Platform Lift Drive Unit Layout for Flexible Building Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing platform lifting systems have limited configurability and are often mounted in specific locations due to their standard configuration, necessitating modifications to buildings for installation, which limits their placement options.
Innovation Solution
A platform lifting system with a drive unit placed between two columns, allowing flexible placement and configuration, enabling installation without modifying the building structure, and featuring a closed-end drive system with access openings through columns or walls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a standard configuration platform lifting system is used, then the system structure is simple and reliable, but the mounting position options are limited and building modifications are required
Solution Approach 1:
The drive system is divided into separate functional modules: the drive unit can be positioned independently between the columns at various heights, while the columns themselves are separate structural elements. This segmentation allows the drive unit to be placed at different positions without requiring changes to the column structure or building modifications, thereby increasing mounting position flexibility while maintaining system simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The drive unit is positioned in the vertical space between the columns rather than being fixed to a specific floor level or wall position. By utilizing the three-dimensional space within the column structure, the system allows the drive unit to be installed at any height between the columns, transforming a two-dimensional mounting problem into a three-dimensional solution that increases adaptability without adding complexity
2Ease of manufacture
If the drive unit is positioned within the column structure, then building modifications are avoided, but access to the drive unit for maintenance becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The drive unit is extracted as a separate, self-contained module that can be independently accessed through openings in the columns. This allows the drive unit to be removed from the column structure for maintenance without requiring demolition of the column structure itself, thereby maintaining installation ease while improving accessibility for repairs
Solution Approach 2:
Access openings are introduced as intermediary elements in the column structure that provide pathways to the drive unit. These openings act as mediators between the external environment and the internally positioned drive unit, allowing maintenance personnel to access the drive unit through the columns without requiring direct exposure or structural modifications to the building
3Ease of operation
If the drive unit depth equals or is less than the column depth, then the platform can pass the drive unit freely, but the drive unit placement flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The drive unit is designed with a standardized depth that equals or is less than the column depth, creating a universal dimension that works with columns of various sizes. This standardized depth allows the drive unit to be positioned at any height between the columns while ensuring the platform can always pass freely, thereby maintaining ease of operation across different installation scenarios while preserving positioning flexibility through vertical placement options
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a platform lifting system (100) for transporting a person or an object from at least a first level to a second level, wherein the platform lifting system comprises: a drive unit (200), a platform (300), at least two vertical columns (400), a drive system (500), at least two access openings (600), wherein the drive unit (200) is mounted between the two columns (400), said drive unit can be placed anywhere within an area defined by the two columns, and wherein the drive unit (200) has a depth being equal or less than the depth of the two columns (400), enabling the platform (300) to pass the drive unit when moving up or down on the two columns. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for moving a platform of a platform lifting system (100) from at least a first level to second level, and to a computer program.