Wheel Chock Cart with Adjustable Baskets for Ergonomic Outdoor Handling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Moving wheel chocks and delineators in outdoor environments is laborious and inefficient, often resulting in improper positioning, loss, and inadequate visibility, particularly for aircraft safety and traffic management.
Innovation Solution
A wheeled cart with a wheel base, central support column, and adjustable wheel chock baskets, equipped with a power supply, whips, and visibility features like flags or lights, designed for self-standing and visibility in harsh conditions, facilitating ergonomic storage and transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wheel chocks are manually carried and positioned by users, then wheel chocks can be placed against vehicle wheels to prevent movement, but the process becomes laborious and repetitive requiring users to bend over and carry chocks repeatedly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions wheel chocks from ground-level manual handling to elevated positions on a cart structure. The cart raises wheel chocks to a height that eliminates the need for users to bend over, and provides centralized storage that reduces repetitive carrying motions, thereby improving ease of operation and reducing time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The cart is designed to be self-propelled with wheels and a handle, allowing it to move autonomously under its own weight without requiring additional equipment or assistance. The elevated platform and storage structure enable the system to serve itself by maintaining wheel chocks in an easily accessible position throughout the operation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If wheel chocks are moved repeatedly throughout the work day, then wheel chocks can be repositioned as needed, but improper positioning may result in wheel chocks being lost or encumbering vehicle traffic
Solution Approach 1:
The cart serves multiple functions: it stores multiple wheel chocks simultaneously, transports them to various locations, and provides an elevated platform for easy access. This multi-functionality ensures wheel chocks can be adaptively repositioned throughout the work day while maintaining proper positioning and preventing loss or traffic encumbrance.
Solution Approach 2:
The cart acts as an intermediary between the user and the wheel chocks, providing a stable, elevated platform that holds wheel chocks in a controlled manner. This intermediary structure ensures wheel chocks are consistently positioned for easy access while preventing improper placement that could lead to loss or traffic issues.
3Illumination intensity
If conventional warning devices are used at airports, then vehicle operators and pedestrians can be directed and warned, but these devices are often too short in height for pilots or drivers to see and accurately judge proximity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dimensionality change principle by elevating the cart structure to a height that makes it visible to pilots and drivers from a distance. The vertical elevation of the wheel chock cart allows it to serve as an effective visual warning device without requiring additional complexity in the form of lights or reflective materials.
4Ease of manufacture
If wheel chocks are stored on the ground when not in use, then storage is simple, but wheel chocks may be improperly positioned resulting in loss or encumbrance of vehicle traffic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent elevates the storage platform from ground level to an elevated position on the cart structure. This vertical elevation maintains storage simplicity while ensuring wheel chocks are consistently positioned in a controlled, accessible manner that prevents improper placement, loss, or traffic encumbrance.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus can include a wheeled chock cart for moving wheel chocks in an outdoor environment. The wheeled chock cart can include: a bottom shelf sized and shaped to receive a power supply; a mounting sleeve attached to the bottom shelf; a post removably disposed within and fastened to the mounting sleeve, the post defining a plurality of apertures; a whip mount attached to the post; a whip attachable to the whip mount; a handle attached to a top portion of the post; and a pair of wheel chock baskets removably mounted to the post at an aperture of the plurality of apertures.