System and method for rolling a vehicle to unload cargo

摘要

A system for rolling a vehicle includes first and second guide tracks. The guide tracks extend over a receptacle positioned to receive cargo being carried by the vehicle. The guide tracks are elongated from an input segment to an output segment of the route. The first and second guide tracks are disposed on opposite sides of the input and output segments. The guide tracks are shaped to engage first and second guides, respectively, that are coupled to the vehicle when the vehicle travels from the input segment of the route toward the output segment of the route and over the receptacle. The guide tracks are curved over the receptacle to translate movement of the vehicle over the receptacle from the input segment of the route to the output segment of the route into a rolling motion of the vehicle that causes the cargo to be dumped into the receptacle.

主权项

1. A system comprising:
a first set of guide tracks extending over a receptacle positioned to receive cargo being carried by a vehicle, the first set of guide tracks elongated from first ends disposed above an input segment of a route that leads the vehicle toward the receptacle to second ends disposed above an output segment of the route that leads the vehicle away from the receptacle; and a second set of guide tracks also extending over the receptacle, the second set of guide tracks also elongated from first ends disposed above the input segment of the route to second ends disposed above the output segment of the route, the first and second sets of guide tracks disposed on opposite first and second sides, respectively, of the input segment of the route and the output segment of the route, wherein each of the first set of guide tracks and the second set of guide tracks includes a rear guide track and a front guide track, the rear guide tracks of the first and second sets of guide tracks shaped to engage rear guides coupled to opposite sides of the vehicle closer to a trailing end of the vehicle than a leading end of the vehicle along a direction of travel during movement of the vehicle from the input segment of the route toward the output segment of the route and over the receptacle, the front guide tracks of the first and second sets of guide tracks shaped to engage front guides coupled to opposite sides of the vehicle closer to the leading end of the vehicle than the trailing end of the vehicle along the direction of travel during the movement of the vehicle from the input segment of the route toward the output segment of the route and over the receptacle, wherein the rear guide tracks of the first and second sets of guide tracks extend farther along the input segment of the route than the front guide tracks of the first and second sets of guide tracks such that the front guide tracks of the first and second sets of guide tracks engage the front guides of the vehicle and the rear guide tracks of the first and second sets of guide tracks engage the rear guides of the vehicle at the same time, and wherein the first set of the guide tracks and the second set of the guide tracks are curved over the receptacle to translate movement of the vehicle over the receptacle from the input segment of the route to the output segment of the route into a rolling motion of the vehicle that causes the cargo carried by the vehicle to be dumped into the receptacle.