Remote Container Door Locking via Over-Center Linkage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transportable containers with rear-mounted dump doors face challenges in maintaining a fluid-tight seal and require manual operation of locking mechanisms, especially in inclement weather, and need to accommodate various transportation modes like trucks, trains, and ships.
Innovation Solution
A remotely operable locking mechanism using an over-center linkage and latch system that allows the door to be locked and unlocked from within the vehicle, ensuring a secure and fluid-tight seal, compatible with intermodal containers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual door locking mechanisms are used, then the structure is simple, but the driver must leave the vehicle cab in inclement weather
Solution Approach 1:
A linkage mechanism acts as an intermediary between the driver's remote control input and the door locking mechanism. The linkage includes a first shaft, second shaft, and connecting members that transmit force from the driver's position to the door, enabling remote operation without direct manual intervention on the door itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct manual mechanical operation with a mechanical transmission system. Instead of the driver directly manipulating the door lock, a shaft-and-linkage mechanical system substitutes for direct hand operation, allowing the driver to lock/unlock doors from inside the cab.
2Ease of operation
If the door locking mechanism is remotely operable, then the driver does not need to leave the vehicle cab, but the mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is segmented into distinct functional components: a first shaft for receiving operational input, a second shaft for transmitting force, connecting members linking the shafts, and an over-center linkage for maintaining lock state. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while working together as a integrated remote locking system.
3Reliability
If the door maintains a fluid-tight seal, then material containment is improved, but the locking mechanism must apply sufficient closing force
Solution Approach 1:
The over-center linkage is designed to apply closing force to the door before the final locked position is reached. This preliminary action ensures the door is firmly pressed against the seal, guaranteeing fluid-tight containment of bulk materials before the locking mechanism completes its engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The over-center linkage utilizes curved or arc-shaped paths in its motion trajectory to generate increased closing force on the door. As the linkage passes through its over-center position, the geometric curvature amplifies the force applied to the door, ensuring reliable sealing without requiring excessive mechanical complexity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the container is designed for intermodal transport, then versatility is improved, but the locking mechanism must accommodate various transportation modes
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed with universal applicability across multiple transportation modes including trucks, trains, and ships. The shaft-and-linkage configuration provides standardized mounting and operation that can accommodate the varying requirements of different intermodal vehicles, allowing a single mechanism design to serve multiple transport functions.
Data Source
AI summary
A system including a container having a door pivotably coupled to the container that is movable between a first position and a second position. A locking assembly is coupled with the container and includes a first shaft and a second shaft generally parallel with and spaced apart from the first shaft, and an over center linkage extending between a respective first pivotal connection between the over center linkage and the first shaft and a respective second pivotal connection between the over center linkage and the second shaft. Further, the locking assembly includes at least one latch coupled with the second shaft and movable between an unlatched position and a latched position. The over center linkage is movable, when the door is at the second position, over center to a state at which the latch is in the latched position and the door is biased toward the second position.