Surface maintenance machine with removable storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surface maintenance machines often cannot access narrow areas and lack storage for tools and supplies, requiring manual operations and inefficient tool transport.
Innovation Solution
A coupling mechanism that allows a storage cart to be removably attached to the surface maintenance machine, enabling the cart to travel with the machine and providing storage for tools and supplies, with features like a connecting rod and bracket assembly for maintaining wheel contact with the surface and facilitating pivoting to navigate uneven terrain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the surface maintenance machine is designed with a fixed size for stability and power, then it can perform maintenance operations effectively, but it cannot enter narrow aisles or doorways
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two independent parts: the surface maintenance machine and the storage cart. The machine can operate independently in narrow spaces while the cart provides storage when needed. This segmentation allows the machine to maintain a compact size for entering narrow aisles while still providing storage capacity through the separate cart that can be attached when space permits.
2Quantity of substance
If the surface maintenance machine is designed with a compact size for accessing narrow areas, then it can enter narrow aisles, but it lacks storage areas for tools and supplies
Solution Approach 1:
Storage functionality is separated from the main machine body and placed in an independent storage cart. This allows the machine to remain compact while providing substantial storage capacity through the attachable cart that can hold tools, supplies, and equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage cart serves multiple functions: it provides storage for tools and supplies, acts as a mobile workshop, and can be attached to or separated from the machine as needed. This multi-functionality addresses the storage need without requiring the machine itself to be larger.
3Reliability
If the storage cart is rigidly connected to the surface maintenance machine, then it provides stable storage, but it cannot maintain wheel contact with the surface on uneven terrain
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling mechanism incorporates dynamic elements including a pivot joint that allows the bracket assembly to rotate and adjust to uneven terrain. This dynamic connection maintains wheel contact with the surface while accommodating variations in ground level, providing reliable operation without requiring an overly complex rigid structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket assembly acts as an intermediary between the connecting rod and the cart-side connector. It provides a pivot joint that mediates the connection, allowing relative movement to maintain wheel contact while keeping the overall coupling mechanism relatively simple through the use of a single pivot axis.
4Ease of operation
If the coupling mechanism includes multiple moving parts for navigating uneven terrain, then it maintains wheel contact with the surface, but it increases the complexity of the coupling mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
A single pivot joint in the bracket assembly provides the necessary degrees of freedom for the cart to navigate uneven terrain while maintaining wheel contact. This dynamic element enables easy operation on varying surfaces without requiring multiple complex moving parts or articulated mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivot joint allows changes in the angular parameter of the bracket assembly relative to the connecting rod, enabling the cart to adapt to uneven terrain. This single parameter change capability provides sufficient navigation ability without increasing overall mechanism complexity through multiple adjustable parameters.
Data Source
AI summary
A coupling mechanism for removably coupling a storage cart to a surface maintenance machine includes a cart-side connector connectable to the storage cart and a machine-side connector connectable to the surface maintenance machine. The coupling mechanism includes a connecting rod engageable with the machine-side connector. The coupling mechanism includes a bracket assembly positioned between the cart-side connector and the machine-side connector. The bracket assembly can receive the connecting rod to engage therewith to facilitate a first relative movement between the connecting rod and a portion of the bracket assembly in a direction perpendicular to a floor surface on which the surface maintenance machine is traveling, and a pivoting of the bracket assembly about a pivot axis passing through the connecting rod.