This scientific article was published
in the journal "Inventor and Rationalizer"
No. 7 - 2017 (Russia), author A. Kokashinsky
Practical application of research and development results is one of the main tasks of scientific and technical activities. Therefore, the motto "science for man" will always be relevant, and inventions will always be those treasures that are mined from the depths of science, enriching our lives with convenient and useful things.
However, the path from a problem to an innovation is a difficult, thorny path with many unknowns, and to achieve success, you need, at a minimum, knowledge, intelligence, perseverance and faith in your own strength. Using the example of the implementation of one of the Belarusian innovations, the required steps and stages that must be completed, especially at the most difficult stage: from the idea to the design of the project, are presented.
Recently in Belarus invented a new method of lifting objects. It is very simple and consists of just two movements performed manually. During the first movement, one of the links to which the object is attached rotates up and folds with the other. However partial rise occurs. At the second, – the folded links, turning up, complete the movement at the required point. As a result, an object weighing up to 20 kg, for example, a bicycle breaks off the floor and ends up overhead in 3-5 seconds [5].
The innovation invented is called the "folding lever method" - WIPO - WO2016162770A1. The novelty is that the long lever used in well-known lifting devices, as noted above, is broken into two links folding into one whole. Such backbone partitioning allows us to solve several new problems:
1) Reducing the lever length in half makes this method indispensable for use in tight spaces. For example, a bike 1 meter high can be lifted in a corridor of the same width. That is, for its storage will be well suited narrow passages in houses, apartment halls, places of staircases, etc. Also, the device can be installed in the corridor of the apartment, in the loggia, on the balcony.
2) lifting, for example, the same bicycle is carried out directly from the floor. Namely, the attachment of the bike to the device begins immediately after it is padded under the gripping mechanism. Due to this, only negligible arm strain will be required for the initial and subsequent lifts, which significantly saves the user’s effort.
Here it should be emphasized that the nearly vertical lifting of an object above the head by the forces of an adult male is performed by means of the device. Thanks to the auxiliary spring mechanisms fixed on the device and specially configured, the turns of the links are performed smoothly, with the application of minimum effort, and under the full control of the cycling enthusiast in each sub. This means that even a teenager, a frail woman or a retiree who uses a bicycle in everyday life can easily and safely use the new product without much effort. heavy objects.
3) based on the fact that all lifting operations of the object are performed manually, without special effort and with the help of special springs, no other energy is required to the device. This makes it absolutely autonomous, and its operation virtually free.
4) the device design is based on a lever-hinge flat kinematic chain, which is known to guarantee such devices maximum reliability and durability. At the same time, the cost of their production in connection with the absence in the design of all kinds of actuators, including electric, on the contrary, is minimal, which allows to set a reasonable price on the product.
5) the field of application of the innovation is diverse, – from mechanical engineering, aviation to construction and design.
* * *
This article will discuss the development process of a device designed for household use, in particular, for convenient storage of a BICYCLE in the limited spaces of high-rise residential buildings.
We hope that due to the large number of bike owners the proposed device will be in wide demand, ensuring successful commercialization of the present invention. In addition it will help grow sales of the bikes themselves and, in general, increase the number of supporters of eco-friendly and healthy transportation in the country.
Bike-boom and Household
Studying the development of the bicycle industry allows us to conclude that the increased demand for cycling products, especially, among urban dwellers, has become a sustainable trend of modernity. In the last decade alone, in China, the global leader in this field, the annual growth rates of bicycle production have reached 13%, and their output volume already exceeds 30 billion. $US [6]. Thus, the unyielding demand has led to the growth of the planetary cycling market, on which 53.4% of the world’s households have already purchased at least one bike [7].
But, the emerging bike-boom isn’t just a tribute to fashion. He has quite valid reasons and grounds. Firstly, pretty much every one of us since childhood wanted to own or had our own personal bike to enjoy the freedom of agile commutes. Secondly, its superb healing and restorative qualities have long been proven and recommended by medicine. Thirdly, the absolute environmental purity and relative cheapness make the bike a superb individual means of transportation, especially, in car-saturated cities. It is for this reason that the bicycle is unconditionally included in the Smart City Concept of the future, where it is assigned a very specific transportation role. This is how, being once "fun", the bicycle has turned into a quite serious form of transport demanded by society.
In Belarus, the volume of bike production is much more modest than, for example, in China. But here is the number of bikes in households we are not behind. For example, in Minsk, according to various data, one bicycle falls on two families, which is generally in line with the world average. However, biking in our capital has not yet become an equal form of transport, as, for example, in the same China, EU countries, USA. Basically Belarusian youth uses them for entertainment.
There are several reasons for this, but the main one I think is the lack of convenient and safe parking spaces for personal bikes, both on the streets and inside residential buildings. After all, any route must have its beginning and end, and its endpoints must be appropriately equipped. Look what wonderful train stations, airports, bus stations, parking lots have been built in recent years in our country. All of them are called upon to ensure proper comfort and transfer safety of passengers of various modes of transportation. And how are things with personal cycling?
Problem Situation
For a personal, family bike (not carsharing !) in this regard, unfortunately, people have done not so much. Recently, in the places of arrival of bicycle users, that is, at bicycle stops, for example, near supermarkets, there have been non-tackle ground racks for "tying" a two-wheeled horse. And such a move should only be welcomed, as personal bikes in cities are finally starting to draw attention to themselves, boiling over parts of urban space, let alone insignificant for now.
And here is on "departure stations" of bikes, especially in medium and large cities, until all on-old. For lack of a better, their parking space and storage are still located within the residential space of the cycling enthusiast itself. Simple in his apartment! For example, a balcony, a home closet or even a bedroom is used for these purposes, which takes at least 1.5 cubic meters of living space.
Taking such a situation as due, nobody cares how the bike owner will adapt to such deprivations, how to get by with a poorly fitted apartment bought bike. And on his question "How same be?" and neighbors, police, firefighters and even bike sellers always have the same "reinforced concrete advice": keep your bike in your apartment.
In principle, based on security conditions this is reasonable. After all, left outside the door, an unattended bike can both prove to be a victim of indiscretion. The average price of such a "beloved" piece today hovers between $300-$500 USD, which like a magnet attracts resourceful thieves or just envious vandals.
But also store a bike at home - an activity, frankly, not one of pleasant. Especially if you’re not the only one living in the house. Apartment is not bike-garage, and space in it always not lacks. And a bike is not a cat or dog that can themselves easily fit into the existing environment of the apartment. Therefore from the moment of purchase of a bike the life of its possessor is filled not only with the many vivid and unforgettable experiences which cycling gives him, but also with a mottled band of inconveniences and deprivations.
The true test becomes the "ritual" of taking the bike out of the apartment. It can take up to half an hour, if the bike is stored somewhere in a closet, lying down other things, or in the lodge behind narrow doors, through which it is necessary to neatly and diligently squeeze and then make your way through the bedroom and living room to the hallway without dropping anything. Unsurprisingly, given this circumstance, often knocks many off the desire to roll with the breeze an extra time.
Let's go on. Rolling in a bike, like rolling out, is often accompanied by knocked out corners of walls and expensive furniture oozing onto the new carpet with street dirt and sand, scratches on the road bike and even body scratches the bike self. Anyone who owns a bike knows about this not hearsay. The culprits here, naturally, act in no way removable steering wheel and pedals, which as on evil stick out in all directions.
As a result in the house, especially at first, like it or not like it, and there is a tense atmosphere, periodically turning into irritating, sometimes not always warm replies in address two-wheeled friend. And the reason here is on the surface - in exchange for diligently created mother and grandmother cozy or just made dad new repair, house suddenly is filling with street dirt, is violating space and comfort.
While doing so, all new and new troubles arise, growing like a river until one of the family members suddenly asks a direct question: “Where to store this wonderful bike?”.
By the way, on the Internet such a question still remains the most common and relevant. I think it’s safe to say without exaggeration that every fifth inhabitant of our planet has ever asked this question.
Search Solutions
Foreign and domestic inventors have been battling over this complex and contradictory problem for over 100 years! On the one hand, in the conditions of the city the inhabitant of average wealth wants to have a nice, but relatively small housing (to pay less for it), and on the other - in this limited volume we try to ride" useful, but not quite suitable in dimensions. And you want to cram it in so that it doesn't bother anyone, never annoys and is always at hand, ready.
As patent research shows, starting from the beginning of the last century, the order of 2 thousand has been devoted to the subject under study. applications and inventions [8]. They present a variety of solutions to a seemingly simple technical problem. But the problem still remains a "tough nut", so all the new and fresh patent applications on the subject continue to come to the patent offices of different countries.
It can be said that among the inventors there was a peculiar race to achieve primacy in this field. This has even led to the creation of a scope-wide section B62H3/00 in the International Patent Classification (IPC) entitled “Detached standing stands or holders for parking or storing bicycles” [9]. At the same time, it is even includes a number of sub-subjects under which applications and inventions are archived depending on the approaches and methods offered by the inventors.
Assessments of achieved
However a careful examination of these patent publications once again proves that the problem of convenient storage of a bicycle in a limited living space has not been solved by anyone so far. All known solutions can be characterized as “unconditional” or suitable for rare, select cases, but by no means for mass use, above all, in urban settings, namely, in high-rise cities building.
The thing is, these devices aren’t functional enough. To use them to conveniently store a bike in a narrow corridor without cluttering the aisle, their set of properties is missing. Basically, they perform one, two or three useful functions, such as as hooks, brackets, suspensions, etc. While, too, the long tail of having flaws and inconveniences, makes such devices one-sided and, as a result, little in demand among buyers.
Problem
The constant discomfort and inconveniences brought about in the apartment undoubtedly useful for a person by bicycle, generally form a difficult to solve problem for cycling enthusiasts, and reduce in cities the sredding development of this transport for and health. Thus, the question "How and where in high-rise residential buildings is it convenient, safe and at the same time cost-effective to store personal bikes?" still remains open.
Setting the task
It is convenient to locate a bizarre configuration, unstable and bulky for a small apartment bicycle in a very limited and enclosed space, intended exclusively for residential accommodation, human as well as ergonomic, environmental, aesthetic and other regulations, – a task not one of simple ones. At the same time, access to the bike should be free and fast, which would allow you to use it whenever you need. Therefore, the development of a new device needs to be divided into several interrelated steps and stages.
At the first stage, we will formulate the idea of the functioning of the device, based on the analysis of a wide range of both theoretical and practical information, define the methods of tests and evaluations, formulate the design concept and principles.
Idea
The idea of the new product, namely the purpose and main principles of its development, is formulated as follows: "To create a device that allows to place any bicycle under the ceiling and not at the bottom on the floor, and horizontally, and horizontally, given the existing volume-planning solutions capabilities of high-rise residential buildings."
The search for a solution required delving into physical and theoretical mechanics, kinematics, materials resistance, building mechanics and a range of other sciences. As a result, it became clear that this idea could be brought to life, but the solution would require an approach quite different from the known.
Research
The research work conducted in this direction was as follows. First, a comprehensive study was subjected to the bicycle itself, as an object with which to perform various manipulations using the new device. With this objective, extensive and diverse information has been collected on virtually all types of modern bikes. Up to electric bikes. This made it possible to study and group the existing diversity by creating a special classification. It presents the basic parameters of the bikes, their key characteristics, differences in dimensions, etc.
Similar work has also been done with respect to all known devices in practice for bicycle storage. As a result, two main groups most closely responding to the idea conceived were clearly distinguished from their total mass. Cable suspensions were attributed to the former group and gas spring lever designs to the latter.
In addition, a series of other studies had to be conducted to determine the degree of influence of various factors on the performance of the device under space constraints. For this purpose, the principles of modern layout and planning of dwellings, materials used in their construction, their properties and characteristics, the dimensions of apartment and corridors were additionally considered and studied, ergonomic characteristics of users and much-much more.
The data and disparate information obtained during the research process allowed to see in detail not only the technical but also the factor side of the problem. The factor side reflected the actual impact of the residential microenvironment on the functioning of the new structure introduced into it.
Experiments
The principles of content analysis, available mathematical instrumentation and some specialized computer programs that allow the handling of quite extensive data sets were mainly used during the chamber studies.
Tests were also prepared and conducted. Initially, they were performed in a laboratory setting using different forms of models raising a scaled-down model of a bicycle. And then they moved on to a prototype as close as possible to the device being created. For this purpose the prototype was installed in the zones of future real operation, – in the apartment and the apartment hall.
The data obtained during the tests were compared with the parameters of similar known devices. The results proved that the new device, not only copes effectively with the set task, but also outperforms its counterparts in most of the key properties.
New Product Concept
The crystallization of the concept of the future product took place in a cross-functional search for an optimal solution and endured many changes. But after choosing the final version of the structural scheme of the device being created, she acquired a reference document format, which meant moving on to the second stage of development, – design.
The concept is given in Table 1 and represents a ranked by importance listing of the key functions and capabilities that the device being created should possess.
Table 1
CONCEPT OF NEW PRODUCT
LEVEL PROPERTIES DEVICE:
1. Key Value
- convenience and security:
helps manually, easily, quickly, conveniently and safely lift and install the bike under the ceiling.
2. Basic characteristics
- commodity compactness:
can be installed in narrow corridors from 1.2 m wide and 1.8 m long;
- versatility:
grips any bike securely and quickly, regardless of its make and frame shape
- efficiency:
quickly raises the bike weight up to 18 kg with minimal physical effort of the user
- ergonomics:
the folding design allows you to 'lay' the bike under the ceiling on the side, which completely frees up the passage below
3 Expected level
- public availability:
lifts an upright bike straight off the floor, which everyone can do work readiness;
free access to the bicycle will allow to use it at any convenient time of the day economy;
does not require connection to the power grid, so can be installed in any suitable operating location;
- care and delicacy:
lifts the bike neatly, doesn't box it and doesn't leave scratches, which is important for expensive brands of bikes
- reliability
durable in operation, does not require additional costs and special attention during operation
4 Additional level
- unavailability to outsiders:
the device can be fitted with a lock that protects the bike from theft, allowing you to store it near the apartment;
- cleanliness and order:
when installed in front of the apartment maintains volume, cleanliness and order in the house.
5 Potential level
- efficiency and design:
mounted bottom screen can completely hide stored bike development;
when strengthening springs, can be used to store electric bicycles.
Basic principles of creating a new device
Development of the experience sample was guided by three main principles. The first of these, is the principle of reliability. It aims to select such a design framework that would ensure both the overall stability and safety of the device and the retention of its basic characteristics during long-term use.
The second principle, the principle of optimality, is based on the results of experimental design work. They make it possible to identify many unknown parameters of the device being created and to achieve optimal ratios of its main characteristics in order to achieve the required level of perfection.
The third, – the principle of versatility, – is based on a detailed study of a large number of data variables varying in the existing ranges and inherent in the components combined by the problem to be solved. This principle assumes, above all, the creation and improvement of adaptive properties of the device to diverse changes in the external environment.
Basic design
The most challenging task was naturally the selection of the best design base. According to the concept of the product, it was envisaged that the device would be simple in construction, but at the same time reliable and safe, and the storage area of the bicycle would have a free space above the head, where it would not fall.
Applied in many similar structures, the block-and-rope construction scheme was immediately rejected for its unreliability, durability, and generally slowness. Rejected devices with any drive.
Designs requiring the user to manually lift the bike up to the moment of attachment to the device were also rejected. The reason for moving away from such an option was the realization that lifting with the help of hands, let alone partial and to a small height, would be difficult to accomplish for many groups of users, – teenagers, frail, females. After all, the weight of, for example, a mountain bike can reach 18 kg and more. And that means these groups won't be able to use the new device.
Therefore, one thing remained – to invent something new. The design based on the linkage “lever – gas spring” attracted attention. Its plus was that the gas spring was used just for the purpose of maximum lift relief. However she had a big downside. For such a structure to work in an apartment, it was necessary to have a lifting lever of length equal to the height of the ceiling, i.e. somewhere around 2.5 m, since according to the concept the bike is supposed to lift off the floor and stack sideways. For rooms, especially for corridors, such a structure was not suitable.
This disadvantage led to the idea of splitting the long lever into two halves that would fold during the lift. As a result, a new method has emerged called the folding lever method. For its embodiment was developed a corresponding device, on which was soon obtained patent for invention No. 20702 [4, Thus, a flat kinematic chain with two degrees of freedom has become the design basis of the new product. Her work, ie. in-phase rise, is presented in Figs. 2.
The way the "folding lever" made the device more compact, able to function in tight spaces. Now there is an opportunity to store a bicycle in a corridor with a minimum width of 1.1 m, ie almost equal to its height.
Capture mechanism
With the aim of optimizing the design, it was necessary to solve another problem, – to attach the bike to the folding lever. During development such a unique mechanism was created. It captures the bike standing on the floor in two places, under the saddle and under the handlebars. And it is done taking into account all the requirements, – conveniently, quickly and reliably.
Another solution had been found at this stage, – to fit a grip mechanism into a tubular hinge that would make the bike’s connection to a ‘foldable lever’ movable, ensuring it spins the ball around. As a result of such a special coupling, the bicycle, rotating under the action of the gravity force at the moment of passing the “180°” phase (see Fig. 2b), constantly maintains its vertical position. This property prevents jamming the wall opposite the device mounting wall.
As a result, thanks to the “folding lever” method and the inventive tubular hinge grip mechanism, the minimum lengths and widths of the bike storage compartment approached in dimensions to its length and height respectively,. These dimensions are shown in Figs. 3. This characteristic refers to the high level of compactness that is achieved due to the inventive design.
Principles of Universality and Optimality
An important property of the new device is to ensure a high degree of adaptability to the components interacting with it during operation.
Firstly, the challenge was to make the device easily and quickly "adjust" under any bike. Based on the compiled classification of bikes mentioned above, the variation limits of the basic parameters of different bike types were determined. Based on this design was supplemented with some options making the product as versatile as possible. These options allow, for example, to lift and store bikes with different frame shapes, with different dimensions, at a relatively wide weight range - from 0 to 20 kg and so on.
Second, the device was required to be easy to control by the user, given that user characteristics (height, physical strength, age) can fluctuate widely. In connection with this, the installation height of the device in the premises, the length of its links, the placement of control knobs and other its elements and parts were calculated and determined on the basis of ergonometric averagestatistical data.
Within the framework of the established norms, and also as a result of the tests, the physical effort of the users was determined to be sufficient for normal control of the device. They were determined taking into account the abilities of physically challenged groups of cycling enthusiasts. As a result the gas springs were tuned optimally.
Thus, the principles of reliability, versatility and optimality have helped to endow the new device with high-quality technical characteristics and properties and, thereby, to maximize the scale of its applications.
It remained to provide for the influence of factors of the microenvironment in which the device was to function.
Anti-theft
The perennial problem of bike preservation has always been and remains relevant. Storage and even short-term parking near the apartment, such as in the apartment garage, is dangerous and cannot guarantee the survival of the bike. That’s why the overwhelming majority of bike owners, upon arriving home, rather roll their lover inside.
To reduce the impact of this risk, a dedicated assembly has been added to the design of the new device, which provides the bike with reliable protection from theft when storing the bike near the apartment. Thanks to this option, the device along with the bike securely and quickly locks onto an individual lock, and the keys are kept with the bike owner. Now the owner of the bike, can safely leave it in any premises outside the apartment by preliminarily lifting it using a device overhead and locking on a lock.
As a result of such storage outside the house removes a number of other annoying issues: there is cleanliness and comfort in the house, there is instant access to the bicycle, but, most importantly, it absolutely does not interfere with the neighborhood. freeing up the passage below.
Fire Safety
According to current fire safety regulations the dimensions of evacuation paths should always be absolutely free [3].Any violation of this rule can lead to prescription and even significant bruising.
At the same time, the rules provide that the top level of these paths ends at a height of 2 m, i.e. on the space located above, fire-fighting norms do not extend. This circumstance was taken into account during the development process, and the basic dimensions of the device were selected so that its lowest point was at a distance of not less than 2.1 m from the floor. Now the dimensionally optimized unit has got the ability for 'legal' storage of the bike under the ceiling. (see Figure 2).
Common Areas
Stair deck, stair march, apartment corridor or tambourine, a number of other premises of an apartment dwelling where new construction can be installed are areas of common use. Therefore, the question arises: how in this case should cycling enthusiasts pay for the maintenance of public places where their bicycle is stored? After all together with bike in house is brought drops of water, street dirt, etc., so and maintenance of such places requires big expenses. The issue can be solved as follows: if the bicycle is stored outside the apartment, then the services of housing and communal services must be paid at higher rates. This will be fair, above all, to the neighbors of the cycling enthusiast.
CONCLUSIONS
Summing up, we formulate the following conclusions.
1. A solution to the problem under consideration is found. The "folding lever" way allows you to create a device that easily, quickly and conveniently lifts the bike and stores it above your head in a horizontal position on the side, ensuring absolutely free passage of the undersides. Conducted tests prove its flawless operation.
2. The device can be used both inside the apartments and before entering them subject to the availability of the minimum necessary space for that space, which in length and width are 3-5% more than the length and height of the stored bicycle respectively,.
3. The device possesses a fairly broad set of properties and characteristics that allow it to function reliably and durably, resist the influence of many external factors, including not taking care of the bike maintenance.
4. It consumes no energy other than what negligible human effort is capable of creating, so it "works" completely autonomously, and can be installed virtually anywhere.
5. The created innovation does not require high manufacturing costs, it is non-material, can be fully manufactured on domestic raw materials and materials.
Bibliography:
1. Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of February 23, No 148 «On approval of the List of state programs for 2016 - 2020 and indicators on customers for 2016». / National Register of Legal Acts of the Republic of Belarus, N 5/41759. 2016.
2. Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of May 21, No 399 “On approval of the Rules on use of residential premises, maintenance of residential and auxiliary premises”. / National Legal Internet Portal of the Republic of Belarus, No 5/3 2013.
3. Fire safety regulations of the Republic of Belarus. PPB Belarus 01-2014: System of fire-fighting standardization and standardization./ Mn. 2014. P. 13.
4. Official Bulletin: inventions, useful models, industrial patterns, topologies of integrated chips / NCIS. Mn. 2016. No. 6. P. 73 .
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7. Vasilchuk I. A bit of statistics: the global bike market. //Livejournal: network log. URL: http://ivasilchuk.livejournal.com/4084.html (date of access 05.05.2017).
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9. International Patent Classification/WIPO – URL: http://www.wipo.int/classifications/ipc/en .
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