Automated Dismountable Tilting Mast for Hazardous Zone Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for temporarily installing and removing equipment at a specific height, such as lighting and detection systems, face challenges with complex and expensive telescopic masts for heavy loads and require manual intervention in dangerous zones for mast assembly and disassembly.
Innovation Solution
A motorized dismountable segmented mast with automatic tilting, featuring a support fixed to a massive structure, removable segments, and motorized means to pivot and tilt the mast from vertical to horizontal positions, allowing easy assembly and disassembly without manual intervention in hazardous zones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a telescopic mast is used to support heavy equipment at height, then the equipment can be positioned at the required height, but the mast becomes complex, fragile, and heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The mast is divided into multiple telescopic segments that can be extended and retracted. Each segment is structurally simpler than a single long mast, allowing the system to achieve high load-bearing capacity through modular construction while reducing overall complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The telescopic segments are nested within each other, with smaller segments fitting inside larger ones. This nesting arrangement allows the mast to extend to great heights when needed while maintaining a compact form when retracted, reducing both complexity and storage requirements
2Strength
If a telescopic mast is used for heavy loads, then the equipment can be supported at height, but powerful deployment means are required making the device expensive and complex
Solution Approach 1:
Hydraulic cylinders are used as the deployment mechanism to extend and retract the telescopic segments. Hydraulic systems provide powerful force multiplication, enabling heavy loads to be supported with relatively compact and efficient actuation mechanisms rather than complex mechanical winches or cranes
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual assembly and disassembly of mast segments is performed, then the mast can be transported, but operators must move in dangerous zones during installation
Solution Approach 1:
The mast segments are designed with self-aligning features and foolproof connection mechanisms that guide operators away from dangerous zones. The interlocking segments automatically align during assembly, reducing the need for operators to position themselves in hazardous areas near the mast base
4Adaptability or versatility
If the mast is designed for easy transport, then mobility is improved, but the structural integrity required for heavy loads becomes harder to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The mast transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic telescopic system that can change its configuration. When transported, the segments are retracted into a compact nested arrangement that maintains structural integrity while reducing size and weight for mobility. When deployed, the segments extend to provide the necessary height and strength
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
Enables simple and safe installation and removal of heavy equipment at various heights, reducing operational complexity and risk, while facilitating easy transport and storage by maintaining the mast's structural integrity and reducing the need for extensive manual handling.
Implementation Method 1
the first motor means able to maneuver the segment base to rotate the mast from a horizontal position to a vertical position and then to control its pivoting from the vertical to the horizontal
Implementation Method 2
second motor means capable of maneuvering the base segment to initiate the tilting of the mast from the vertical position to the horizontal position
Implementation Method 3
the segments constituting the mast are kept assembled by means of assembly flanges configured to be mounted manually without tools
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3-a~3-b
Figure 4~5-b
AI summary
The invention relates to an automated dismountable tilting mast, which comprises the mast (12) itself, as well as first (15, 16, 17, 18) and second drive means (19), the assembly being configured to be mounted on a load-bearing structure (11). The mast (11) proper consists of dismountable basic segments (122) that can be manually fitted and secured together using manually adjustable assembly flanges manually assembled on a base segment attached to the load-bearing structure via a rotational pin located at the base thereof. The first drive means (15, 16, 17, 18) are configured and arranged such that the mast, consisting of the assembly of basic segments on the base segment, can pivot from a horizontal position to a vertical position and vice versa, and such that the mast is held in the vertical position. The second drive means (19) are configured and arranged so as to automatically move the mast away from the vertical position thereof when the first drive means stop forcedly holding same. The mast of the invention can advantageously be assembled and disassembled without using any tools whilst in the horizontal position, and can be advantageously erected without operator intervention in a dangerous area.