Mobile Extraction Sled with Winch and Pulley
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Solution Overview
Problem
Extracting heavy objects from wooded terrain is challenging due to their weight and the difficulty in accessing these areas with motorized vehicles, often requiring manual lifting or dragging, which is strenuous and may necessitate expensive equipment.
Innovation Solution
A mobile extraction assembly comprising a sled, a tow line, and a cart with a winch and pulley system that allows a single person to load and transport heavy objects onto a motorized vehicle without manual lifting, using a sled with a wedge-shaped front end and a cart with wheels and a claw member for anchoring, enabling efficient extraction and transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If heavy objects are manually dragged or carried from the collection site to the motorized vehicle, then the objects can be transported, but the manual exertion required is excessive and strenuous
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a sled as an intermediary device between the heavy object and the ground, reducing friction and enabling easier movement. The sled acts as a mediator that transforms the difficult task of dragging heavy objects directly on the ground into a more manageable process where the object slides on a low-friction surface, significantly reducing the manual effort required while maintaining extraction efficiency
2Adaptability or versatility
If motorized vehicles are driven to the collection site, then transport capability is improved, but motor vehicles cannot access dense wooded terrain or rocky areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the transport system into two distinct components: a motorized vehicle for long-distance transport on accessible terrain, and a manual sled-cart system for navigating difficult wooded terrain. This segmentation allows each component to operate in its optimal environment, with the sled providing adaptability to dense forests and rocky areas where vehicles cannot go, while the vehicle provides power for transporting equipment and extracted materials over longer distances
3Ease of operation
If additional equipment is coupled to the motorized vehicle to lift heavy objects, then the objects can be loaded onto the vehicle, but expensive equipment is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by instead of using expensive vehicle-mounted lifting equipment to lift objects onto the vehicle, it uses a sled system that pulls the heavy object horizontally to the vehicle, and then uses simple manual leverage with a ramp or inclined plane to load the object. This inversion avoids the need for costly hydraulic lifts or cranes, achieving loading capability through mechanically simple and inexpensive means
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 the efficient and effortless extraction and loading of heavy objects onto motorized vehicles, reducing manual effort and the need for expensive equipment, facilitating tasks like hunting, clearing brush, and transporting firewood.
Implementation Method 1
The winch is secured to a tow line that is configured to be coupled to a front end of the sled. Also, the mobile extraction assembly includes a pulley vertically disposed in line with or above the track. The tow line is routed from the winch around the pulley such that retraction of the tow line by the winch draws the sled to the cart
Implementation Method 2
The mobile extraction assembly includes a pulley vertically disposed in line with or above the track. The tow line is routed from the winch around the pulley such that retraction of the tow line by the winch draws the sled to the cart and onto the track of the cart in a direction towards the pulley
Implementation Method 3
The sled has a wedge-shaped front end with a tapered width
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile extraction assembly includes a sled with a tow line secured to a front end of the sled. The mobile extraction assembly also includes a cart including a frame, a winch, and a pulley. The frame defines a track for receiving and supporting the sled. The winch is mounted to the frame underneath the track. The pulley is vertically disposed in line with or above the track, where the tow line is secured to the winch and routed around the pulley between the winch and the sled. This allows retraction of the tow line by the winch to draw the sled to the cart and onto the track of the cart in a direction towards the pulley.