Vertical Travel Lamp with Coiled Band Drive for Secure Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a portable device that securely stores valuables while also serving as a lighting solution, particularly for recreational settings like campsites and beaches, where belongings are often left unattended and vulnerable to theft.
Innovation Solution
A dual-purpose apparatus comprising a lamp with a secure storage space, mounted to an overhead structure, featuring a mechanical drive system for lowering and raising a storage compartment using coiled bands, motion detection, and remote control operation, along with a manual lock as a backup, to provide secure storage and illumination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If valuables are left unattended in a common area under a portable shelter, then ease of access is improved, but security against theft deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is divided into two main segments: an upper fixed portion mounted on the shelter and a lower movable portion that can be lowered to table-top level. This segmentation allows the storage container to be positioned in two distinct states - secured high up when not in use, and accessible low down when needed - thus resolving the contradiction between security and ease of access.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage container is designed with dynamic positioning capability through the coiled band mechanism that allows it to move vertically between a high secured position and a low accessible position. This dynamic adjustment enables the system to adapt between security mode (container raised) and access mode (container lowered), eliminating the need to choose between security and convenience.
2Reliability
If a secure storage space is mounted out-of-reach on an overhead structure, then security against theft is improved, but ease of access deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container transitions from a static overhead-mounted design to a dynamic system that can lower itself to table-top level using the coiled band mechanical drive. This dynamic positioning allows the container to maintain its secure overhead position during storage while providing easy access at lower levels during use, resolving the contradiction between security and accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The coiled band mechanical drive acts as an intermediary mechanism between the overhead mounting structure and the storage container. It mediates the transition between the secured high position and the accessible low position, enabling secure storage while maintaining ease of access through controlled lowering and raising operations.
3Ease of operation
If a mechanical drive system with remote control is used to lower and raise the storage compartment, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The manual operation of lowering and raising the storage container is replaced with an automated mechanical drive system controlled by a remote control device. The battery-powered motor and coiled band mechanism substitute for manual effort, while the remote control replaces direct mechanical interaction, thus improving ease of operation despite increased device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage container system performs its own lowering and raising operations through the automated mechanical drive system, eliminating the need for manual intervention. The system serves itself by automatically positioning the container between secured and accessible states through the battery-powered motor and coiled band mechanism, improving operational convenience.
4Reliability
If motion detection components are added to warn intruders, then security against theft is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Motion detection components are integrated into the system to provide feedback about intruder presence. When motion is detected, the system can alert users or activate warning mechanisms, creating a feedback loop that enhances security monitoring without requiring constant human surveillance, thus improving security despite increased complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A lamp for securing items has a pair of vertically separable enclosure portions joined by coiled flexible bands. The flexible bands are operated by an electro-mechanical drive to uncoil and to recoil, thereby first separating the enclosure portions and later rejoining them. A lower one of the enclosure portions has an interior storage space for receiving and securing items such as watches, cellphones, and wallets. The lamp is mounted on the bottom of the lower portion of the enclosure so as to direct its light beam downwardly. A control device enables remote operation of the drive and the lamp. The enclosure may be mounted to top trusses of a camping tent or canopy for instance. The camping tent or canopy may be left unoccupied with the assurance that a thief will not know that valuables are present in the lamp and also will not be able to gain access to the interior of the lamp.