Vacuum Lifter With Rotating Legs for Below-Grade Lid Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for removing burial vault lids from underground require manual labor, posing safety risks and inefficiencies due to the need for workers to enter confined spaces and guide the lids manually.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum lifter with rotatable legs and a spreader bar system that allows for lifting burial vault lids from below grade, utilizing a battery-powered vacuum source and extendable design to facilitate safe and efficient lid removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If workers manually connect hooks to lid handles and guide the lid using shovels, then the lifting operation can be performed, but safety risks increase due to workers needing to stand on and enter confined spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical system (workers using shovels and chains to guide and lift the lid) with an automated vacuum lifting system. The vacuum pads create suction to grip the lid and the leg mechanism automatically guides and lifts the lid without requiring workers to manually handle it, thereby eliminating safety risks associated with workers standing on and entering confined spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum lifter system is designed to perform the lifting and guiding operations autonomously. The vacuum pads automatically grip the lid, and the leg mechanism self-adjusts to guide the lid into position and lift it without requiring continuous manual intervention from workers, thus improving safety while maintaining operational capability.
2Reliability
If workers remain on the lid to ensure hooks remain engaged until chain is in full tension, then lifting control is maintained, but the confined space entry risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual control system (workers remaining on the lid to monitor hook engagement) with an automated vacuum-based control system. The vacuum pads maintain continuous contact with the lid surface, providing automatic grip and control throughout the lifting operation, eliminating the need for workers to remain on the lid and thereby removing the confined space entry risk.
3Device complexity
If the vacuum lifter uses fixed-length legs, then the structure is simpler, but the pads may contact the ground when not needed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs rotatable legs that can dynamically adjust their position between a first position (when the lifter is lowered to the object) and a second position (when the lifter is raised). This dynamic mechanism allows the legs to clear the ground when the lifter is in the raised position while maintaining structural simplicity, avoiding the need for overly complex adjustable mechanisms.
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
Enables safe and efficient lifting of burial vault lids from underground without manual labor, reducing safety risks and improving operational efficiency by using a vacuum-assisted mechanism.
Implementation Method 1
a pair of vacuum pads adapted for connection to a vacuum source and to the pad hanger locations of the spreader bar
Data Source
AI summary
A vacuum lifter of this disclosure includes a spreader bar having a lifting lug at a top end and pad hanger locations at a bottom end; a pair of legs rotatably connected at a corresponding end of the spreader bar, each leg including a foot at a lower end of the leg; each leg having a first locking position in which the foot is below the spreader bar and a second locking position in which the foot is above the spreader bar; and a pair of vacuum pads adapted for connection to a vacuum source and to the pad hanger locations of the spreader bar. The spreader bar may be extendable. The vacuum source may be mounted on the spreader bar. The vacuum lifter is useful for lifting objects out of confined spaces below grade.