Lifting Tool Locking Plate Mechanism for Controlled Load Lowering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lifting and lowering tools, such as jacks, lack precise control mechanisms for incremental movement and inadvertent release, which can lead to accidental dropping of loads.
Innovation Solution
A lifting and lowering tool with a movable assembly that includes a housing, a movable platform, a lifting actuator for incremental movement, a lowering actuator for controlled descent, and a release actuator to disengage from the bar, ensuring precise control and preventing accidental release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional lifting and lowering tools are used, then lifting and lowering functions are provided, but the risk of inadvertent actuation and accidents increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator system is segmented into three distinct actuators (lifting actuator, lowering actuator, and release actuator) with separate functions. This segmentation ensures that each actuator can only perform its specific function, preventing inadvertent actuation of wrong functions and improving operational safety
Solution Approach 2:
The locking plates serve as intermediary components between the actuators and the bar. They provide a mechanical mediation layer that ensures deliberate and controlled engagement/disengagement, preventing accidental release while maintaining load stability
2Ease of operation
If simple actuation mechanisms are used, then device complexity is reduced, but control precision and safety decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The movable assembly is designed to dynamically engage and disengage from the bar through the locking plates. This dynamic mechanism allows for controlled incremental movement during lifting and lowering operations while maintaining simplicity in the overall structure
Solution Approach 2:
The locking plates are designed to automatically engage with the bar when the movable assembly is in position, providing self-locking functionality. This self-service mechanism reduces the need for complex control systems while maintaining precise control over incremental movement
Data Source
AI summary
A lifting and lowering tool includes a foot configured to be supported on a surface, a bar extending therefrom, and a movable assembly including a housing, a movable platform shaped to support a load that extends from the housing, a lifting actuator configured to incrementally move the movable assembly along the bar away from the foot, a lowering actuator configured to incrementally move the movable assembly along the bar towards the foot, and a release actuator configured to disengage the movable assembly from the bar to allow free movement of the movable assembly along the bar. In embodiments, the movable assembly engages the bar through locking plates that extend through a flange of the movable assembly. In embodiments the release actuator is spaced from the lifting actuator and the lowering actuator to prevent inadvertent actuation of the release actuator. In embodiments a flange of the movable assembly surrounds the bar.