Torque-Limiting Trailer Coupler for Mobility Lifts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Many motor vehicles are too small or inadequately equipped to support externally-mounted mobility devices like scooters and power chairs, limiting their ability to transport such devices without access to larger vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A platform lift trailer system with a chassis-mounted lift device and a torque-limiting coupler that allows adaptation to smaller vehicles, using ground-engaging wheel assemblies to support weight and a biasing mechanism to absorb torsional forces, enabling the transportation of mobility devices on a wider range of vehicles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a mobility lift is directly mounted to a motor vehicle using a standard trailer hitch, then the lift can be supported by the vehicle, but smaller or inadequately-equipped vehicles cannot support the weight and forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a trailer as an intermediary device between the motor vehicle and the mobility lift. The trailer includes a tongue that couples to the vehicle hitch and a platform that supports the lift. This intermediary structure distributes the weight and forces, allowing smaller vehicles to support mobility lifts that would otherwise be too heavy for direct mounting.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the trailer is rigidly coupled to the motor vehicle, then structural stability is maintained, but large forces are applied to the vehicle and trailer during angular displacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the rigid coupling with a dynamic coupling system that includes a pivot point at the trailer tongue and a spring mechanism. This allows the trailer to angularly displace relative to the vehicle during normal operation (absorbing shocks and bumps) while the spring provides restoring force to return the trailer to its neutral position, maintaining stability without transmitting large forces to the vehicle.
3Weight of moving object
If ground-engaging wheels are added to support the lift weight, then the vehicle's weight burden is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the support function by adding ground-engaging wheels to the trailer platform. The trailer is divided into functional components: the tongue for vehicle coupling, the platform for lift support, and the wheels for ground engagement. This segmentation allows the trailer to bear weight independently on the ground, reducing the burden on the vehicle while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
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 the practical loading, storing, transporting, and unloading of mobility devices on smaller motor vehicles by distributing weight and isolating forces, thus expanding the range of vehicles that can support mobility lifts.
Implementation Method 1
the torque-limiting coupler structure limits such forces using a biasing means such as a spring or the like to accommodate torsional forces applied between the motor vehicle and the trailer
Data Source
AI summary
A platform lift trailer includes a chassis to which a lift device is mounted. The chassis is configured to be coupled to a standard motor vehicle trailer hitch or the like using a coupler. Some embodiments of the coupler provide protection against larges torsional forces applied between a motor vehicle and coupled trailer when they are angularly displaced relative to one another. One or more ground-engaging wheel assemblies are mounted to the chassis to assist in supporting the weight of the lift and any cargo thereon. The platform lift trailer is highly adaptable so that a wide variety of lifts can be mounted to the platform lift trailer and thus to smaller motor vehicles. Adaptation of mobility lifts and the like to a larger array of motor vehicles is therefore possible. One or more embodiments of a trailer coupler use torque-limiting apparatus so that vertical angular displacements of a motor vehicle and a coupled trailer do not apply large forces directly between the motor vehicle and the trailer. Instead, the coupler torque-limiting structure limits such forces using a biasing means such as a spring or the like to accommodate or limit torsional forces applied between the motor vehicle and the trailer. The biasing means also can limit the maximum angular displacement allowed between the motor vehicle and coupled trailer.