Suspended Flying Rig System Cable Motion Control
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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 are expensive to maintain, with hydraulic systems requiring frequent maintenance and being costly, while also lacking the ability to provide roll, pitch, or yaw movements.
Innovation Solution
A suspended flying rig system utilizing a plurality of cables attached to a load support, allowing for selective retraction and deployment to achieve six degrees of freedom motion within a three-dimensional working space, including pitching, yawing, and rolling motions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If hydraulic cylinders are used to provide motion, then force and control are improved, but maintenance cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces hydraulic cylinders with a cable-based mechanical system. Multiple cables are routed through pulleys and attached to the load support, eliminating the need for hydraulic fluid, seals, and high-pressure components while maintaining the ability to provide controlled motion and force through cable tension.
2Length of moving object
If hydraulic cylinders with larger stroke are used to achieve larger range of motion, then range of motion is improved, but cost and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves extended range of motion by adding spatial dimensions through pulley routing. Instead of relying on cylinder stroke length, cables are routed through pulleys positioned at different locations, allowing the load support to traverse a larger three-dimensional workspace through geometric arrangement rather than mechanical extension.
Solution Approach 2:
The motion system is segmented into multiple cable-pulley units rather than using a single large-stroke cylinder. Each cable-pulley combination provides a portion of the total range of motion, and their coordinated operation achieves the full extended range while keeping individual components smaller and easier to operate.
3Measurement precision
If suspended camera rigs with four cables are used, then positioning is improved, but degrees of freedom are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the cable-pulley system to serve multiple functions simultaneously. The same cable arrangement that provides precise positioning also enables rotational degrees of freedom through strategic pulley placement and cable routing, allowing the load support to both position accurately and orient in multiple directions without requiring separate mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A suspended flying rig system including a plurality of cables attached to a load support. In response to retraction and/or deployment of at least one of the plurality of cables, motion is provided generally within a three-dimensional working space to the load support. The motion includes at least six degrees of freedom.