Laterally Collapsible Staircase with Gas Strut Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laterally collapsible staircases face issues such as difficulty in ensuring horizontal deployment, grasping the movable side rail, maintaining the collapsed position, and experiencing racking, jiggling, and bouncing.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating conventional leveling screws with enlarged feet for horizontal adjustment, recessed areas for easier gripping, and pre-calibrated gas struts for stability, along with permanent magnets for retaining the collapsed position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the second side rail is made smooth and simple for easy manufacturing, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but it becomes difficult for users to grasp and move the staircase
Solution Approach 1:
The second side rail incorporates recessed areas at specific locations (top and bottom portions) that provide gripping surfaces. These localized modifications create easy-to-grasp regions without changing the entire rail structure, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while solving the gripping difficulty.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the staircase structure is made rigid to eliminate racking and bouncing, then structural stability is improved, but the ability to collapse laterally is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The staircase employs gas struts that provide dynamic, adjustable support. These struts can be pre-calibrated to provide the necessary force to maintain structural stability when deployed while allowing the staircase to collapse laterally when needed, achieving both rigidity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
Gas struts are used to provide pneumatic support that stabilizes the staircase in its deployed position, eliminating racking and bouncing. The gas struts can be pre-calibrated to provide the exact force needed to maintain stability while still allowing lateral collapse when activated.
3Reliability
If permanent magnets are added to the second side rail to maintain collapsed position, then retention in collapsed position is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Permanent magnets are attached to the second side rail to interact with magnets in the wall, creating a self-retaining mechanism. The magnetic attraction automatically holds the staircase in the collapsed position without requiring additional locking mechanisms or manual intervention, achieving reliable retention with minimal added complexity.
4Manufacturing precision
If leveling screws are added to adjust the horizontal position of the second side rail, then the ability to ensure level deployment is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Leveling screws with enlarged feet are used to replace complex mechanical adjustment systems. The screws can be manually adjusted to achieve precise horizontal alignment of the second side rail, providing accurate level deployment without requiring sophisticated mechanical adjustment mechanisms.
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
Ensures level deployment, facilitates easy movement, and eliminates racking and instability in the staircase.
Implementation Method 1
at least one permanent magnet operatively connected to the inner surface capable of interacting with another aligned permanent magnet mounted in a wall to which the laterally collapsible staircase is connected to help maintain the second side rail in the laterally collapsed position
Implementation Method 2
one or more balanced pre-calibrated gas struts pivotally connected at each end thereof between the bottoms of one or more steps and the first (stationary in use) side rail
Data Source
AI summary
A laterally collapsible staircase with first and second side rails has a number of advantages compared to prior structures. A leveling screw is connected to the second side rail bottom surface to adjust the position of the stairs when deployed to insure that the stairs are horizontal. The second rail has a top side edge extending between its top and bottom and a recessed area extends along the second rail top side edge allowing a user's fingers to grip the rail to facilitate its movement between laterally collapsed and deployed positions. At least one permanent magnet is connected to the second side rail inner surface capable of interacting with another aligned permanent magnet mounted in a wall to help maintain the second side rail in a laterally collapsed position until intentionally moved. Pre-calibrated gas struts eliminate racking, jiggle, and bounce of the staircase.