Stacker Crane Damper With Return-Lock Impact Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stacker cranes face issues with impact force alleviation during collisions, as dampers can cause the cranes to bounce back, potentially leading to equipment breakage and increased collision risks.
Innovation Solution
A damping device with a rod member biased outward, a movement restriction mechanism, and an engaging portion that absorbs impact force by moving inward and preventing return movement, distributed across multiple dampers to alleviate collision forces and prevent back-pushing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a damper is provided to alleviate impact force during collision, then the impact force is reduced, but the stacker crane is pushed back which increases the possibility of equipment breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional damper action by using a movement restriction mechanism that prevents the rod member from returning to its initial position after compression. Instead of allowing full elastic recovery that causes push-back, the mechanism restricts outward movement while permitting inward movement during collision, thereby absorbing impact force without pushing the stacker crane backward.
Solution Approach 2:
The movement restriction mechanism acts as an intermediary between the rod member and the stacker crane body. It mediates the force transmission by allowing controlled compression while blocking the return stroke, thus transforming the damper's action from a bidirectional elastic response to a unidirectional impact absorption mechanism.
2Ease of operation
If the rod member is biased outward by a spring, then the damper is ready to absorb impact, but the rod member returns to initial position causing the stacker crane to bounce back
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reverses the normal elastic recovery behavior by introducing a movement restriction mechanism that blocks the outward movement of the rod member after compression. The spring bias remains for readiness, but the restriction mechanism prevents the harmful return motion that causes bounce-back, allowing only the inward compression phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The movement restriction mechanism extracts the harmful return motion from the damper's operation. By selectively restricting outward movement while allowing inward movement, it separates the useful impact absorption phase from the harmful bounce-back phase, keeping only the beneficial action.
3Force
If multiple dampers are provided to distribute impact force, then the impact force and moment are alleviated, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by providing multiple dampers (first and second dampers) at different locations on the stacker crane. This distributes the impact force across multiple independent damping units, reducing the load on each individual damper and preventing concentrated stress points that could lead to equipment failure.
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
Effectively reduces the impact force on stacker cranes during collisions, preventing them from being pushed back and reducing the risk of equipment damage, while also simplifying the crane configuration by distributing impact forces and moments.
Implementation Method 1
a first biasing member configured to bias the rod member outward in the traveling direction
Implementation Method 2
the rod member moves inward in the traveling direction while absorbing the impact force of the collision
Data Source
AI summary
A damping device includes a damper provided to an outer end of a stacker crane in a traveling direction. The damper includes: a rod member extending along the traveling direction; a first biasing member configured to bias the rod member outward in the traveling direction; and a movement restriction mechanism configured to allow inward movement of the rod member in the traveling direction and restrict outward movement of the rod member in the traveling direction when the rod member has moved inward in the traveling direction.