Hydraulic Lift Column With Integrated Actuator Guidance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Hydraulic lifting columns in the medical field face challenges in meeting requirements for robustness, carrying capacity, stroke length, reliability, ease of maintenance, hygiene, low noise, and cost-effectiveness, particularly in terms of noise reduction and gentle movement initiation.

Innovation Solution

A hydraulic lifting column design featuring four parallel, vertically oriented linear actuator units with double cylinders and piston rods, eliminating separate guide devices for a lightweight, compact, and low-maintenance structure with a direct hydraulic coupling, and an optional mode for reduced energy consumption and load distribution.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If separate guide devices are added to the lifting column, then guidance precision and stability are improved, but device complexity and weight increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguidance precisionVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the guidance function with the hydraulic linear actuators themselves. The four linear actuator units with vertically oriented working directions serve as both the lifting mechanism and the geometric guide for the head structure relative to the base structure. This eliminates the need for separate guide devices such as linear guides or dovetail guides, thereby reducing device complexity and weight while maintaining stable guidance through the parallel arrangement of the actuators.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Stability of the object's composition

If separate guide devices are added to the lifting column, then guidance precision is improved, but weight and space requirement increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguidance precisionVSAvoidweight
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the guidance function with the hydraulic linear actuators themselves. The four linear actuator units with vertically oriented working directions serve as both the lifting mechanism and the geometric guide for the head structure relative to the base structure. This eliminates the need for separate guide devices such as linear guides or dovetail guides, thereby reducing device complexity and weight while maintaining stable guidance through the parallel arrangement of the actuators.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Stability of the object's composition

If separate guide devices are added to the lifting column, then guidance precision is improved, but maintenance requirement increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguidance precisionVSAvoidmaintenance requirement
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the guidance function with the hydraulic linear actuators themselves. The four linear actuator units with vertically oriented working directions serve as both the lifting mechanism and the geometric guide for the head structure relative to the base structure. This eliminates the need for separate guide devices such as linear guides or dovetail guides, thereby reducing device complexity and weight while maintaining stable guidance through the parallel arrangement of the actuators.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Stability of the object's composition

If separate guide devices are added to the lifting column, then guidance precision is improved, but static friction increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguidance precisionVSAvoidstatic friction
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the guidance function with the hydraulic linear actuators themselves. The four linear actuator units with vertically oriented working directions serve as both the lifting mechanism and the geometric guide for the head structure relative to the base structure. This eliminates the need for separate guide devices such as linear guides or dovetail guides, thereby reducing device complexity and weight while maintaining stable guidance through the parallel arrangement of the actuators.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

5Stability of the object's composition

If separate guide devices are added to the lifting column, then guidance precision is improved, but the risk of germ colonization increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguidance precisionVSAvoidgerm colonization risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the guidance function with the hydraulic linear actuators themselves. The four linear actuator units with vertically oriented working directions serve as both the lifting mechanism and the geometric guide for the head structure relative to the base structure. This eliminates the need for separate guide devices such as linear guides or dovetail guides, thereby reducing device complexity and weight while maintaining stable guidance through the parallel arrangement of the actuators.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 design achieves smooth, quiet, and efficient lifting and lowering movements with reduced static friction and germ colonization risks, while maintaining high carrying capacity and flexibility at lower costs, enhancing practicality and hygiene in medical applications.

Implementation Method 1

a lifting structure (3) of the hydraulic type having hydraulic linear actuators and a hydraulic unit (6, 7) acting on these

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHydraulic pressure: Hydraulic Press

Data Source

PatentEP3646841B1Hydraulic lift column
Publication Date: 2021.05.05 HAWE ALTENSTADT HLDG GMBH
  • EP3646841B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3646841B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3646841B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A hydraulic lifting column, for example for an operating table, comprises a base structure (1), a head structure (2), and a lifting structure (3) extending between the base structure (1) and the head structure (3), which includes hydraulic linear actuators and a hydraulic power unit acting on them. The lifting structure (3) comprises four linear actuator units (8) with a vertically oriented working direction parallel to each other. Each linear actuator unit (8) comprises a double cylinder (9) having two adjacent cylinder bores (10) and two piston structures (11) with piston rods (15) oriented parallel to each other and extending in opposite directions from the double cylinder (9). The four lower piston rods (15u) are connected to the base structure (1) at the vertices of a first quadrilateral, and the four upper piston rods (15o) are connected to the head structure (2) at the vertices of a second quadrilateral.