Suspended Flying Rig Cable Control for 3D Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motion providing devices, such as hydraulic simulators and suspended camera rigs, have limited ranges of motion and require extensive maintenance, making them expensive and difficult to operate, while also complicating the positioning and orientation of loads within a working space due to spatial constraints and the need for obstacle removal.
Innovation Solution
A suspended flying rig system utilizing a load guidance apparatus connected to multiple positioning devices, including winch assemblies, to provide a wide range of motion in three dimensions, allowing for horizontal, vertical, and lateral movement, as well as pitching, yawing, and rolling motions, while minimizing space requirements and avoiding clearance issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If hydraulic cylinders are used to provide motion, then a range of motion is achieved, but the device becomes expensive and requires frequent maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces hydraulic cylinders with a cable-based mechanical system. Multiple cables are routed through pulleys and attached to positioning devices, eliminating hydraulic components while achieving comparable or superior ranges of motion through pure mechanical advantage and cable tension control.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes the hydraulic system entirely from the motion provision mechanism. By taking out the complex hydraulic cylinders and replacing them with simpler cable-and-pulley arrangements, the system reduces maintenance needs while preserving adaptability.
2Ease of operation
If suspended camera rigs with four cables are used, then positioning within space is achieved, but roll, pitch, and yaw motion cannot be provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the motion control into independent cable systems, where each cable or group of cables controls specific degrees of freedom. This segmentation allows independent control of positioning and orienting functions, enabling both translational and rotational motion without coupling constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds rotational dimensionality to the traditional suspended rig by incorporating pulleys and cable routing that convert linear cable tension into rotational moments. This enables roll, pitch, and yaw control while maintaining the suspended positioning capability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If obstacles are removed to ensure desired range of movement, then clearance for supporting cables is achieved, but the system becomes complicated and difficult to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent nests the cable routing system within the existing spatial structure by using pulleys mounted on the load itself and routing cables through strategically placed guide points. This nesting allows cables to pass through or around obstacles without requiring their removal, as the cable path is integrated into the load structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces pulleys as intermediary elements that mediate between the cable tension and the load motion. These pulleys redirect cable forces around obstacles and through tight spaces, enabling full range of motion without requiring obstacle removal while maintaining operational simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A flying rig system includes a load guidance apparatus and at least two first positioning devices operatively connected to the load guidance apparatus to control the areal position of the load guidance apparatus within an upper portion of a working space. A second positioning device is operatively connected to the load guidance apparatus to permit selective vertical positioning of a load suspended from the load guidance apparatus substantially beneath the upper portion of the working space.