Overhead Storage Cable Spool with Inertial Brake
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing overhead storage devices for bicycles and similar items are often cumbersome and inefficient, lacking effective mechanisms for secure and controlled lifting and storage.
Innovation Solution
An overhead storage system utilizing a cable pulley with a constant torque spring unit, an inertial brake, and a self-coiling device, along with an attachment mechanism, to securely lift and store items by applying constant torque, controlling acceleration, and automatically winding the cable when not in use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a constant torque spring unit is used to promote rotation of the cable spool for winding the lift cable, then the lifting force and control are improved, but the risk of accidental accelerated winding and cable snap-back increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inertial brake unit is pre-configured with a rotor having engagement areas positioned to automatically engage with the spool when excessive rotational speed is detected. The spring element is pre-loaded to provide braking force, creating a preliminary counter-action that activates only when the harmful condition (excessive speed) occurs, preventing cable snap-back while allowing normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The brake unit provides automatic feedback control by using the spool's own rotational motion to activate the braking mechanism. When the spool rotates faster than a predetermined threshold, centrifugal force or inertia causes the rotor to move and engage with the spool, creating a self-regulating system that reduces speed without external intervention.
2Ease of operation
If the lift cable is kept extended and accessible for easy attachment, then the ease of operation is improved, but the space consumption and potential hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
The self-coiling device automatically winds the lift cable onto the spool after each use, performing the coiling action preliminarily before the next operation. This eliminates the need for manual coiling and ensures the cable is consistently stored in a compact manner, reducing space occupation while maintaining ready accessibility when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-coiling through the interaction of the spring element and rotor mechanism, which automatically wind the cable onto the spool without external assistance. The gravitational force on the cable and the spring's stored energy work together to achieve automatic retraction and coiling, reducing both space requirements and maintenance needs.
3Manufacturing precision
If a complex braking mechanism is added to control cable winding speed, then the control precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The braking function is extracted as a separate, modular unit with distinct components (rotor, spring element, engagement surfaces) that can be independently analyzed and manufactured. This extraction allows for precise control of the braking action while keeping the overall device complexity manageable through functional separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The brake unit controls rotational speed by changing the physical parameters of the system - specifically, by converting excessive kinetic energy into potential energy through spring compression and dissipating it through friction. This parameter-based control achieves precise speed regulation without complex electronic or mechanical systems.
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
The system provides efficient, secure, and controlled lifting and storage of items, preventing accidental release or damage, while minimizing space usage by keeping the lift cable out of the way when not in use.
Implementation Method 1
a constant torque spring unit coupled to the cable pulley, the constant torque spring unit structurally configured to apply an approximately constant torque to the cable spool that promotes rotation of the cable spool for winding of the lift cable
Implementation Method 2
a brake unit engaged with a spool of one or more of the cable pulley and the constant torque spring unit for slowing the winding of the lift cable. The brake unit may include: a rotor engaged with the spool such that rotation of the rotor corresponds to rotation of the spool, the rotor movable along the one or more engagement surfaces of the spool from a first position to a second position via an inertial force experienced by the rotor from a predetermined rotation of the spool
Implementation Method 3
a spring disposed between the rotor and the plate, the spring biasing the rotor toward its first position, and the spring compressible to allow movement of the rotor to its second position where the mating surface of the plate engages with the second engagement area of the rotor to restrict rotation of the rotor
Implementation Method 4
a damper engaged with the plate, the damper structurally configured to absorb at least a portion of a torsional force applied by the rotor
Data Source
AI summary
An overhead storage device or system may include a mechanism for hoisting the object to be stored (e.g., a bicycle) at an elevated height (e.g., above grade or floor level). In general, the present teachings may include a cable pulley engaged with a constant torque spring unit structurally configured to apply an approximately constant torque to the cable spool that promotes rotation of a spool thereof for winding of a lift cable about the spool to lift a load. Also disclosed are techniques for improving such a constant toque lifting unit such as an inertial brake structurally configured to slow down or stop an undesired, accelerated winding of a lift cable, a self-coiling device structurally configured to advantageously wind the lift cable a predetermined amount (e.g., for removal of same as a hinderance), and an attachment mechanism structurally configured to securely couple to a load.