Portable Rack for Coil Unwinding with Foldable Legs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing material-handling racks for coils of cable or wire are not optimized for easy unwinding, storage, and are often cumbersome and heavy, lacking a simple and effective design for supporting coils at worksites.
Innovation Solution
A portable rack with pivotally connected leg sections that can be folded for storage and easily unfolded for use, featuring a two-ended rod for supporting coils, with a stop mechanism to maintain stability and a compact design using few components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If existing racks are designed to support coils of cable or wire, then they can hold the material, but they are cumbersome and heavy, and not optimized for easy unwinding or storage
Solution Approach 1:
The rack is divided into two separate leg sections that can function independently or together. Each leg section can support a coil individually when the rack is folded, or both legs work together when unfolded, providing flexibility for different unwinding scenarios and reducing overall complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The leg sections are connected by a pivot mechanism that allows the rack to dynamically change between folded and unfolded configurations. This dynamic structure enables easy adjustment for different work conditions while maintaining simplicity in the basic design
2Weight of moving object
If the rack is designed to be portable and foldable, then it can be easily stored and transported, but it must still maintain stability to support coil weight
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot connection between leg sections allows the rack to transition between compact folded state for easy transport and a stable unfolded state for supporting coils. The same mechanism that enables portability also provides structural stability when deployed
Solution Approach 2:
By separating the support function into two independent leg sections, each leg can be lightweight yet still provide adequate support. When both legs are deployed, they work together to distribute the load, maintaining stability without requiring excessive weight in individual components
3Ease of manufacture
If the rack uses few components for simplicity, then it is easier to manufacture and maintain, but it must still provide adequate support and stability
Solution Approach 1:
The rack consists of just two main leg sections and a pivot connection, minimizing the number of components while maintaining adequate support capacity. Each leg section is a simple structural element that can be manufactured easily, yet together they provide the necessary strength
Solution Approach 2:
The pivot connection serves multiple functions simultaneously: it allows folding for portability, provides structural support when unfolded, and enables the legs to work together as a unified stable base. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional supporting components
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
The rack facilitates efficient coil unwinding, is lightweight, compact, and easy to transport, while maintaining stability under coil weight, addressing the limitations of prior designs.
Implementation Method 1
a two-ended rod which is attachable to one leg section intermediate of the upper and lower ends thereof so that the two ends of the rod extend from the one leg section and each end of the rod is capable of supporting a coil of windable material
Implementation Method 2
a stop member disposed adjacent the upper end of a first of the two leg sections and adapted to cooperate with the upper end of the second of the two leg sections so that as the lower ends of the two leg sections are pivotally moved apart from the folded condition toward the unfolded condition, the movement of the lower ends of the leg sections is limited by the stop member to the spaced-apart distance
Data Source
AI summary
A portable rack for holding windable material, such as cable or wire, includes two elongated leg sections which are joined together at the upper ends thereof for pivotal movement between a folded condition at which the lower ends of the leg sections are disposed adjacent one another and an unfolded condition at which the lower ends of the leg sections are in a spaced-apart relationship. A two-ended rod is attachable to one leg section so that each of the two ends of the rod is capable of supporting a coil of windable material directed thereover. In addition, a plate member is secured to one of the leg sections adjacent the upper end thereof and defines an abutment edge for limiting the movement of the lower ends of the leg sections further apart during an unfolding operation to a distance as measured between the lower ends of the leg sections when in the unfolded condition.