Lifting Device Cable Tension Sensor for Load Weight Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lifting devices do not properly measure or determine the weight of a load before lifting, which can lead to unsafe operations.
Innovation Solution
A lifting device equipped with a sensor apparatus that detects tension in a cable using an idler pulley, spring, and magnets to output a voltage signal proportional to the load's weight, allowing for accurate weight and center of gravity measurement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional lifting devices operate without weight measurement, then the device complexity is reduced, but the operational safety deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cable tension sensor as an intermediary component that indirectly measures load weight through cable tension. This mediator approach allows weight detection without direct contact with the load, adding minimal complexity while significantly improving operational safety by providing accurate weight information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical weight measurement systems with an electrical sensing system. The cable tension sensor converts mechanical tension forces into electrical signals that can be processed by the control system, simplifying the overall measurement mechanism while enhancing safety through more precise and reliable data.
2Measurement precision
If a cable tension sensor is added to measure load weight, then the measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cable tension sensor serves multiple functions: it measures cable tension, determines load weight, and provides data for center of gravity calculation. This multi-functionality approach maximizes measurement precision while minimizing the addition of separate components, thereby controlling device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system utilizes the cable tension sensor data to automatically determine both weight and center of gravity information without requiring additional sensors or manual input. The system self-services by processing the tension measurements to derive comprehensive load characteristics, improving precision without proportionally increasing complexity.
3Measurement precision
If cable tension is used to determine load weight, then the measurement accuracy is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces difficult mechanical weight measurement with electrical tension sensing. The cable tension sensor converts mechanical tension into electrical signals that are easier to detect, process, and transmit to the control system, thereby improving measurement accuracy while reducing the inherent difficulty of detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable tension acts as an intermediary measurable quantity that is easier to detect than direct weight. By measuring cable tension instead of weight directly, the system transforms a difficult measurement problem into a more tractable electrical sensing problem, improving accuracy while managing detection difficulty.
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
Enables safe and precise lifting operations by providing real-time weight and center of gravity information to the user, enhancing operational safety and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a spring compressible from an initial state to a loaded state in response to a force applied to the idler pulley by the tension in the cable
Implementation Method 2
one or more magnets configured to emit a magnetic field, and a sensor configured to detect the magnetic field emitted by the one or more magnets and output a voltage signal proportional to a weight of the load
Data Source
AI summary
A lifting device includes a base, a mast coupled to the base, a carriage coupled to the mast, and a lifting assembly configured to move the mast and carriage in a first direction to a desired elevation relative to the base. The lifting device includes an electric motor, a battery pack for providing electrical power to the electric motor and a spool with a cable to alternately raise and lower the carriage in the first direction. The lifting device includes means for detecting a weight and/or a center of gravity of a load to be lifted by the lifting device, and a user interface operable to communicate information about the weight and/or the center of gravity of the load to a user of the lifting device.