Play Crane Flexible Loop Barrier Preventing Entanglement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing play cranes pose safety risks for children due to entanglement hazards from flexible loops, and they require long ropes to reach the ground, making them difficult to use effectively.
Innovation Solution
A play crane design featuring a flexible closed loop with a barrier element inside to prevent loop crossover and a loop supporting frame arrangement that ensures the loop does not bind or form dangerous loops, along with a pivotable frame to enhance usability and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a long rope is used to reach the ground when the bucket is on the ground, then the play crane can reach the ground effectively, but the rope becomes entangled and creates strangulation hazards
Solution Approach 1:
A barrier element is introduced as an intermediary component between the flexible closed loop and the child's hands. This barrier prevents direct contact with potentially dangerous loop formations while still allowing the child to operate the play crane effectively. The barrier acts as a mediator that eliminates the harmful entanglement risk without compromising the ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible closed loop is designed with specific geometric constraints and barrier elements that prevent it from forming dangerous loops while maintaining its flexibility for operation. The loop structure itself acts as a controlled flexible element that can move and displace but is constrained by the barrier to prevent harmful configurations.
2Ease of operation
If the flexible closed loop is allowed to displace freely around the loop supporting frame, then the lifting element can be moved up and down effectively, but the loop may cross over itself and form dangerous loops
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier element serves as a mediator that intervenes between the flexible closed loop and the space where loop crossover could occur. It allows the loop to displace freely for effective operation of the lifting element while preventing the loop from crossing over itself by blocking the path where dangerous loop formations would occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible closed loop is designed with integrated barrier elements that constrain its movement in a controlled manner. The loop remains flexible enough to move up and down effectively but is prevented from forming dangerous self-crossing configurations by the geometric constraints imposed by the barrier.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If barrier elements are added to prevent loop crossover, then safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier element is integrated into the flexible closed loop structure itself, forming a unified component rather than a separate added element. This integration minimizes the increase in device complexity while still providing the necessary safety function to prevent loop crossover and entanglement hazards.
Data Source
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AI summary
Play crane comprising a loop supporting frame, a flexible closed loop supported in a vertical orientation around the loop supporting frame and a lifting element connected to the flexible closed loop whereby the lifting element can be moved up or down by displacing the flexible closed loop around the loop supporting frame. The play crane further comprises a barrier element arranged inside the flexible closed loop between two sides of the flexible closed loop at any location where the maximum possible displacement of a portion on the loop is greater than the minimum distance between the two sides of the flexible closed loop at the location of said portion or the loop supporting frame is arranged and the total length of the flexible closed loop is chosen such that the maximum possible displacement of any portion of the loop is less than the minimum distance between the two sides of the loop at the location of the portion.