MAE 451: DESIGN PROCESS & METHODS

PATIENT SANITATION LIFT

MEMO 3

TEAM #35
ADVISOR: DR. RAHUL RAI
PREPARED BY:
BENJAMIN STORTZ
ZACHARY JANISH
LIAM FLYNN
LEANNE SKRABACZ
HUMPHREY CHI HSUN WU

NOVEMBER 9, 2015

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract ................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Problem Statement................................................................................................................................................ 5
Embodiment Design............................................................................................................................................... 5
Detailed Design.................................................................................................................................................... 14
Bill of Materials ................................................................................................................................................... 27
Make/Buy Decisions ........................................................................................................................................... 29
Appendix A: Gantt Chart
Appendix B: WBS Chart
Appendix C: Team Meeting Minutes

List of Figures
Figure 1: Product Architecture Diagram (semi-modular) ........................................................................................ 6
Figure 2: Configuration 1 ....................................................................................................................................... 7
Figure 3: Configuration 2 rail layout ....................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 4: Configuration 2 (assembly view) ............................................................................................................. 8
Figure 5: Configuration 3 with electric winches and rack-and-pinion ..................................................................... 9
Figure 6: Carabiner-style end hook ...................................................................................................................... 12
Figure 7: Part 1--Pulley Crossbeam ...................................................................................................................... 14
Figure 8: Part 2--Winch Support Crossbeam......................................................................................................... 15
Figure 9: Part 3--Pinion Handle ............................................................................................................................ 16
Figure 10: Part 4--Pinion Guide ............................................................................................................................ 17
Figure 11: Part 5--Pinion End Mount .................................................................................................................... 18
Figure 12: Part 6Upper Sling ............................................................................................................................. 19
Figure 13: Part 7--Lower Sling .............................................................................................................................. 20
Figure 14: Part 8--Guide Rails ............................................................................................................................... 21
Figure 15: Part 9--Ball Bearing Carriages and Guide ............................................................................................. 21
Figure 16: Part 10Electric Winch ....................................................................................................................... 22
Figure 17: Part 11--Winch Pulley .......................................................................................................................... 22
Figure 18 Part 12--Center Pulley .......................................................................................................................... 23
Figure 19: Part 13--Metal Gear Rack .................................................................................................................... 23
Figure 20: Part 14--Metal Gear ............................................................................................................................. 24
Figure 21: 3D view of overall assembly (with a man for size reference) ............................................................... 25
Figure 22: 3D view of rail and pulley assembly .................................................................................................... 25
Figure 23: Exploded view of entire assembly ....................................................................................................... 26

List of Tables
Table I: Component Interfaces ............................................................................................................................. 10
Table II: Component Materials and determining factors ...................................................................................... 11
Table III: Custom components and manufacturing processes .............................................................................. 13
Table IV: Bill of Materials (BOM).......................................................................................................................... 22
Table V: Make/Buy decisions ............................................................................................................................... 26

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Abstract
The intent of this project team in the coming months is to design and prototype a more effective way to
maneuver incontinent bedridden patients during the cleaning process. In this memo, the progress
achieved in Memos 1 and 2where customer needs were identified, a final concept was generated and
selected, and revised Product Design Specifications were laid outis built upon by documenting the
Embodiment and Detailed Design processes.
The Embodiment Design process began with a discussion of the products semi-modular architecture,
followed by a selection of the final spatial configuration. The choice of components, interfaces, materials,
geometry constraints, fasteners, and manufacturing and assembly processes were also discussed in
preparation for the Detailed Design. Using the aspects outlined during the Embodiment Design, the team
created a Detailed Design of the product by generating CAD models of the overall product assembly and
its various components and subassemblies, complete with precise dimensions and final geometry. Lastly,
the Bill of Materials for the final assembly was given, and Make/Buy decisions were made and justified for
each component and subassembly, marking the end of Memo 3.

Problem Statement
When designing any product with the intent of solving a problem, it is critical that a well-defined problem
statement is generated which captures the essence of the problem to be solved. A well-developed
Problem Statement is used to guide throughout the development process, and acts as a cohesive for
constraining the further development of the product to purely those functions, features, and attributes
which play a role in solving the problem at hand. Thus, before further refining the design of the patient
lift, the team again reflected on the problem statement introduced in Memo 2, which follows:

Problem Statement: The devices currently on the market to assist with maneuvering
incontinent bedridden patients during the cleaning process are ineffective, difficult to
clean, and/or prohibitively expensive.

After reiterating the problem that is being addressed by the product, the team then moved on to the next
step in the development process: Embodiment Design.

Embodiment Design
Embodiment Design is a critical stage in the design process where the principle concept of a product is
developed in accordance with technical criteria and customer requirements to the point where
subsequent detailed design can lead directly to production. Thus, in this section, several important aspects
of the final design will be outlined in detail, beginning with the architecture of the patient lift system.
Component configurations will be discussed, with the chosen configuration presented in detail with
justification. Additionally, major components will be detailed and several important properties such as
interfaces, material, and geometry constraints will be discussed. Finally, consideration will be given to
the manufacturing and assembly processes of the final product.

Product Architecture
The patient lift is designed as a semi-modular product. Its architecture is primarily integral with exception
of the sling designs, which have bus modularity. The slings come in two sizes to accommodate a wide
range of patient sizes, and share a common interface. This interface is the spring snap hook which is used
to attach the different slings to the steel cables. In this way, it is easy for the operator or caregiver to
attach the proper size sling for any patient. The remaining components have multiple functions with
coupled interfaces, and are therefore integral in nature. Examples of this include the sliding rails allowing
height adjustment as well as supporting the patient load, and the electric winch which controls patient
lift, idle, and descent. Specific components and their corresponding functions are outlined in the
architecture diagram in figure 1.

Components

Functions

Figure 1: Product Architecture Diagram (semi-modular)

Component Configuration
During the design process three potential configurations of chosen components were considered. In the
first configuration (figure 2), there are two ceiling mounted beams which house the pulleys and support
the system. These beams run lengthwise along the ceiling with respect to the bed. The pulleys are
positioned in a line with four on each main rail. There are two lift pulleys which bring the rope or cable
from the slings towards the center of either side of the bed. There, two guide pulleys bring the rope
down to the operator, allowing him or her to easily raise both slings from one position using his or her
foot for the force input. The slings are attached to ropes which run to the lift pulleys.

Figure 2: Configuration 1

In the second configuration (figures 3-4) there are four rails two ceiling-mounted, and two sliding rails
which are arranged in a cross pattern with the ceiling rails supporting the sliding rails and remainder of
the system. There are four pulleys per sliding rail, including two caster pulleys and two guide pulleys.
The caster pulleys are attached to the end of each sliding rail on a cylindrical portion via a collar. The
guide pulleys are mounted towards the center of each sliding rail close to the relative center of the
patients body. In this way, the patient can be rotated close to 90 degrees on the bed. The slings are
attached to ropes which run to the guide pulleys first, then the caster pulleys, and finally to the operator.

Figure 3: Configuration 2 rail layout

Figure 4: Configuration 2 (assembly view)

Finally, in the third configuration (figure 5), a cross-rail system similar to that used in configuration 2 is
employed. This system uses two ceiling mounted rails, two sliding rails, and one central rail. The two
outer sliding rails each contain four pulleys two guide pulleys and two lift pulleys. The lift pulleys
bring the rope from the slings into the guide pulleys, which feed them onto a reel. The central rail holds
two electric winches which use motors to wind the cable onto the reel. Additionally, there is a central
rack and pinion system used to control the motion of the sliding rails, such that when the outer rails are
moved in our out to adjust for the height of the patient, they are always equidistant from the central rail.

Figure 5: Configuration 3 with electric winches and rack-and-pinion

For the final design, the configuration 3 was chosen. A major factor in this decision was the addition of
the electric winches which eliminate the need for user force input to raise and lower the slings.
Additionally, this configuration uses a cross-pattern rail system which is ideal for adjusting to the patients
height. Another reason for choosing the third configuration was the angle of the lift pulleys relative to
the sling position. In the first configuration, the pulleys are fixed perpendicular to the sling, which may
cause the rope to slip off the pulley if the height adjustment is not perfectly set for each patient. In the
second configuration, an attempt was made to solve this problem by arranging the pulleys parallel with
the sling position. However, caster pulleys on the end of each sliding rail were still needed to allow the
pulleys to adjust to the angle of the rope, and there was seemingly no simple way to lock the sling in place
one the proper lifting height had been reached. In the third configuration, all pulleys are able to be fixed
in place with no complicated moving sub-assemblies, and are also in the ideal orientation with regards to
cable tension. Additionally, the use of the rack and pinion system--which will keep the sliding rails
positioned correctly along the ceiling mounted railsis a key feature that makes Configuration 3 the
optimal solution.

Choice of Components
When choosing components for the patient lift system, care was taken to choose as many commercial
off-the-shelf (COTS) components as feasible. A major reason for this is to reduce the overall cost of the
system by reducing the need for custom manufacturing. In this way, the patient lift system will be a viable
product that will be able to compete with existing products on the market. Keeping costs low also allows
the lift system to be installed in several patient rooms where needed, as opposed to having only a few lift
systems in an entire hospital due to cost constraints. Emphasis will be placed on using common and low
cost manufacturing processes for components which are not COTS, as well as using simple assembly
procedures for all components.
The custom designed components which need manufacturing consideration are listed below. The
remaining components are COTS and will be described in the bill of materials. Note: manufacturing
processes for the components below will be more clearly outlined in a following section.

Pulley support crossbeams

Winch support crossbeam
Pinion end mounts
Pinion guide
Pinion handle

Component Interfaces
Several primary components and their interfaces are described in Table I.
Table I: Component Interfaces

Component

Interface(s)

Modular slings

Spring snap hook

Ceiling support rails

Ceiling
Linear sliding guides
Linear sliding guides
Pulley sub-assemblies
Sliding rails
Steel cables
Pulley sub-assemblies
Spring snap hook
Electric winch reel
Sliding rails
Steel cables
Sliding rails
Central rail

Sliding rails
Pulley sub-assemblies
Steel cables

Electric winch
Rack and pinion

Component Materials
Material considerations play an important role in the design and viability of the patient lift system. Several
components, their respective materials, and major decision factors are listed in table II.
10

Table II: Component Materials and determining factors

Component

Material

Determining Factor(s)

Guide rail

Steel

Lift min 200lbs per rail

Ball bearing carriages and

guide

Steel

Multipurpose stainless steel

rail

Stainless steel

Center pulley

Steel

Support patient weight,

easy interface for mounting
other components (bars)
Easily mountable to ceiling,
simple interface for mounting
other sliding components
Rigid, able to support
distributed patient weight

Wire rope

Steel

Support patient weight

(tension) with minimal bulk

Sling

PTFE coated fiberglass,

Tear resistant sheeting

Easily wiped clean, non-porous,

high-strength

Geometry
Based on the customer needs identified in Memo 1, there are several geometrical constraints that must
be satisfied for the product to function as intended. These include:
1. Dimension: Rails must be compatible with the length and width of a standard hospital bed
a. LxW: 6.5 ft x 3 ft
2. Dimension: Rails and sling must allow for variance in height and width of patients
a. Height Variance: Approximately 4 ft - 8 ft
b. Width Variance: Approximately 15 in - 45 in
3. Shape: No rigid parts overhanging the side of the bed that will get in the way of patient access
4. Shape: No sharp edges on any part that may touch the patient
5. Tolerance: Rails and carriages shall have sufficient straightness to enable smooth gliding of the
height-adjustment crossbars
Configuration 3 satisfies these requirements, and the required dimensions and tolerances will be reflected
in the Detailed Design to come.
Surface Finish: In addition to the geometrical requirements, there are two primary requirements for the
surface finish of the product, namely:
1. The surface finish of the patient sling shall be waterproof, easily wiped clean, and comfortable for
the patient
2. The surface of the sliding rails shall be smooth enough to permit easy gliding of the adjustment
crossbars

11

The first requirement is satisfied by the use of PTFE coated, tear-resistant fiberglass sheeting for the
patient sling, which is easily cleanable with a disinfectant wipe while being flexible and smooth to ensure
the comfort of the patient. The second requirement will be satisfied in the Detailed Design by specifying
rails which have tight machining tolerances, and are load rated for a weight greater than 400 lbs.
Fasteners and Connectors: Standard -20 UNC stainless steel bolts and nuts will be used to fasten the
majority of components, as these are readily available, perform the function safely and sufficiently, and
allow for easy assembly and replacement of components. Additionally, using a single thread size means
that the majority of fasteners used in the product can be bought in bulk, rather than having specialized
fasteners for each subassembly, which drives the cost of the product down. Lastly, as the product will be
shipped in a mostly disassembled state to enable low shipping cost and to reduce packaging bulk, using
standard bolts as fasteners enables easy assembly on-site, without the need for specialized tools.
Additionally, the interchangeability of the patient slings requires a fastener between the sling and the
cable that allows for quick attachment and detachment of the sling, while ensuring the safety of the
patient. Thus, carabiner-style end hooks (such as those in figure 6) will be used at the end of each cable
to enable quick, tool-free connection and disconnection of the sling to the winch cable. These carabinerstyle end hooks are also very safe, with no sharp edges to catch on the patient, as well as a latch
mechanism to prevent the sling from slipping off during lifting.

Figure 6: Carabiner-style end hook

Manufacturing Process
Many of the components in the proposed design are standard components that can be purchased from
suppliers in large quantities for relatively low prices. Leveraging this fact will be critical in the initial stages
of production, as manufacturing each component in-house would require an extremely large amount of
initial capital in order to purchase the facilities, equipment, and machine operators necessary to produce
these components.
However, there are several components which are not standard parts, and will need to be manufactured
to specification. These components, their manufacturing processes, and justifications are given in Table
III.

Table III: Custom components and manufacturing processes

Component and
Material

Manufacturing Process

12

Justification

Pulley Support Crossbeam,

steel

Casting

Winch Support Crossbeam,

steel

Casting

Pinion End Mount, steel

Extrusion

Pinion Guide, plastic

Injection Molding

Pinion Handle, plastic

Injection Molding

Upper and Lower Slings

Automated cutting and sewing

(textiles)

Lowest cost method for

producing beams with
sufficient strength
Lowest cost method for
producing beams with
sufficient strength
Lowest cost method for
producing an axle with low
strength requirements and
smooth surface finish
Lowest-cost method to
produce plastic parts with nonstandard geometry
Lowest-cost method to
produce plastic parts with nonstandard geometry
The sling is a textile
component, and thus must be
produced via automated
cutting and sewing methods

Assembly Process: Given that the product will be mounted to the ceiling, and that it is intended to be
shipped as compactly and cheaply as possible, there will be minimal assembly of the subcomponents prior
to shipping. The majority of the product will be assembled on-site, in the room that it will be mounted in.
The process for this assembly will resemble the following:
1. Mount the rails to the ceiling anchors using provided mounting hardware
2. Assemble the crossbar subassemblies using a standard wrench and provided bolts/nuts,
tightening the nuts to a hand-tight torque
3. Slide the crossbar subassemblies onto the rails
4. Bolt the rack and pinion assembly to the crossbars using the provided bolts/nuts, ensuring that
the outer crossbars are equidistant to the center crossbar
5. Install the electric winches onto the center support beam using provided bolts/nuts
6. Feed the winch cables through the pulleys and install end hooks
7. Connect electric winches to power and test for proper functionality of the lift
With the embodiment design of the product well laid-out, the team can now move on to the next step in
the design process: the development of a Detailed Design.

Detailed Design
A well-polished Detailed Design of the product is perhaps the most important deliverable for any design
team, as it informs the precise dimensions, geometry, and configuration of the product from which will
be referenced during prototyping and manufacturing. Thus, the goal of this section is to provide detailed
models and drawings of the product, with exact dimensions and spatial relationships defined based on

13

customer needs and functional requirements of the product. These 3D models and drawings of the
individual components, subassemblies, and overall assembly of the lift system are given in figures 7-23.

Figure 7: Part 1--Pulley Crossbeam

14

Figure 8: Part 2--Winch Support Crossbeam

15

Figure 9: Part 3--Pinion Handle

16

Figure 10: Part 4--Pinion Guide

17

Figure 11: Part 5--Pinion End Mount

18

Figure 12: Part 6Upper Sling

19

Figure 13: Part 7--Lower Sling

20

Figure 14: Part 8--Guide Rails*

Figure 15: Part 9--Ball Bearing Carriages and Guide*

21

Figure 16: Part 10Electric Winch**

Figure 17: Part 11--Winch Pulley

22

Figure 18: Part 12--Center Pulley

Figure 19: Part 13--Metal Gear Rack

23

Figure 20: Part 14--Metal Gear

24

Figure 21: 3D view of overall assembly (with a man for size reference)

Figure 22: 3D view of rail and pulley assembly

25

Figure 23: Exploded view of entire assembly

Note: the following asterisks in the above drawing captions indicate where the models were obtained:
*from McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com)
** from Badland (www.harborfreight.com)

With the detailed design of the product complete, the Bill of Materials can now be generated.

26

Bill of Materials
The Bill of Materials accompanies the detailed design of a product, and provides a list of every
component used in the product, their quantities, part numbers, and cost. In order to list and quantify all
of the components used for the patient lift assembly, a Bill of Materials was created, as seen in table IV:
Table IV: Bill of Materials (BOM)

Part Name

Product
Part
Number

Manufacture
Part Number

Number of
Parts

Cost

Total
Cost

Pulley
Crossbeam

$50

$100

Winch
Crossbeam

$55

$55

Pinion Handle
Pinion Guide
Pinion End
Mount
Upper Sling

3
4
5

N/A
(Material:
8992K528*)
N/A
(Material:
8992K528*)
N/A
N/A
N/A

1
1
2

$5
$7
$5

$5
$7
$10

$15

$30

Lower Sling

$15

$30

Guide Rail

N/A
(Material:
8876K84*)
N/A (Material:
8876K84*)
6709K332*

$1024

Ball-Bearing
Carriages and
Guide
1500 lb Capacity
120 Volt AC
Electric Winch
Steel Mounted
Pulley (Winch
Pulley)
Steel Mounted
Pulley for Wire
Rope (Center
Pulley)
Metal Gear Rack
14-1/2 Degree
Pressure Angle

6709K120*

$512 each
($0.32 per
mm)
$125.45 each

$752.70

10

61672**

$149.99 each

$299.98

11

3074T11*

$19.72 each

$78.88

12

3087T41*

$16.15 each

$64.60

13

6295K242*

$27.84 each

$55.68

27

Metal Gear 141/2 Degree

Pressure Angle
6x19 Steel Wire
Rope
Aluminum Stop
Compression
Sleeve
MediumStrength Steel
Cap Screws
(Center Pulley)
Nylon-Insert
Nonmarring
Flange Locknuts
(Center Pulley,
Pinion
Mount/Guide)
MediumStrength Steel
Cap Screws
(Pinion
Mount/Guide
Bolts)
Alloy Steel
Socket Head Cap
Screws (Carriage
Bolts)
MediumStrength Steel
Cap Screws
(Winch Bolts)
Nylon-Insert
Locknuts (Winch
Nuts)

14

6325K94*

$15.30 each

$15.30

15

3440T72*

$63.24

16

3914T7*

$31.62 per
10ft
$7.28 per
pack of 10

17

92865A541*

$9.83 per
pack of 25

$9.83

18

92018A210*

$6.59 per
pack of 25

$6.59

19

92865A544*

$7.54 per
pack of 25

$7.54

20

91290A150*

$9.55 per
pack of 25

$9.55

21

92865A540*

$8.50 per
pack of 25

$8.50

22

97135A210*

$3.54 per
pack of 25

$3.54

Total Cost

$7.28

$3591.42

*from McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com)

** from Badland (www.harborfreight.com)

When determining the list of components used to create the new product, many different factors were
taken in consideration, the first of which was to determine the right components for the specific design.
There were many different designs that we had and different components that were changed along the
way in the design process--even during the phase where the CAD models were being created.

28

One major change we had was changing from having a pulley system that used manual force from the
caregivers legs to pull the cable down and turn the patient, to one that used electric winches for applying
cable tension. When looking at the list of components and the costs of each of these parts needed for
the non-electric method, it started to turn out to be overly complex and costly, exceeding our budget.
The solution to this was to use an electric winch on either side of the lift, which significantly cut the cost
and the number of components of the lifting mechanism. An additional benefit was that the electric winch
system eliminated the need for user input of force in order to operate the lift, making it much easier for
the caregiver to use.
Additionally, the original plan as to use fibrous rope for the pulleys, but the switch to an electric winch
configuration mandated the change to wire rope. However, this change came with unexpected benefits.
For example, using the wire rope prevents any possible unraveling that could have possibly happened
when using the climbing rope. Furthermore, the wire rope being used also has already installed hooks or
shackles, which help with connecting ropes or slings that may need to be connected.
The type of pulley was also changed. Originally a pulleys were used that would accommodate fibrous rope
such as the climbing rope that was going to be used; but, since the design changed, the pulleys had to
change to accommodate the wire rope. These pulleys have think and durable frame that has a high load
capacity and a long life, which are critical features for a device used for lifting patients. The ball bearing
carriages used can each withstand loads up to 1872 pounds each which is much more than what would
be needed to lift a patient.
Lastly, when considering the material used for the slings, it was determined that the main functional
requirement (from Memo 2) was for the sling to be able to be disinfected easily while also being tough
and tear-resistant. A material was found on McMaster-Carr that fit these criteria perfectly, and at a
relatively low cost. This material is a coated fiberglass fabric that is resistant to rot and mildew and
provides good chemical resistance--being chemical resistant allows for the material to be disinfected with
any strong chemical that needs to be used. This coated fiberglass fabric is also tear resistant which is a
key functional requirement of the sling.
With the Bill of Material now established, along with cost estimates of each part, the Make/Buy decisions
for each component and subassembly will now be addressed.

Make/Buy Decisions
The make/buy step in the design process determines whether a component is either made in house or
purchased. The factors that are taken in inconsideration are the cost of the component and whether or
not it can feasibly be made in house. By considering the cost of the component it can be determined
whether it would benefit the overall product cost for the component to either be purchased or made in
house. Thus, the objective of this section is to use the Detailed Design documents and BOM as references
to make an informed Make/Buy decision for each part.
The patient lift was designed with the intention of using as many standardized, off-the-shelf parts as
possible, with only seven custom parts resulting from the Detailed Design. Thus, the make/buy decision
for each component was straightforward, and the results are given in Table V:

29

Table V: Make/Buy decisions

Part Name

Product
Part
Number

Make/Buy

Pulley
Crossbeam
Winch
Crossbeam
Pinion Handle
Pinion Guide
Pinion End
Mount
Upper Sling
Lower Sling
Guide Rail
Ball-Bearing
Carriages and
Guide
1500 lb Capacity
120 Volt AC
Electric Winch
Steel Mounted
Pulley (Winch
Pulley)
Steel Mounted
Pulley for Wire
Rope (Center
Pulley)
Metal Gear Rack
14-1/2 Degree
Pressure Angle
Metal Gear 141/2 Degree
Pressure Angle
6x19 Steel Wire
Rope
Aluminum Stop
Compression
Sleeve
MediumStrength Steel
Cap Screws
(Center Pulley)
Nylon-Insert
Nonmarring
Flange Locknuts
(Center Pulley,

Make

Make

3
4
5

Make
Make
Make

6
7
8
9

Make
Make
Buy*
Buy*

10

Buy*

11

Buy**

12

Buy*

13

Buy*

14

Buy*

15

Buy*

16

Buy*

17

Buy*

18

Buy*

30

Pinion
Mount/Guide)
MediumStrength Steel
Cap Screws
(Pinion
Mount/Guide
Bolts)
Alloy Steel
Socket Head Cap
Screws (Carriage
Bolts)
MediumStrength Steel
Cap Screws
(Winch Bolts)
Nylon-Insert
Locknuts (Winch
Nuts)

19

Buy*

20

Buy*

21

Buy*

22

Buy*

*from McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com)

** from Badland (www.harborfreight.com)

The development of the detailed models, Bill of Materials, and Make/Buy decisions mark the end of
Memo 3.

31

Appendix A: Gantt Chart

32

Appendix B: Work Breakdown Structure

Appendix C: Team Meeting Minutes

Date

Time

Location Attendance

10/20/15 2:00pm Capen

Library

Minutes

Everyone

33

Discussing Memo 3
o Went through embodiment slides
o Discuss embodiment design
Discussing senior design project proposal
o Creeper
Each come up with something for:

Choice of components (standard or

specialized)
o Component Interfaces
o Material
o Geometry (dimension, shape and
tolerances)
o Surface finish, fasteners, and
connectors
o Manufacturing Process, Assembly
process
Determined meeting time for tomorrow
meeting
o

10/21/15 2:00pm Capen

Library

Everyone

10/22/15 3:00pm Capen

Library

Everyone

Embodiment design
Requirements clarified
Configuration layout
Pulley spacing
Pull from same side patient turns
towards for easy access during
process
Use torsional ratchet for
ratchet/locking device
Semi modular
Use foot step for force input
operator steps on pulley cable
Use rock exotica wall hauler for
ratcheting mechanism
Need list of components by next
meeting
Then give to Liam for modeling
Split rest of work

34

Potential rock climbing components:

o Need a double progress
capture/camming pulley used in
conjunction with a self-braking
descender
Double pulley system offers
from a 3:1 to 5:1 mechanical
advantage
Progress capture/cam
provides locking mechanism to
automatically hold the ropes
position

Self-braking descender allows

you to control the descent of
the rope when the progress
capture/camming system has
been unlocked
o Cheapest double progress
capture/camming pulley is around
$120 (SMC)
o Cheapest self-braking descender is
around $50
Need to complete the list of components
(add to Humphreys list)

10/28/15 2:00pm Capen

Library

Everyone

11/3/15

2:00pm Capen
Library

Everyone

35

Need force calculations for cable tension and

support bolts
Need easy way of locking sling position with
foot action
o Look into better window blind
system
o Rock climbing gear may work if
needed
Need to look into exact materials, sources
and cost of components
o Sling is most important with respect
to material choice
o Locking system, pulleys, and ceiling
mount most important with respect
to cost
Ceiling mounted
o Look at current devices in hospitals
that are ceiling mounted
o Watched video of installation of
curtain rails
o Make assumption that supports exist
in ceiling for lift system
Use picture of current ceiling
supports
Product architecture is semi-modular
Most components are standard (COTS)
o Except for sling, which needs to be
designed
Need numbers or data to justify geometry
o How strong do bolts need to be?

Can get bulk of dimensions from

standard hospital bed and height of
ceiling
Counterweight to accommodate need to lift
heavy patients
o Worst case scenario - lifting 100lbs
per rope (4 ropes total), 50lbs per
pulley (8 pulleys total)
Manufacturing and assembly processes
o Ben will write up
o

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