Crane Bridge Assembly With Pivoting Arms for Smooth Load Initiation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crane assemblies face significant effort in initiating movement due to simultaneous movement requirements of both carriages, leading to increased friction and potential jamming, especially when trying to move a load perpendicular to the guides.
Innovation Solution
The crane assembly incorporates connector arms with spherical joints connected through low friction thrust bearings, featuring rolling elements between upper and lower races, allowing independent movement of carriages and reducing the initiating force required to start movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If both carriages move simultaneously to initiate bridge movement, then the bridge can be moved from its position, but the friction increases and causes jamming
Solution Approach 1:
The connector arm is made dynamically movable through pivoting joints at both ends, allowing the bridge to move out of perpendicular alignment during initiation. This dynamic adjustment enables the carriages to move independently rather than simultaneously, reducing the initiating force from considerable levels to about 10 kg for a 1000 kg load while preventing jamming
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the geometric parameters of the bridge-carriage connection by introducing pivoting connector arms with ball joints. This allows the bridge to deviate from perpendicular alignment by a certain angle, transforming the rigid connection into a flexible one that accommodates independent carriage movement and reduces friction
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
This design significantly reduces the force needed to initiate movement, from about 10 kg to around 6 kg for a 1000 kg load, by minimizing static friction within the ball joint, ensuring smooth and jam-free operation.
Implementation Method 1
the low friction thrust bearing comprises rolling elements rolling between an upper and a lower race
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention provides a crane assembly for lifting a load comprising: a pair of guides (2) positioned parallel to one another; a carriage (4,40) associated with each guide (2) and movable along each guide (2); a bridge (1) having an attachment point (8) for attaching the load, the bridge (1) being attached between the carriages (4,40) through connector arms (3), each connector arm (3) being attached through a lower end (31) to the bridge (1) and pivotable (5) at least about an axis perpendicular to the bridge, each connector arm (3) being attached at an upper end (32) to the corresponding carriage (4,40) through a multi-axis joint (33,35); wherein each multiaxis joint (33,35) is connected to the corresponding carriage (4,40) through a low friction thrust bearing (6)configured to rotate with initial movement of the corresponding carriage (4,40).