Livestock Transporter Platform Support Pawl Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing platform support systems in livestock transporters face challenges in safely and efficiently positioning and securing multiple platforms with small vertical separation, particularly during cleaning and when transporting different types of livestock, as they require adjustable height settings.
Innovation Solution
A platform support system utilizing support pawls and an actuation system with a linkage including an elastically flexible element, allowing the pawls to move between supporting and non-supporting positions, and featuring a locking mechanism and sensors for safe and controlled platform movement, with the actuation system being operable via user input and capable of sealing against fluid ingress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple platforms are positioned close together vertically to increase transport capacity, then productivity is improved, but the reliability of platform support deteriorates due to difficulty in safe positioning and securing
Solution Approach 1:
The support pawl automatically engages with the platform to prevent downward movement through its L-shaped geometry, where the vertical leg contacts the platform bottom and the horizontal leg extends through the housing aperture. The spring-loaded actuation system automatically positions the pawl without manual intervention, and the system self-locks through the interaction between the pawl's inclined surface and the platform's stop surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The support system divides the support function into separate components: the support pawl for mechanical support, the actuation system for positioning, the housing for protection and sealing, and the linkage for motion transmission. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for its specific function while working together to solve the overall problem of safe platform support at close vertical intervals.
2Ease of operation
If the support pawl protrudes through the housing aperture to support the platform, then ease of operation is improved, but object-generated harmful factors worsen due to potential fluid ingress
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible sealing element (O-ring or lip seal) is installed around the support pawl at the housing aperture, creating a flexible barrier that prevents fluid ingress while allowing the pawl to move in and out. The seal maintains continuous contact with the housing bore, forming a protective barrier against water and cleaning fluids during the pawl's operational movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing acts as an intermediary protective barrier between the support pawl and the external environment. It provides a sealed enclosure that protects the actuation system from fluid ingress while allowing the support pawl to protrude through the aperture for platform support. The housing's sealed structure mediates between the need for pawl accessibility and the need to prevent fluid contamination.
3Reliability
If the actuation system is sealed in a housing to prevent fluid ingress, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing performs multiple functions simultaneously: it seals the actuation system from fluid ingress, provides structural support for the actuation mechanism, guides the support pawl movement, and houses the spring-loaded actuation system. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate protective structures, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while maintaining reliability.
4Ease of operation
If the support pawl is manually moveable between supporting and non-supporting positions, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional manual intervention requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The support pawl is designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing it to be automatically positioned by the spring-loaded actuation system during normal operation, but also capable of manual repositioning when needed. The pawl can move freely in the non-supporting position and be manually pushed to engage with the platform, providing operational flexibility without requiring complex manual override mechanisms.
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
Enables safe, efficient, and controlled positioning and support of platforms, ensuring secure transport and easy cleaning by allowing platforms to move freely in one direction while preventing movement in the opposite direction, with the system being operable even in actuation failure and resistant to fluid ingress.
Implementation Method 1
the actuation system is coupled to the support pawl using a linkage including an elastically flexible element. operation of the actuation system in response to a user input extends the elastically flexible element to leave the support pawl in a supporting position
Data Source
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AI summary
A platform support system comprising a support pawl and an actuation system operable in response to an input received from a user to move the support pawl between a supporting position and a non-supporting position when the support pawl is not in use supporting a platform, wherein a platform is arrangeable with the support pawl so as to be supported by the support pawl when in the supporting position, and wherein operation of the actuation system in response to a user input leaves the support pawl in a supporting position when the support pawl is in use supporting a platform. The support pawl may also be mounted to enable a platform to move past the support pawl in a first direction by displacing the support pawl from a supporting position, the support pawl mounted to inhibit movement of the platform past the support pawl in a second direction when the support pawl is arranged in a supporting position.