Trailer with loading and unloading system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current modular housing manufacturers face challenges in transporting modular homes to their final destination due to the need for separate trailers and cranes, which are costly and labor-intensive, and often require manual handling and alignment of modules.
Innovation Solution
A system that divides a modular home into unique portions, allowing them to be transported on a single trailer bed, where robotic crawlers and actuators rotate and fold the portions together upon arrival, eliminating the need for cranes and manual labor by using a hinge mechanism and linear actuators to lift and position the home.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If modular homes are transported on separate trailers and loaded using cranes, then transportation can be achieved, but the process becomes prohibitively expensive and requires permanent fixtures at the off-loading site
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple housing portions onto a single trailer bed for transportation, eliminating the need for separate trailers and multiple crane operations. The housing portions are arranged to be transportable as one unit while maintaining the ability to be separated and assembled at the destination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic mechanisms including telescopic trailers that can extend and contract, and robotic crawlers that can adapt their position and configuration. These dynamic elements allow the transport system to transform from a compact transportation state to an assembly state at the destination without requiring permanent fixtures.
2Ease of operation
If cranes are used to lift modules onto the building site, then modules can be positioned, but the process becomes labor-intensive and requires permanent fixtures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service mechanisms where the housing portions are designed with integrated features that enable them to be manipulated and assembled without external crane assistance. The portions can be lifted and positioned using the trailer's own mechanisms and the inherent structural features of the housing units themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional crane-based mechanical lifting systems with robotic crawler mechanisms that use tracked movement and integrated lifting capabilities. This substitution eliminates the need for heavy crane equipment and permanent fixtures while reducing manual labor requirements.
3Productivity
If modules are transported separately on multiple trailers, then transportation flexibility is maintained, but the process increases transportation cost and time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates multiple housing portions onto a single trailer bed, allowing them to be transported simultaneously in one trip rather than requiring separate trailers and multiple trips. This merging approach directly reduces transportation time and improves overall efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the spatial arrangement of housing portions on the trailer bed, utilizing three-dimensional stacking and angular positioning to maximize space utilization. This dimensional optimization allows multiple portions to fit on a single trailer without compromising accessibility or assembly capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A trailer configured to transport a load including a lower surface and a pin socket includes a bed including an upper surface configured to support the load, a first rotation pin extending above the upper surface of the bed, and a winch assembly coupled to a first lateral side of the trailer. The winch assembly includes a first winch and a boom, wherein the boom is configured to extend outward from the first lateral side of the trailer, and the first winch is configured to be connected to the load and to rotate the load about the first rotation pin. When the load is positioned on the bed, a distance from the lower surface of the load to an upper surface of the pin socket is greater than a distance from the lower surface of the load to an upper surface of the rotation pin.