Towable Dock-Lift Trailer With Automatic Folding Ramps
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing loading and unloading technologies for trucks are inefficient and unsafe, particularly in situations where fixed docks are not available, and prior art solutions like scissor-lifts and hydraulic parallelogram lifts are not mobile enough to be transported long distances or used in varied terrain.
Innovation Solution
A towable dock-lift trailer with automatic folding ramps that can be deployed anywhere, featuring a parallelogram lifting design and highway-grade wheels, allowing for safe and efficient loading and unloading of trucks of various sizes at different heights, even in the absence of a fixed dock.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a fixed dock-lift or scissor-lift is used for loading/unloading, then loading efficiency is improved, but mobility is lost and the device cannot be transported long distances
Solution Approach 1:
The dock-lift system is divided into separable components: the lift mechanism itself and the trailer chassis with highway-grade wheels. This segmentation allows the lift to be mounted on a mobile platform while maintaining its functional integrity, resolving the contradiction between loading efficiency and mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static fixed dock-lift to a dynamic mobile configuration. The trailer-mounted design with highway-grade wheels enables the system to move rapidly to different locations while maintaining the structural stability needed for efficient loading operations when deployed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a wheeled elevator with small wheels is used, then mobility across smooth surfaces is improved, but the device cannot withstand rough terrain or high-speed towing
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel parameters are fundamentally changed from small, smooth-surface wheels to large highway-grade wheels with appropriate tire construction. This parameter change enables the system to withstand rough terrain and high-speed towing while maintaining mobility, directly resolving the contradiction between surface-specific mobility and overall reliability.
3Device complexity
If manual loading or fork-lift is used, then equipment complexity is reduced, but safety concerns increase and loading time is extended
Solution Approach 1:
The trailer-mounted dock-lift provides a universal solution that can handle various loading scenarios (different truck heights, different locations) while maintaining operational safety. The standardized lift mechanism offers controlled, safe loading without the complexity of multiple specialized devices, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and safety.
4Stability of the object's composition
If a dock-lift is designed for fixed location use, then structural stability is improved, but the device cannot be rapidly deployed to different locations
Solution Approach 1:
The system is designed as a dynamic platform that maintains structural stability when deployed while enabling rapid movement between locations. The trailer configuration with proper axles, brakes, and stabilization mechanisms allows the structurally stable dock-lift to be transported quickly to different deployment sites, resolving the contradiction between stability and deployment speed.
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 rapid and safe loading/unloading of trucks at any location, supporting heavy loads and accommodating different truck and dock heights, while being robust enough to withstand high speeds and rough terrain, thus overcoming the limitations of prior art solutions.
Implementation Method 1
at least one or two pairs of lifting arms (16), at least one or two pairs of hydraulic cylinders (15)
Data Source
AI summary
A highway towable dock-lift trailer for use in loading and/or unloading trucks, rail cars, containers, etc., for example, in any location and across all industries and applications, and can include a tow bar that allows the trailer be towed to a desirable position or location. When the tow bar is removed from the trailer or repositioned relative to the frame, either a truck can back into position or the trailer lift can be positioned against the truck, etc., and the trailer lift is then ready to load and/or offload the truck. As an operator elevates the loading platform of the trailer, via hydraulic lifting means, for example, the lift can move up to truck height and hydraulically operated lifting arms can operate opposed automatic folding ramps, which simultaneously can open for load distribution and close for safety. The trailer can include a plurality of screw down or hydraulically actuated jacks to level and secure the platform, and the trailer can include bumpers to absorb the forces from a truck accidentally impacting the trailer.