Lift Control System Using Load-Time Parameters for Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lift control systems for lifting devices, such as patient lifts, do not adequately address the varying maintenance needs based on usage and load weight, leading to potential degradation and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A lift control system with a processor and memory that determines accumulated load-time parameters and compares them to service constants to indicate when structural components require maintenance, using indicators to alert operators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If periodic maintenance is used for lifting devices, then maintenance can be scheduled regularly, but it does not adequately address varying maintenance needs based on usage and load weight
Solution Approach 1:
The maintenance schedule transitions from static periodic intervals to dynamic intervals based on accumulated load-time parameters. The control system continuously monitors operational characteristics and adjusts maintenance timing according to actual usage intensity and load conditions, making the maintenance regime adaptive rather than fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system implements feedback by monitoring operational characteristics (load weight, operating time, cycle frequency) and using this information to determine when maintenance is required. The system compares accumulated load-time parameters against thresholds to trigger maintenance alerts, creating a closed-loop system that adapts to actual device usage patterns.
2Ease of manufacture
If maintenance is performed based on fixed schedules, then planning is simplified, but it leads to potential degradation and inefficiency when usage patterns vary
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting device performs self-monitoring of its own operational characteristics through integrated sensors and control systems. The device automatically tracks accumulated load-time parameters and generates its own maintenance alerts without external intervention, enabling it to self-assess its maintenance needs based on actual usage intensity.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system performs preliminary assessment of maintenance needs by continuously accumulating and analyzing operational data before actual degradation occurs. This allows maintenance to be scheduled proactively based on predicted wear patterns rather than reactively after problems manifest.
3Adaptability or versatility
If general periodic maintenance is applied to all lifting devices, then standardization is achieved, but it does not account for variations in usage frequency and load weight
Solution Approach 1:
The control system serves multiple functions: it controls the lifting operation, monitors operational characteristics, accumulates load-time data, compares it against thresholds, and generates maintenance alerts. This multi-functional approach consolidates what could be separate systems into a unified control architecture, managing complexity through integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The maintenance determination is based on changing parameters (accumulated load-time, operating characteristics) rather than fixed time intervals. The system dynamically adjusts maintenance timing by tracking variations in load weight, operating duration, and cycle frequency, allowing customization without requiring entirely separate systems for different usage patterns.
Data Source
AI summary
According to embodiments, a method for operating a lifting device monitoring with a control unit, monitoring current supplied to the lift actuator when the lift actuator is actuated; discontinuing the current supplied to the lift actuator when the current exceeds a current threshold value; determining an accumulated number of overload stops based on the current supplied to the lift actuator; determining at least one operating characteristic of the lifting device and an operating time of the lifting device as the lifting device is actuated; determining an accumulated load-time parameter for the lifting device based on the at least one operating characteristic and the operating time; and uploading, with a transceiver, at least one of the accumulated number of overload stops and the accumulated load-time parameter to at least one of the computer, the network, and the data storage device.