Tire Service Cart with Rollers for Ergonomic Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle maintenance tasks, particularly tire servicing, are inefficient and pose injury risks to service technicians due to the need for manual handling and inspection of tire assemblies on the ground, leading to increased service time and reduced facility throughput.
Innovation Solution
A tire assembly service cart with support structures and rollers that allow tire assemblies to be inspected and rotated at chest height, reducing manual labor and injury risks, and enabling simultaneous inspection of multiple tires without removal from the cart.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If tire assemblies are serviced on the ground, then manual handling is required, but service time increases and injury risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a vertical dimension by elevating tire assemblies from ground level to chest height on a service cart. This dimensional change allows technicians to inspect and service tires at an ergonomic height, eliminating the need to bend over or manually handle tires on the ground, thereby reducing service time and injury risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The service cart acts as an intermediary device between the tire assembly and the technician. It provides a platform with support structures and rollers that facilitate easy loading, positioning, and inspection of tires at chest height, mediating the interaction and eliminating direct manual handling on the ground.
2Reliability
If tire assemblies are serviced on the ground, then manual handling is required, but injury risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The service cart elevates the tire assembly to chest height, creating an equipotential working condition where the technician's hands and the tire are at the same vertical level. This eliminates the need to bend or reach, reducing physical strain and injury risk while maintaining ease of inspection through natural arm positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The service cart serves as a protective intermediary that positions the tire assembly at a safe, ergonomic height. This mediation prevents the technician from direct contact with tires on the ground, reducing exposure to potential hazards while facilitating safe and easy inspection.
3Measurement precision
If tire assemblies are removed from vehicles for inspection, then thorough inspection is possible, but service throughput decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The service cart enables preliminary positioning and stabilization of the tire assembly at chest height before inspection begins. The support structures and rollers are pre-configured to facilitate immediate loading and secure positioning, allowing technicians to begin thorough inspection without time-consuming manual handling or repositioning, thus maintaining high throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The service cart acts as an intermediary platform that enables thorough inspection while maintaining productivity. It provides a stable, elevated position for detailed examination of tire assemblies, allowing technicians to perform comprehensive inspections without removing tires from the cart or engaging in time-consuming manual handling procedures.
4Productivity
If multiple tires are inspected simultaneously, then service efficiency increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The service cart is segmented into multiple independent support structures, each capable of holding and supporting a tire assembly. These modular support structures with rollers can be independently configured, allowing technicians to load and inspect multiple tires simultaneously on different levels or sections of the cart without requiring complex integrated mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The service cart employs universal support structures and rollers that can accommodate multiple tire assemblies in various positions. Each support structure performs the same function of elevating and stabilizing a tire at chest height, allowing the system to handle multiple tires simultaneously through replicated, simple components rather than complex specialized mechanisms.
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
The solution significantly reduces service time, increases facility throughput, and minimizes injury risks to technicians by allowing efficient and ergonomic tire assembly inspection and servicing.
Implementation Method 1
The side support member may include a first roller and the bottom support member may include a second roller. The first roller and the second roller may be positioned to allow the tire assembly to rotate around a rotation axis of the tire assembly service cart while supported by the tire assembly support structure.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems for inspecting and servicing a tire assembly are provided. In one embodiment, a tire assembly service cart is provided that includes a tire assembly support structure. The tire assembly support structure may include a side support member that is positioned to support a side of the tire assembly. The tire assembly support structure may also include a first bottom support member positioned to support a bottom portion of the tire assembly. The side support member may include a first roller and the first bottom support member may include a second roller. Further, the first and second rollers may be positioned to allow the tire assembly to rotate around a rotation axis while supported by the tire assembly support structure.