Pivoting Ladder Rack Bed for Safer Vehicle-Side Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ladder racks for vehicles require awkward and dangerous lifting and manipulation, leading to potential damage and injury during loading and unloading, as they are often complex, bulky, and heavy, especially when used on rooftops.
Innovation Solution
A ladder rack with a frame assembly and a bed platform connected by hinge guide assemblies that allow for sliding and pivoting, enabling easy movement between storage and loading/unloading positions without lifting the full weight of the ladder, using extendible and pivotable hinged guide assemblies to position the ladder along the vehicle's side for loading/unloading.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional ladder racks are used for vehicle roof storage, then ladders can be stored and transported, but the racks require awkward lifting and manipulation that can cause injury or damage
Solution Approach 1:
The ladder rack employs a dynamic bed assembly that can pivot between a horizontal stowage position on the vehicle roof and a vertical loading position. This dynamic movement allows the rack to adapt its configuration based on operational needs, making loading and unloading safer and easier while maintaining reliable storage capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The ladder rack system is divided into separable components: a fixed frame assembly attached to the vehicle and a movable bed assembly that can be independently positioned. This segmentation allows the bed to be manipulated separately from the frame, reducing the weight and complexity that users must handle during loading operations.
2Quantity of substance
If ladder racks are designed for stationary storage on vehicle roofs, then storage capacity is achieved, but the racks are complex, expensive, and bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The bed assembly is designed to dynamically transition between horizontal and vertical positions, eliminating the need for complex fixed storage structures. This dynamic capability allows the rack to achieve full storage capacity using simpler, more cost-effective components compared to traditional stationary designs.
3Productivity
If the bed platform is moved to a high position for storage, then storage efficiency is improved, but the weight of the rack and ladder increases the total weight to be manipulated
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the heavy frame assembly (which remains stationary on the vehicle) from the lighter bed assembly (which moves during loading). This segmentation reduces the weight that users must manipulate during operations while maintaining the frame's structural integrity and storage efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The bed assembly is pre-positioned in a vertical loading position before the ladder is placed on it. This preliminary positioning allows the lighter bed to bear the ladder's weight during loading, rather than requiring users to lift the entire ladder onto a high-positioned rack, thereby reducing the manipulated weight.
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
Facilitates safe and easy loading/unloading of ladders by distributing the weight and reducing manual lifting, preventing injury and damage, while allowing for efficient storage and transportation without the need for complex or expensive systems.
Implementation Method 1
a bed platform having opposite ends which are coupled to the frame assembly by hinge guide assemblies, said hinge guide assemblies being both slidingly and pivotally coupled to the frame assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A ladder rack for supporting a ladder in a stowage position and for moving the ladder between the stowage position and a loading/unloading position at which the ladder can be loaded onto the rack or unloaded from the rack. The ladder rack includes a frame assembly which is mounted on a support structure such as a vehicle roof and a bed platform having opposite ends that are coupled to the frame assembly for sliding and hinged movement with respect to the frame assembly. At least one of the ends of the bed platform is configured to be extendible when pivoted downward into a loading or unloading position.