Ceiling-Mounted Cable Lifting Apparatus with Alignment Guide
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for installing, maintaining, and removing payloads at elevated locations require multiple people and equipment, making adjustments and removals difficult due to the need for technicians to move to the final installation location and the reliance on ground support equipment.
Innovation Solution
A lifting and lowering apparatus comprising a cable, pulley, drive member, moveable payload attachment member, and alignment guides that allow payloads to be lifted and lowered without external equipment, with an automatic locking mechanism to secure the payload in place, enabling efficient and safe installation, maintenance, and removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional methods use ground support equipment for installing payloads at elevated locations, then the payload can be installed at the final position, but multiple technicians and external equipment are required, increasing device complexity and operation difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the lifting function from external ground support equipment and relocates it to a ceiling-mounted counterweight system. The counterweight is suspended from the ceiling structure, eliminating the need for external lifts and cranes, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining installation reliability at elevated locations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cable and pulley system as an intermediary mechanism between the payload and the counterweight. This intermediary system enables smooth vertical movement of the payload while the alignment guide ensures precise positioning, resolving the contradiction between reliable installation and equipment complexity
2Reliability
If conventional methods install payloads at elevated locations, then the payload is secured in place, but making adjustments or removing the payload requires moving technicians to the installation location, increasing operation difficulty and time consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a dynamic system where the payload can be easily moved vertically by the cable-driven mechanism. The alignment guide with its shaped attachment member allows the payload to be quickly repositioned and re-secured, enabling maintenance personnel to perform adjustments from the ground level without climbing to the installation location
Solution Approach 2:
The counterweight system provides self-service functionality by automatically balancing the payload weight. When the payload is moved vertically, the counterweight automatically compensates for the weight change, eliminating the need for additional balancing operations and making maintenance easier
3Reliability
If conventional methods use multiple technicians and ground support equipment, then the payload can be installed and maintained, but time and resources are consumed, reducing productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the lifting capability from external equipment and integrates it into a fixed ceiling-mounted system. This eliminates the need to deploy ground support equipment for each installation task, significantly improving productivity while maintaining installation reliability through the engineered cable and counterweight mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The ceiling-mounted counterweight system serves multiple functions: it enables initial payload installation, facilitates maintenance operations, and allows easy payload replacement. This multi-functional system improves productivity by eliminating the need for different equipment for different tasks
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 payloads to be easily moved and secured at elevated locations without external lift equipment, reducing the need for multiple technicians, saving time and money, and enhancing safety by simplifying the installation and maintenance process.
Implementation Method 1
at least one pulley connected to the at least one cable
Implementation Method 2
at least one drive member connected to the at least one cable for driving the at least one cable in at least one direction
Implementation Method 3
Both the attachment member guide and the alignment guide may be shaped to force the attachment member guide into a pre-determined mating position against the alignment guide at the position
Data Source
AI summary
A lifting and lowering apparatus may include: at least one cable, at least one pulley connected to the at least one cable, at least one drive member connected to the at least one cable for driving the at least one cable in at least one direction, a moveable payload attachment member for attaching to a payload to be at least one of lifted and lowered, an attachment member guide attached to the moveable payload attachment member, and an alignment guide for positioning at a position. The moveable payload attachment member may be at least one of lifted and lowered by the at least one cable. Both the attachment member guide and the alignment guide may be shaped to force the attachment member guide into a pre-determined mating position and orientation against the alignment guide at the position.