism is operable to move the distal arm along the shaft.