Actuated Ladder Rollers for Fast Mobility and Stable Footing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ladders with wheels are cumbersome and time-consuming to deploy and retract, especially for large or heavy ladders, leading to instability and mobility issues.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of electronic actuators to control the extension and retraction of rollers on ladders, allowing for quick transitions between rollable and stationary states through user-operable input devices or sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual wheel deployment is used, then the ladder can be moved with wheels, but the deployment and retraction process is time-consuming and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical wheel deployment with an electronic actuator system. The actuator automatically extends or retracts the roller based on electrical signals, eliminating the need for manual manipulation of mechanical components. This substitution of mechanical operation with an electronically controlled system directly resolves the contradiction by making deployment easier and faster.
Solution Approach 2:
The roller assembly is designed to self-deploy and self-retract through the actuator system without requiring user intervention for the actual extension/retraction actions. The system serves itself by automatically positioning the rollers based on operational needs, reducing both the effort and time required for deployment.
2Ease of operation
If wheels are added to improve mobility, then the ladder can roll, but the ladder becomes less stable when stationary
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic roller system where the rollers can change their state between extended and retracted positions based on operational requirements. When mobility is needed, rollers extend to enable rolling; when stability is needed, rollers retract to provide a stable stationary base. This dynamic adaptability resolves the contradiction by allowing the system to optimize for either mobility or stability as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The ladder system is segmented into stationary components (ladder body, feet) and movable components (rollers). This segmentation allows the roller portion to be independently controlled to extend or retract, enabling the mobile elements to be separated from the stable structure when needed, thus resolving the stability-mobility contradiction.
3Productivity
If electronic actuators are added to control rollers, then deployment speed increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic actuator system is designed to perform multiple functions: extending the roller, retracting the roller, and potentially sensing operational conditions. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional component rather than separate mechanisms for each function, the patent increases deployment speed while minimizing the increase in overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A ladder is provided with a pair of rails, a set of braces or rungs extending between the pair of rails, and a roller assembly with a roller movable, via an electronic actuator, between different positions, such as an extended position and a retracted position relative to the rails. The roller can extend below a bottom end of the rail and any connected foot on the rail so that the ladder can roll across a ground surface, or the roller can be retracted to support the ladder using the rail or foot. Other electronic components can be used to sense a user or a condition of the ladder in order to control the extension and retraction of the rollers based on the user or conditions.