Pivoting Conveyor Container for Rail Bulk Transport

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing rail-mounted transport vehicles face challenges in maintaining a horizontal conveying plane for bulk materials during transport, especially when navigating curved tracks with transverse inclinations, leading to uneven material distribution and impairment of material flow.

Innovation Solution

The container, along with the floor and third conveyor belts, is pivoted about a longitudinal axis relative to the vehicle frame using pivot drives, ensuring a horizontal conveying plane is maintained regardless of track inclination, with the aid of a transverse inclination measuring device and regulation/control device for automatic pivoting.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the transport vehicle navigates curved tracks with transverse inclinations, then the vehicle can follow the track geometry, but the conveying plane becomes inclined causing bulk material to shift towards the lower-lying rail

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveability to navigate curved tracksVSAvoidhorizontal conveying plane
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The container is made dynamically adjustable through pivot drives that enable it to change its orientation relative to the vehicle frame. The container can be pivoted about a longitudinal axis to maintain a horizontal conveying plane even when the vehicle frame is inclined on curved tracks, thus resolving the contradiction between track adaptability and conveying plane stability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the orientation parameter of the container relative to the vehicle frame by pivoting it. The pivot drives adjust the container's angular position to compensate for track inclination, maintaining a horizontal conveying plane while allowing the vehicle to navigate various track geometries

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Device complexity

If the container is rigidly fixed to the vehicle frame, then the structure is simple and stable, but the conveying plane cannot remain horizontal on inclined tracks

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontainer mounting structureVSAvoidmaterial flow consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The container mounting structure transitions from a rigid fixed connection to a dynamic pivoting connection. The container is mounted on pivot drives that allow it to rotate about a longitudinal axis, enabling the conveying plane to remain horizontal while the vehicle navigates curved tracks, thus improving material flow consistency at the cost of increased structural complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

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 solution prevents bulk material from shifting towards the lower-lying rail, ensuring consistent and efficient material flow even on curved tracks by maintaining a horizontal transport level for all conveyor belts.

Implementation Method 1

the container (4), together with the floor conveyor belt (7) and the third conveyor belt (11), can be pivoted by two pivot drives (12) about a pivot axis (13) running in the longitudinal direction (6) of the vehicle

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPivoting rotation: Axle

Implementation Method 2

a transverse inclination measuring device (18) and a regulation/control device (19) connected to it are provided for acting on the pivoting drives (12) and for pivoting the container (4)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectInclination measurement: Accelerometer

Data Source

PatentEP3440261B1Method for loading and unloading a rail-borne transport vehicle
Publication Date: 2020.05.20 PLASSER & THEURER EXPORT VON BAHNBAUMASCHINEN GMBH
  • EP3440261B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2

AI summary

A container (4), which is designed to receive bulk material and is arranged on a vehicle frame (5), is pivoted together with a floor conveyor belt (7) and a third conveyor belt (11) about a pivot axis, which extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (6), relative to the vehicle frame (5) in order to maintain for the floor conveyor belt (7) and the third conveyor belt (11) a horizontal conveying plane (17) with respect to a transverse direction of the vehicle (15) and independently of a transverse inclination of the track (3). In this way, a problem-free transport of bulk material is ensured even in the event of a transverse inclination of the track.