Remotely-Operated Rope-Threading Tool with Dual-Arm Shuttle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tools for threading a rope around an object or through an eye are often cumbersome, require hazardous manual handling, and fail to accommodate a wide range of object sizes and configurations, posing safety risks and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A remotely-operated rope-threading tool supported by a lightweight, adjustable pole with a shuttle mechanism that allows for controlled passage of the rope through various eye sizes and orientations, using a dual control line system for activation and deactivation, and an optional single-line spring-powered reel for ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional rope-threading device is used, then the rope can be passed around an object, but the device requires significant space around the eye and has wide arms that sweep through large arcs
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into two separate arm members (first arm member and second arm member) that can be independently positioned and controlled. This segmentation allows each arm to be slender and maneuverable, reducing the overall space requirement while maintaining the ability to thread ropes through various configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The arm members move along curved paths in different planes rather than sweeping through large arcs in a single plane. The first arm member moves in a first plane and the second arm member moves in a second plane, allowing them to pass through the eye without requiring wide clearance in any single direction.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional rope-threading device is used, then the rope can be passed around an object, but the device has wide arms that prevent use in restricted areas with obstructions
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the threading function into two independent arm members, each arm can be made slender and is independently controllable, allowing them to navigate through restricted areas with obstructions that would block wider traditional devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The arm members are designed to move dynamically along curved paths and can be repositioned independently. This dynamic movement capability allows the arms to adapt to restricted geometries and pass through obstructions that static or rigid structures cannot accommodate.
3Ease of operation
If a traditional rope-threading device is used, then the rope can be passed around an object, but the device requires pushing against the object to activate
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of pushing the device against the object to activate it, the device uses a pull-based activation mechanism where the arm members are drawn together through curved paths. This inversion allows the device to work with soft eyes like cloth loops that cannot withstand pushing forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The curved paths act as intermediaries that guide the arm members during activation. The arms follow predetermined curved trajectories that allow them to converge and pass the rope through the eye without requiring direct contact or pushing against the object itself.
4Ease of operation
If a remotely-operated tool with multiple control lines is used, then precise control is achieved, but the control lines may tangle or snag
Solution Approach 1:
The control lines are routed through guides and pulleys that constrain them to move in specific three-dimensional paths. This spatial organization prevents the lines from tangling or snagging while still allowing precise control of the arm members' movements.
Solution Approach 2:
Guides and pulleys serve as intermediaries between the control lines and the arm members. These intermediaries translate the linear motion of the control lines into the curved motion of the arms, while also protecting the control lines from contact with obstructions and preventing tangling.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3A~4
AI summary
A tool for threading a rope through a distant eye or around an object out of reach, such as for elevating tarps into trees, or placing fall protection lines, or securing a distant object. The tool has two curved arms that extend out from the body in unison and converge at a point where the end of the rope is passed from one arm to the other. The arms are then retracted back into the body, pulling the rope through the eye or around the object. The arms are extended by pulling one control line and retracted by pulling a second control line. The tool is typically mounted on the end of a pole, although other mountings are possible. The shape of the tool enables ropes to be threaded through a large number of eye configurations and around objects of varying sizes, even if there are obstructions adjacent the eye.