Flexible Divider Lifting Apparatus for Non-Parallel Ceilings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current space divider systems for non-parallel ceiling to floor profiles face excessive stress and material distortion due to inadequate solutions for geometry changes, limiting their ability to be raised above the lowest point of the ceiling and not providing full potential clearance when stored in the raised position.
Innovation Solution
A lifting apparatus featuring retractable vertical lifting cables and guiding elements that move horizontally along a ceiling structure, allowing flexible dividers to conform to the ceiling contour, reducing tension and enabling full clearance when raised.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If standard space divider walls are used for non-parallel ceiling to floor profiles, then the divider wall can be installed, but it cannot be raised above the lowest point of the non-parallel ceiling and limits the divider wall height
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting system uses movable guiding elements that can dynamically adjust their horizontal position along the ceiling structure. As the divider wall is raised, the guiding elements move horizontally to track the changing ceiling profile, allowing the system to adapt to non-parallel geometries and achieve full ceiling clearance.
Solution Approach 2:
Guiding elements are introduced as intermediary components between the lifting cables and the divider wall. These guiding elements translate the vertical lifting motion into a path that conforms to the non-parallel ceiling profile, mediating the geometric incompatibility between the vertical cable tension and the sloped ceiling geometry.
2Length of moving object
If angular lift cables are used to make the rising divider meet the ceiling profile at a narrower width, then the divider can reach the ceiling, but excessive stresses are created on the materials and lift system
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the spatial parameters of the lifting cables by allowing them to move horizontally through the guiding elements. This transforms the cable path from a fixed angular configuration to a dynamically adjustable configuration, maintaining optimal stress distribution while achieving the raised position.
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding elements enable the lifting cables to dynamically adjust their horizontal position during the lifting process. This dynamic adjustment allows the cables to maintain a more vertical orientation throughout the lift, reducing angular stresses on the materials and lift system compared to fixed angular cable arrangements.
3Length of moving object
If multiple smaller divider walls are used to increase the final opening height, then the clearance is improved, but the device complexity and number of components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding elements serve multiple functions: they guide the lifting cables, accommodate the non-parallel ceiling profile, and enable a single divider wall to achieve full ceiling clearance. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for multiple smaller divider walls, reducing system complexity while maintaining the clearance benefit.
Data Source
AI summary
A lifting apparatus is provided. The lifting apparatus includes a lifting cable supported relative to the ceiling structure, the lifting cable extending along a vertical direction and attaching to a lift point on the flexible divider. The lifting cable is retractable in the vertical direction to lift the flexible divider from a lowered configuration to a raised configuration. The lifting apparatus further includes a guiding element for guiding a position of the lifting cable along a horizontal direction while the flexible divider moves between the lowered configuration and the raised configuration. The guiding element is movably mounted to the ceiling structure to move between a first horizontal position when the flexible divider is in the lowered configuration, and a second horizontal position when the flexible divider is in the raised configuration.