Six-Bar Lifting Apparatus with Parallel Bar Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional devices for lifting and lowering individuals with limited leg mobility are unstable, require unnatural lifting motions, and often necessitate the use of cumbersome and costly compressed air systems, leading to user discomfort and fatigue.
Innovation Solution
A six-bar lifting apparatus with a parallel bar mechanism that maintains constant orientation and uses an actuator to move in a J-shaped path, supported by forearm and underarm crutches, allowing for natural motion and stability, and can function as both a walker and gait trainer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a compressed air cylinder is used to lift the user, then the user does not need to use upper body strength, but the device becomes heavier, more costly, and requires transport and refilling of compressed air tanks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the compressed air cylinder system from the device entirely, replacing it with a mechanical spring-based lifting mechanism. This extraction of the complex pneumatic system eliminates the need for tanks, refilling, and heavy compressors while maintaining the ability to lift users without upper body strength requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive, bulky compressed air tanks with a more economical spring-based system that uses elastic potential energy storage. The spring mechanism is simpler, lighter, and eliminates the need for expensive pneumatic components while providing the same lifting function.
2Ease of operation
If a sling is used to lift the user from the hips, then the user can be lifted, but the center of gravity of the person being lifted is outside the footprint of the device, making stability a major challenge
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the lifting function into separate modules: a support structure that provides stability and a lifting mechanism that handles the vertical motion. The six-bar linkage is segmented to provide both support and lifting functions, with the parallel bar maintaining constant orientation to ensure stable lifting along a natural path.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a six-bar linkage mechanism as an intermediary between the user and the lifting force. This intermediate mechanism translates the user's weight into a controlled lifting motion along a natural path, while the parallel bar structure acts as a mediator to maintain constant orientation and stability throughout the lifting process.
3Power
If gas springs are used to lift the user, then lifting assistance is provided, but the lifting motion is unnatural, inefficient, and generally painful if the point of application of lifting force is at the armpits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a six-bar linkage mechanism with curved motion paths to guide the lifting force along a natural arc. The parallel bar maintains constant orientation while the linkage components move in curved trajectories, replicating the natural biomechanics of standing up and eliminating the painful armpit pressure associated with straight-line lifting.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a dynamic six-bar linkage system that adapts the lifting motion to the user's body movements. The mechanism provides lifting power while allowing natural motion paths, and the system can be adjusted to accommodate different user weights and heights, making the lifting process comfortable and efficient.
4Power
If conventional devices are used, then lifting assistance is provided, but the lifting path differs from a natural standing motion, making the device uncomfortable to use and reducing stability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the six-bar linkage to produce a curved lifting path that matches the natural arc of standing up. The parallel bar maintains constant orientation while the linkage components trace curved trajectories, ensuring the lifting motion follows the user's natural biomechanics rather than a straight or awkward path.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates sensors and control systems that detect the user's position and weight, then adjust the lifting force and path in real-time. This feedback mechanism ensures the lifting motion always follows the natural path and adapts to the user's movements, maintaining stability and comfort throughout the lifting process.
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
The apparatus provides stable and efficient lifting and lowering along a natural path, reducing user fatigue and eliminating the need for compressed air systems, while allowing for comfortable and stable transitions between seated and standing positions.
Implementation Method 1
a parallel bar mechanism that maintains constant orientation and uses an actuator to move in a J-shaped path
Implementation Method 2
supported by forearm and underarm crutches, allowing for natural motion and stability
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a portable lifting apparatus that includes an actuator and a lifting mechanism, which includes a parallel bar, a first coupler, a second coupler, a first rocker, a second rocker, and a frame that are each rotatably connected, so that operation of the actuator moves the parallel bar in a J-shaped path while maintaining a constant orientation of the parallel bar.