Stackable Crate With Foldable Attachment Elements For Height Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transport containers for bulk goods, such as fruit and vegetables, face challenges in adjusting their volumetric capacity to accommodate varying sizes of goods without incurring significant logistical or production costs, especially when transitioning from cardboard to more complex and costly plastic materials.
Innovation Solution
A stackable transport container system with foldable or pivotable attachment elements that can be integrated into the side wall elements, allowing for adjustable volumetric capacity without altering the container's dimensions or interfering with stacking, using mechanisms like swivel-sliding joints and recesses to ensure secure and compact stacking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the height of side wall elements is increased to achieve higher volumetric capacity, then the transport volume increases, but the container can no longer be stacked efficiently and outer dimensions become fixed
Solution Approach 1:
The side wall elements are divided into a base side wall and an extendable attachment element. The attachment element can be segmented into multiple parts that fold or pivot to extend the side wall height when needed, and collapse to a compact form when not in use, allowing volumetric capacity to be adjusted without permanently altering container dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The side wall elements transition from a static fixed height design to a dynamic adjustable height design. The attachment elements can pivot, fold, or extend to change the effective height of the side walls, enabling the container to adapt its volumetric capacity to match varying bulk goods sizes while maintaining a consistent outer dimension for stacking.
2Productivity
If multiple container sizes are produced to accommodate varying fruit and vegetable sizes, then optimal filling is achieved, but production costs and logistical complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
A single universal container design with adjustable side wall elements can perform the function of multiple fixed-size containers. The attachment elements can be configured to create different effective heights, allowing one container type to optimally fill various bulk goods sizes without requiring a fleet of different container designs, thereby reducing production and logistical complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of producing multiple container types with different fixed parameters, the invention allows dynamic change of the height parameter through adjustable attachment elements. This enables a single container design to adapt its volumetric capacity to match the size parameters of different bulk goods, achieving optimal filling efficiency without the complexity of manufacturing and managing multiple container variants.
3Adaptability or versatility
If attachment elements are added to increase volumetric capacity, then adaptability improves, but the container's outer dimensions may increase and interfere with stacking
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment elements are designed to nest within or alongside the base side wall structure when in the retracted position. This nesting arrangement ensures that the outer dimensions of the container remain unchanged, preserving stacking capability. When extension is needed, the attachment elements deploy outward or upward to increase volumetric capacity temporarily for specific loading requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment elements provide dynamic adjustment of outer dimensions only when needed. In the retracted state, the container maintains its original outer dimensions for efficient stacking. When bulk goods require larger volume, the attachment elements extend to increase the effective cargo space, and can be retracted again for return transport, thus decoupling the stacking dimension from the cargo volume dimension.
Data Source
AI summary
A transport container system includes a stackable crate having a bottom element and four side wall elements which are of a dimensionally and pressure stable structure. Each of the side wall elements has a foldable attachment element connected to it. When folded up, the attachment elements of the four side wall elements will form an attachment which will increase the volumetric capacity of the crates. The attachment elements will each bear on an upper side of the respective side wall element and be retained in the folded-up position by guides provided on the side wall elements. When folded down, the respective attachment elements can be integrated into the respective side wall element in such a manner that the attachment elements at least will not protrude substantially over the thickness of the side wall elements.