Pallet Assembly With Integrated Tracking And Polyurea Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pallets are inadequate for transporting and storing goods due to issues such as harboring insects, mold, and bacteria, posing sanitary concerns, being prone to damage, and presenting a fire hazard, while also being heavy and expensive. There is a need for a pallet that is lightweight, cost-effective, and meets stringent strength standards, with improved tracking capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A pallet assembly comprising a top plate, load-force plate, runner, and load blocks, coated with a biocidal and flame-retardant polyurea coating, featuring a pallet integrated module for data collection and communication, and constructed from Baltic Birch wood, allowing for adjustable weight and strength to meet various cargo requirements, with embedded antennas for tracking and environmental data recording.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If wooden pallets are used for transport, then they provide structural support and load-bearing capacity, but they harbor insects, mold, and bacteria creating sanitary hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining wood with a polyurea coating layer that contains biocidal and flame-retardant additives. This creates a composite structure where the wood provides mechanical strength while the coating provides sanitary protection, eliminating insects, mold, and bacteria without compromising the load-bearing capacity of the wooden pallet structure.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional wooden pallets are used, then they are cost-effective and widely available, but they present fire hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines conventional wood pallets with a polyurea coating containing flame-retardant additives. This composite approach maintains the cost-effectiveness and ease of manufacture of wooden pallets while adding fire resistance through the coating layer, thereby reducing fire hazards without requiring complete replacement of the wooden structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the inherent flammability of wood from a harmful characteristic into a benefit by applying flame-retardant additives in the polyurea coating. These additives modify the fire behavior of the wood, transforming the fire hazard into a fire-resistant property while maintaining the original wooden pallet structure and its cost advantages.
3Strength
If pallets are made heavier to increase strength, then load-bearing capacity improves, but weight and transportation cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a polyurea coating applied as a thin layer on the wooden pallet surface. This coating provides enhanced strength and protective functions without adding significant weight, as it forms a relatively thin protective layer rather than requiring substantial additional material to achieve the desired strength improvement.
Data Source
AI summary
A pallet assembly includes a top plate and a runner having four side surfaces. The pallet assembly includes a pallet integrated module mounted to the pallet assembly and configured to collect journey data for transmission to a cloud. The pallet assembly includes a load-force plate disposed between the top plate and the runner. The load-force plate is configured to increase load bearing capacity of the top plate while adding strength to the pallet assembly. An antenna for the pallet integrated module is integrated with the load-force plate. The pallet assembly includes multiple load blocks disposed between the load-force plate and the runner. The load blocks are symmetrically positioned such that a forklift can enter from any of the four side surfaces of the runner. The runner is disposed under the load blocks. The pallet assembly includes a coating material that protects shipment of products that require sanitary conditions.