Battery-Powered Hoisting Device for Mountain Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Accessing remote and mountainous areas for winter sports like skiing and snowboarding is challenging without expensive equipment, and existing solutions do not provide quick, convenient, and efficient access.
Innovation Solution
A portable, battery-powered hoisting device connected to a cable that uses a drum assembly, gear train, and motor to lift individuals up a mountainside, with a remote control system for speed management and a latching assembly for secure attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If expensive equipment such as snowmobiles, snowcats, or helicopters is used for backcountry access, then speed and convenience of access are improved, but cost is significantly increased
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the backcountry access function into separate components: a portable winch device for lifting, a cable infrastructure, and anchor points. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and deployed flexibly, replacing expensive integrated vehicles like snowmobiles and helicopters with affordable modular elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cable as an intermediary element that connects the portable winch device to anchor points at the destination. This cable-mediated system enables indirect transport, allowing users to be lifted efficiently without requiring expensive direct-transport vehicles, thus reducing cost while maintaining access speed.
2Force
If traditional hoisting equipment is used, then lifting capability is achieved, but portability and ease of transport are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional heavy mechanical hoisting systems with a battery-powered electric motor coupled to a winch drum. This substitution eliminates the need for manual cranking or heavy flywheels, providing sufficient lifting force through electric power while dramatically reducing the weight and complexity of the moving components, thereby improving portability.
3Ease of operation
If manual control of hoisting device is used, then simplicity is maintained, but operational convenience and remote control capability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates an electronic speed controller that automatically regulates motor operation based on inputs from a remote control transmitter. The controller manages acceleration, deceleration, and stopping sequences, allowing the device to self-regulate its operation without requiring complex manual intervention, thus improving ease of operation while keeping the control system manageable through standardized electronic components.
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 quick, convenient, and efficient access to mountainous areas for winter sports, providing a portable, lightweight, and remotely operable solution that is more accessible and cost-effective than traditional methods.
Implementation Method 1
a power source operatively connected to the ESC to supply power thereto
Implementation Method 2
a motor operatively connected to the gear train to engage the transmission gear in rotation
Implementation Method 3
a gear train at least partially housed within the enclosure and the drum body, and comprising a transmission gear operatively connected to the drum body
Implementation Method 4
The drum assembly having a drum body having an elongated portion shaped and adapted to have the cable wrap around the drum body
Implementation Method 5
a latching assembly adapted to enable the at least one person to be connected to the enclosure
Data Source
AI summary
A portable hoisting device configured to be connected to a cable secured to a destination location for hoisting at least one person from a start location to the destination location is provided. The device includes a winch mechanism having a drum body shaped and adapted to have the cable wrap around the drum body. The winch mechanism is operable to selectively wrap the cable around the drum body. The device has a gear train operatively connected to the drum body and operable to engage the drum body in rotation, a motor operatively connected to the gear train, a control assembly operatively connected to the motor to control same, and a latching assembly adapted to enable a load to be connected to a component of the portable hoisting device, wherein the control assembly comprises a remote control configured to send signals to the motor remotely.