Movable Door Container With Horizontal Tracks For Ergonomic Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container designs for shipping parts in the automotive industry are ergonomically unfriendly, requiring workers to walk around or bend to access products, leading to strain and increased risk of injury, which can result in lost production time and higher shipping costs due to reduced container capacity.
Innovation Solution
A container with a movable door assembly and horizontally oriented tracks that allow support member assemblies to move, enabling products to be loaded and unloaded from an ergonomic position, reducing the need for workers to stretch or reach, and allowing for efficient and safe product handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the container is designed with fixed support members and traditional access points, then the container structure is simple and stable, but workers must walk around or bend to access products, causing ergonomic strain and potential injury
Solution Approach 1:
The support members are made movable along horizontally oriented tracks instead of being fixed, allowing them to be dynamically repositioned. This enables workers to access products from ergonomic positions without bending or stretching, while the track system provides the necessary structural framework
Solution Approach 2:
The container structure is segmented into movable support members that can be independently repositioned along the tracks. This segmentation allows flexible access to different product locations without requiring the entire container structure to be complex or rigid
2Ease of operation
If the container length is reduced to eliminate the need for workers to walk around, then ergonomic access is improved, but the container capacity to ship and store parts is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Movable support members allow the container to maintain its full length for maximum cargo capacity while enabling workers to access products from ergonomic positions. The dynamic repositioning capability eliminates the need to shorten the container, preserving cargo space
Solution Approach 2:
The horizontally oriented tracks serve multiple functions: they provide structural support, enable movable support members for ergonomic access, and allow flexible reconfiguration of the container interior. This multi-functionality maintains container length and capacity while improving worker access
3Quantity of substance
If workers repeatedly bend and reach to access lower portions of the container, then all products can be stored in the container, but physical strain accumulates leading to injury and lost production time
Solution Approach 1:
The movable support members can be repositioned along the tracks to bring products to ergonomic access heights. This dynamic adjustment eliminates the need for workers to repeatedly bend and reach, reducing physical strain while maintaining full product storage capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The movable support members enable products to be positioned at ergonomic heights, creating an equipotential working condition where workers can access products without excessive bending or reaching. This reduces physical strain while maintaining container storage capacity
Data Source
AI summary
A container for holding product therein during shipment and being returned for reuse has a movable door assembly, frame, tracks supported by opposite sides of the frame, and a plurality of support member assemblies extending between the tracks. Each support member assembly comprises end members and a tubular support, the end members being movable in the tracks. The support member assemblies support dunnage for supporting products for storage or shipment.