Suspended-Castor Trolley Locking Pad for Heavy-Load Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transport trolleys with suspension casters face difficulties in deploying locking pads due to significant lowering under heavy loads, making manual activation challenging or impossible.
Innovation Solution
A deployment mechanism for a locking pad on a transport trolley with suspension casters, utilizing a hollow main body, a connecting rod, locking pedal, slide, and springs, allowing easy activation and deactivation with minimal effort regardless of load weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a locking pad is added to a trolley with suspension casters, then the trolley can be stabilized during loading/unloading, but the locking pad becomes difficult or impossible to activate manually when heavy objects are placed on the rolling structure
Solution Approach 1:
The locking pad mechanism transitions from a static system to a dynamic one by introducing a pedal that can be depressed to activate the locking pad. The pedal is connected to the locking pad through a linkage mechanism that allows the pad to be raised or lowered as needed, enabling easy activation regardless of the weight on the rolling structure.
Solution Approach 2:
A pedal mechanism serves as an intermediary between the operator and the locking pad. Instead of directly lifting the heavy locking pad, the operator depresses a pedal that activates a linkage mechanism, which then raises the locking pad into position. This intermediary mechanism eliminates the need for direct manual lifting of the heavy pad.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the rolling structure is allowed to lower significantly under heavy loads, then the suspension casters can accommodate the weight, but the locking pad activation becomes impossible due to the reduced clearance
Solution Approach 1:
The locking pad mechanism is designed to be dynamic rather than fixed. The pedal can be depressed to activate the locking pad, and the linkage mechanism allows the pad to be raised into position even when the rolling structure has lowered significantly under heavy loads. This dynamic mechanism maintains adaptability to varying load conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking pad is pre-positioned in a retracted state close to the rolling structure when not in use. When activation is needed, the pedal mechanism rapidly deploys the locking pad into its locking position. This preliminary positioning ensures that the pad is ready for immediate use without requiring significant manual effort to position it.
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
Enables effortless deployment and retraction of the locking pad, stabilizing the trolley during loading and unloading, even under heavy loads, by leveraging spring compression and aligned components for balanced operation.
Implementation Method 1
a rod around which extends a first spring, said rod and said first spring being inserted into the slide, a cylindrical compensator to which the locking pad is attached, said compensator being inserted between the first spring and an internal surface of the slide, abutting against said first spring
Implementation Method 2
a locking pedal mounted to rotate about a first axis of rotation of the hollow main body, said locking pedal being capable of passing by rotation from a deactivation position, in which it extends horizontally, to an activation position, in which it extends vertically
Implementation Method 3
an elongated connecting rod, the upper end of which is mounted for rotation about a second axis of rotation of the locking pedal, and the lower end of which is mounted for rotation about a third axis of rotation of the enlarged end of the slide, and during the passage of the locking pedal from the deactivation position to the activation position, the connecting rod pivots about the second axis of rotation of said locking pedal to become aligned along the locking pedal in a substantially vertical direction
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a transport trolley (50) comprising a rolling structure (1), suspended castors (51, 52) on which the rolling structure (1) is mounted, an immobilising pad (10), and a mechanism for activating the immobilising pad, thereby preventing the trolley (50) from travelling across a floor by means of the suspended castors (51, 52). According to the invention, a prestressed spring (22) associated with the immobilising pad (10) makes it possible to limit the forces required to deploy the immobilising pad (10). An operator can thus ensure that the immobilising pad (10) is deployed, regardless of the weight of the objects deposited on the rolling base (1) of the transport trolley (50).