Vehicle Carrier Stacking Device Four-Bar Linkage Guide

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Solution Overview

Problem

Vehicle transporters with pivoting lifting devices cause undesirable rotational offset, leading to uncontrolled wheel rotation and potential damage to the wheel housing of vehicles being stacked.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle transporter equipped with a pivoting lifting device featuring a four-bar linkage mechanism that forces guidance of the wheel support, allowing partial or complete compensation of the pivoting movement to prevent excessive inclination and rotation, thereby reducing the risk of wheel housing damage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a pivoting lifting mechanism is used to raise and lower the wheel support, then the stacking operation can be performed, but an undesirable rotational offset occurs causing uncontrolled wheel rotation and potential damage to the wheel arch

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestacking operationVSAvoidwheel arch damage
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a guide mechanism as an intermediary element between the pivoting lifting mechanism and the wheel support. This guide mechanism mediates the motion transmission, allowing the wheel support to be raised and lowered while constraining it to follow a predetermined path that prevents excessive rotation. The guide acts as a buffer that decouples the harmful rotational effect from the useful lifting function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs a dynamic guidance system that adapts to the motion of the lifting mechanism. The guide mechanism is designed to allow controlled movement along a specific trajectory, dynamically adjusting the wheel support's orientation during the lifting process. This dynamic approach ensures that the wheel support maintains the correct orientation throughout the stacking operation, preventing damage while enabling smooth operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Productivity

If the wheel support is raised and lowered by pivoting, then lifting functionality is achieved, but the wheel support swivels relative to the vehicle causing uncontrolled rotation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelifting functionalityVSAvoidwheel support orientation
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the lifting mechanism into two independent functional components: a pivoting lifting mechanism that provides vertical motion, and a separate guide mechanism that controls rotational orientation. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently - the lifting mechanism provides productivity through vertical movement, while the guide mechanism maintains stability by constraining rotation along a predetermined path.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent addresses the orientation problem by introducing a spatial constraint in another dimension. Instead of trying to control rotation directly through the pivoting motion, the guide mechanism constrains the wheel support to move along a predetermined three-dimensional path. This dimensional approach separates the vertical lifting function from the rotational control function, allowing both productivity and stability to be achieved simultaneously.

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

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 four-bar linkage mechanism effectively mitigates the rotational offset, ensuring controlled lifting and lowering of the wheel support, reducing the risk of wheel housing damage and maintaining mechanical stability during the stacking process.

Implementation Method 1

The swivel lifting device has a lifting arm and a coupling arm, which are pivotally mounted at pivot points arranged in the form of an articulated quadrilateral

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFour-bar linkage mechanism: Four-Bar Linkage

Data Source

PatentEP3683094B1Vehicle carrier with stacking device
Publication Date: 2021.08.11 KASSBOHRER TRANSPORT TECHNIK GMBH
  • EP3683094B1 patent drawingFigure 1a
  • EP3683094B1 patent drawingFigure 1b
  • EP3683094B1 patent drawingFigure 1c

AI summary

Vehicle transporter (1), with a stacking device (2) for stacking a vehicle (3) on the vehicle transporter (1), wherein the stacking device (2) has a wheel support (4) for supporting the wheels of only one axle of a multi-track vehicle (3) and wheels of another axle of the multi-track vehicle (3) are to be placed on a roadway (5) of the vehicle transporter (1), wherein the wheel support (4) has a support area transverse to a width of the roadway (5) and wherein the stacking device (2) has a pivoting lifting device (6) for raising and lowering the wheel support (4) relative to the roadway (5) by means of a pivoting movement, wherein the pivoting lifting device (6) has a lifting arm (8) and a coupling arm (9) which are connected on the roadway (5) and on the wheel support (4) at pivot points (10, 11, 12) arranged in the form of an articulated quadrilateral.13) are pivotally mounted so that the wheel support (4) performs a tilting movement relative to the roadway (5) of the vehicle transporter (1) that differs from the pivoting movement of the pivoting lifting device (6).