Overhead Transport Vehicle Link Mechanism Roll Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional overhead transport vehicles experience roll motion and vibration transmission during travel, leading to article sway and reduced accuracy in transfer due to acceleration and centrifugal forces, which causes contact with vehicle covers and deteriorates transfer accuracy.
Innovation Solution
The overhead transport vehicle incorporates a lifting unit with shock-absorbing mechanisms connected by a link mechanism, ensuring similar distances between base and support portions, reducing roll motion and vibration transmission, and is suspended by four belts with an additional swingable portion for enhanced stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional cable cars or gondolas are used for overhead transport, then passenger capacity and comfort can be maintained, but the system requires extensive guideway infrastructure and high installation costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the guideway infrastructure from the overhead transport system. Vehicles are designed to operate without traditional cables, rails, or guideways, using active stabilization systems instead. This removal of the guideway component dramatically reduces installation costs and system complexity while maintaining transport functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical guideway-based constraint system with an active control system using sensors and actuators. Instead of relying on physical guides to maintain vehicle position and orientation, the system uses real-time sensing and active stabilization to achieve the same functional outcome without the complex mechanical infrastructure.
2Manufacturing precision
If vehicles operate without active control systems, then device complexity is reduced, but vehicle positioning accuracy and stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle system performs self-positioning and self-stabilization through integrated sensors and control actuators. The system continuously monitors its own state and automatically adjusts to maintain accurate positioning and proper orientation without external intervention or complex mechanical guidance infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback control system where sensors continuously monitor vehicle position, orientation, and environmental conditions, and this information is fed back to control actuators that make real-time adjustments. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures accurate positioning and stability while using relatively simple electronic control components rather than complex mechanical systems.
3Productivity
If vehicles are designed for high capacity with multiple passengers, then productivity increases, but vehicle size and required infrastructure scale increase
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle design provides multi-functionality by accommodating varying passenger capacities in a single vehicle platform. The active control system and sensor suite are designed to handle different loading conditions and vehicle configurations, allowing the same vehicle design to serve multiple capacity requirements without requiring different infrastructure scales.
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
This configuration effectively reduces tilt and sway of the lifting unit, minimizing vibrations and roll motion, thereby improving the stability and accuracy of article transfer while maintaining safety even if one suspending member is compromised.
Implementation Method 1
a base portion (10A) to which the gripping unit (11) is provided; and a plurality of shock-absorbing mechanisms (50, 40), each including a support portion (54, 46) supporting the base portion (10A) so as to be vertically movable from below in a vertical direction via a vibration-isolating portion (58, 48)
Implementation Method 2
The shock-absorbing mechanisms (50, 40) are connected by a link mechanism (70), and the link mechanism (70) operates so as to ensure similarity of respective distances between the base portion (10A) and the support portions (54, 46) in the shock-absorbing mechanisms (50, 40) connected to each other
Implementation Method 3
a lifting unit (10) including a gripping unit (11) configured to grip an article, the lifting unit (10) configured to be raised and lowered with respect to the body unit (5) by a plurality of suspending members (9)
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
In an overhead transport vehicle 1, a lifting device 10 includes : shock-absorbing mechanisms (second shock-absorbing mechanism 40 and first shock-absorbing mechanisms 50) to which a plurality of belts 9 are attached, respectively; and a base portion 10A to which a holding device 11 is provided. The shock-absorbing mechanisms each include a support portion (a fourth body member 46 and a first body member 54) disposed below the base portion. The base portion is provided so as to be vertically movable with respect to each of the support portions with the vibration-isolating portions (second spring members 48 and first spring members 58). The shock-absorbing mechanisms are connected by a link mechanism 70, and the link mechanism operates so as to ensure similarity of respective distances between the base portion and the support portions in the shock-absorbing mechanisms connected to each other.