Swing Arm Guide Member for Transport Vehicle Stability

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing article transport vehicles with swing arms used to tilt the placement body for transferring articles often experience wobbling, which can cause articles to fall or reduce the durability of the swing arms, as they lack effective support mechanisms to stabilize the swinging motion.

Innovation Solution

The article transport vehicle incorporates a guide member that sandwiches the swing arm from both sides in the axial direction within a prescribed guide range, preventing wobbling by supporting the swing arm as it swings from the reference to the standing position, ensuring stable tilting of the placement body.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a swing arm with small width is used to tilt the placement body, then the device complexity is reduced, but the swing arm wobbles during lifting

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructure simplicityVSAvoidswing arm stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

A guide member is introduced as an intermediary component between the swing arm and the carriage body. The guide member includes a guide surface that contacts the swing arm and restricts its movement to a predetermined swing trajectory, preventing wobble while maintaining the simplicity of the swing arm structure itself.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The solution adds a spatial dimension constraint by introducing the guide member that operates in a different spatial plane. The guide surface constrains the swing arm's motion in the vertical dimension while allowing free swing in the horizontal plane, effectively separating the desired motion from the unwanted wobble.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Device complexity

If the swing arm wobbles during lifting, then the device complexity remains simple, but the reliability of article transfer is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemechanism simplicityVSAvoidarticle transfer reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The guide member serves as a mediator that ensures reliable article transfer by constraining the swing arm's motion. It provides a stable reference surface that prevents erratic movement, ensuring articles are safely transferred without requiring complex stabilization mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Device complexity

If the swing arm wobbles during lifting, then the device complexity remains simple, but the durability of the swing arm is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructure simplicityVSAvoidswing arm durability
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The guide member acts as a protective intermediary that distributes and controls the forces acting on the swing arm during operation. By providing a constrained swing path, it prevents excessive lateral stresses that would otherwise reduce the swing arm's durability over time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP4148003B1Article transport vehicle
Publication Date: 2024.05.22 DAIFUKU CO LTD
  • EP4148003B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4148003B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4148003B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A swing arm 50 changes a position of a placement surface 3a of a placement body 3 between a horizontal position and a tilted position by swinging between a reference position at which the swing arm 50 extends along an opposing surface 2a facing a lower surface of the placement body 3 and a standing position at which the swing arm 50 is tilted relative to the opposing surface 2a. The opposing surface 2a is provided with a guide member 8 configured to guide swinging movement of the swing arm 50, and the guide member 8 is configured to support the swing arm 50 by sandwiching the swing arm 50 from both sides in an axial direction within a prescribed guide range including the reference position in a total swing range of the swing arm 50.