Suspended Tire Manipulator with Rotary Balancer and Telescoping Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tire manipulators are not ergonomically designed, leading to discomfort and inefficiency when handling tires across varying heights, and they require operators to hold heavy handles, increasing the risk of injury and operational costs.
Innovation Solution
A suspended tire manipulator with handles connected at a fixed obtuse angle to distal arms, which are pivotally connected to a rotary balancer, allowing for easier control and reducing operator fatigue through pneumatic balancing, and featuring gripper shoes with a convex arcuate perimeter surface for secure tire engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the manipulator handles are positioned at fixed high locations, then the manipulator can lift tires from low positions, but the operator experiences discomfort and fatigue when positioning tires at varying heights
Solution Approach 1:
The handlebar is made movable relative to the proximal arms through a telescoping mechanism, allowing the handlebar to move between retracted and extended positions. This dynamic adjustment enables the operator to position the handles at optimal heights for different tire positions, resolving the contradiction between operator comfort and adaptability to varying heights
2Device complexity
If the handles are connected directly to proximal arms at fixed positions, then the structure is simple, but the operator must hold heavy handles increasing injury risk
Solution Approach 1:
A spring mechanism is incorporated into the handlebar assembly to provide a counterbalancing force that offsets the weight of the handles and proximal arms. This reduces the effort required by the operator to hold and maneuver the manipulator, thereby reducing injury risk while maintaining structural simplicity
3Stability of the object's composition
If the gripper shoes are mounted on a rigid rail, then the structure is stable, but the shoes cannot adapt to different tire sizes and positions
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper shoes are mounted on a rail that allows sliding movement, and the shoes themselves are made movable relative to the rail through a telescoping mechanism. This dynamic configuration enables the gripper shoes to adjust their position along the rail and accommodate different tire sizes and positions while maintaining structural stability during operation
4Device complexity
If the manipulator uses a fixed arm configuration, then the mechanism is simple, but it cannot accommodate varying tire positions and heights efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The manipulator incorporates telescoping proximal arms that can extend and retract, allowing the distal arms and gripper shoes to reach different positions and heights. This dynamic extension capability improves tire handling efficiency for varying positions while adding only minimal complexity to the overall mechanism
Data Source
AI summary
A suspended tire manipulator for use by an operator in lifting a tire having a mounting aperture includes a first handle attached to a first proximal arm. The first proximal arm is connected to a first distal arm at an obtuse angle. The manipulator includes a rotary balancer pivotally mounted to the first distal arm. The rotary balancer provides a pivoting torque to the first distal arm in response to operator movements raising and lowering the manipulator via manual force applied at the handle. A vertical support has a lower end and an upper end. The lower end connects to the rotary balancer. The manipulator includes a pair of gripper shoes. The pair of gripper shoes are slidably mounted on a rail and move in opposite inboard and outboard directions on the rail.