Angled Ramp Gates for Overhead Lifting Rail Transitions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Overhead lifting rail systems in healthcare facilities often encounter misalignment issues between adjacent rails, causing difficulties for lift carriages to traverse smoothly, leading to impediments and increased patient movement challenges.
Innovation Solution
A gate system with angled ramps is introduced, coupling to misaligned rails to create a smooth transition path for lift carriages, allowing them to translate between rails with vertical and horizontal offsets by guiding the carriage along the ramps, thus minimizing the impact of rail misalignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If adjacent rails are installed according to standard procedures, then installation precision is maintained, but misalignment still occurs due to installation variation and rail deflection causing travel path discontinuity
Solution Approach 1:
The gate system acts as an intermediary component between misaligned rail sections. The first gate couples to the first rail and the second gate couples to the second rail, with ramps on each gate that provide a continuous transition surface. This intermediary gate structure bridges the alignment gap caused by installation variations and rail deflection, maintaining travel path continuity without requiring perfect rail alignment.
2Ease of operation
If rails are perfectly aligned, then lift carriage traversal is smooth, but installation complexity increases and adaptability to varying installation conditions decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The gate system incorporates ramps with specific slope angles that change the vertical parameter of the transition path. The ramps are configured with slopes angled relative to the respective rails, creating a controlled vertical transition that accommodates misalignment. This parameter change in the gate structure allows smooth lift carriage traversal without requiring perfect rail alignment, thereby reducing installation complexity while maintaining operational smoothness.
3Reliability
If ramps with slopes are added to gates, then smooth transition between misaligned rails is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gate system is segmented into separate first and second gates, each with its own ramp structure. The first gate includes a first ramp and the second gate includes a second ramp, allowing each gate to be independently configured and installed. This segmentation enables the ramps to be added to existing gates without redesigning the entire rail system, maintaining transition smoothness while limiting the increase in overall device complexity through modular addition.
Data Source
AI summary
A gate system that includes a first gate that couples to a first rail, the first rail partially defining a travel path for a lifting carriage and the first gate including a first ramp having a slope that is angled relative to the first rail when coupled thereto. The system includes a second gate that couples to a second rail, the second rail partially defining the travel path for the lifting carriage and the second gate including a second ramp having a slope that is angled relative to the second rail when coupled thereto. The first ramp and the second ramp provide a switch location when coupled to the first rail and the second rail where the lifting carriage translates between the first rail and the second rail.