Patent Application
20190270627
The present invention relates generally to portable workstations, and more particularly to workstations having lifting mechanisms.
Lifting equipment is required in industrial applications in which heavy work pieces need to be handled. As an illustrative example, in certain applications in which heavy duty power circuit breakers are required to be serviced and or replaced, the power circuit breaker hardware could weigh many hundreds of pounds. Servicing such circuit breakers, even with the aid of conventional lifts, can be a difficult task given the need to access the circuit breakers, and to insert or remove them from their cell rails. Conventional lift designs fail to provide an adequate solution.
What is needed is an improved portable workstation which addresses at least some of the limitations in existing lift equipment.
The present disclosure describes a novel portable workstation with a lifting platform having a turntable mounted thereon, the workstation adapted to allow an operator to work with heavy equipment weighing many hundreds of pounds at any desired height and orientation.
In an embodiment, the portable workstation comprises a generally vertical frame mounted to a base having wheels mounted thereon which allow the vertical frame, and the lifting platform mounted on the vertical frame, to be maneuvered across a flat floor surface. Preferably, the wheels are freely rotatable in any direction to allow the base to be easily manoeuvered on a flat floor surface. The wheels may be powered with motors and controlled via an operator control to move the base and the lifting platform into any desired height and orientation with a high degree of manoeuverability.
In an embodiment, the portable workstation further comprises a lifting mechanism which is adapted to lift and lower a lifting platform which is slidably mounted to vertical rails provided on the generally vertical frame. The lifting mechanism may be powered with an electro-hydraulic lift mechanism which allows the platform to slide along the vertical rails to which the platform is mounted. Alternatively, a rack and teeth mechanism may be used to move the platform along the vertically mounted rails, or a pulley mechanism with a chain or a tape which lifts the platform from above utilizing a pulley wheel may also be used. If a pulley mechanism is used, a counterweight may be utilized to better balance the platform and to better handle the load of any work piece or equipment mounted thereon.
In another embodiment, the lifting platform provides a turntable mounted thereon which allows a tool or a work piece to be placed on a turntable mounted thereon, and rotated as desired to any orientation to allow access to all sides of the power circuit breaker. The turntable may be balanced on metal ball bearings, for example, which allows the turntable to turn smoothly, while bearing potentially many hundreds of pounds. The turntable may also be motorized and controlled via an operator control to rotate the tool or the work piece to an appropriate height and orientation in order to provide access.
In an embodiment, the lifting platform and the turntable configured to allow the portable workstation to be maneuvered into position to lift out heavy machinery, such as a power circuit breaker, from its installed position. The turntable and the lifting platform may both be operator controlled to position the base beneath the work piece or machinery.
Advantageously, the portable lifting platform of the present invention allows a heavy work piece to be readily positioned by adjusting the height, and by rotating the work piece on the turntable to any desired orientation. As an example, and not by way of limitation, the portable platform is particularly well suited for removal and insertion of heavy circuit breakers which often weigh hundreds of pounds.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or the examples provided therein, or illustrated in the drawings. Therefore, it will be appreciated that a number of variants and modifications can be made without departing from the teachings of the disclosure as a whole. Therefore, the present system, method and apparatus is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
The present system and method will be better understood, and objects of the invention will become apparent, when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings, wherein:
In the drawings, embodiments are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not intended as describing the accurate performance and behavior of the embodiments and a definition of the limits of the invention.
As noted above, the present invention relates to a novel portable workstation with a lifting platform having a turntable mounted thereon.
An illustrative embodiment of the lifting platform will now be described with reference to the figures.
Referring to
In an embodiment, the wheels 106 may be powered with motors (not shown) and controlled via an operator control to move the base 104 and the platform 108 into any desired height and orientation with a high degree of maneuverability.
In an embodiment, the portable workstation further comprises a lifting mechanism 110 which is adapted to lift and lower the platform 108 which is slidably mounted to vertical rails 112 provided on the generally vertical frame 102. In an embodiment, a pair of parallel vertical rails 112 are provided on the generally vertical frame 102. The lifting mechanism 110 may be powered with an electro-hydraulic lift mechanism which allows the platform 108 to slide along the vertical rails 112 to which the platform 108 is mounted.
In another embodiment, the platform 108 provides a turntable 114 mounted thereon, which allows a tool or a work piece (e.g. a circuit breaker) 116 to be placed on the turntable 114, and rotated as desired to any height and any orientation on the rotatable turntable 114 to allow access to all sides of the power circuit breaker 116. The turntable 114 may be balanced on metal ball bearings, for example, which allows the turntable 114 to turn smoothly, while bearing the weight of a work piece weighing potentially many hundreds of pounds, or up to a thousand pounds. Once the work piece is in a desired orientation, the turntable 114 may be locked to keep the work piece in that orientation. The turntable 114 may also be motorized and controlled via an operator control to rotate the tool or the work piece to an appropriate height and orientation in order to provide access.
In an embodiment, the lifting platform 108 and the turntable 114 are configured to allow the portable workstation 100 to be maneuvered into position to lift out heavy machinery, such as a power circuit breaker, from its installed position. The turntable and the lifting platform may both be operator controlled to position the base beneath the work piece or machinery mounted on a shelf or bracket. For example, the portable work station 100 is well suited for removing, servicing, and reinstalling heavy duty industrial circuit breakers weighing hundreds of pounds from their “cell rails”, easily from the front or side. The portable work station 100 is designed to meet the majority of existing circuit breaker weights, dimensions and switchgear heights without modification, and is portable enough for truck or van transport to onsite field locations.
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In terms of safety features, the portable lifting platform 100 allows heavy items or work pieces up to 800 pounds to be moved easily by one person. Its highly maneuverable design allows the lifting platform to be carefully positioned to prevent any damage to expensive equipment. The design also eliminates potential harm to personnel in maneuvering difficult to handle heavy equipment which may have numerous pinch and cut points. The design also eliminates strains and lifting by personnel, and allows for an ergonomic work station which can adjust the height and orientation of the work piece to its desired location.
While an illustrative example of the utility of the portable lifting platform 100 has been described, it will be appreciated that it may be used in a wide variety of applications by field service companies and utilities in many industries, including commercial, institutional, mining and others.
The illustrative examples show a portable lifting platform 100 which can handle up to 1000 pounds. However, larger versions of the platform could be designed to handle even greater weights.
Thus, in an aspect, there is provided a portable workstation, comprising: a vertical frame; a base with wheels supporting the vertical frame; a platform mounted on the vertical frame; a lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the platform; and a turntable mounted on the platform to rotate a work piece placed thereon.
In an embodiment, the vertical frame provides at least one vertical rail along which the lifting platform is slidably mounted.
In another embodiment, the vertical frame provides a pair of parallel vertical rails along which the lifting platform is slidably mounted.
In another embodiment, at least some of the wheels are freely rotating on a vertical axis, thereby to provide increased maneuverability.
In another embodiment, at least some of the wheels are powered with motors controllable by an operator control.
In another embodiment, at least some of the wheels include brakes for preventing the wheels from rotating.
In another embodiment, the lifting mechanism is an electro-hydraulic lift mechanism.
In another embodiment, the lifting mechanism is an electro-hydraulic lift mechanism.
In another embodiment, the lifting mechanism is a pulley mechanism with a chain or tape attached to the platform.
In another embodiment, the lifting mechanism utilizes a counterweight to improve balance of the platform and a load on the platform.
In another embodiment, the portable workstation further comprises a ratchet mechanism for manually ratcheting up the platform.
In another embodiment, the turntable is mounted on ball bearings to allow the turntable to turn even while supporting a workpiece thereon.
In another embodiment, the turntable is motorized and adapted to be controlled by an operator to position a workpiece thereon.
In another embodiment, the portable workstation further comprises a turntable locking device for locking the turntable in a desired orientation.
In another embodiment, the position of the base, the height of the platform, and the rotation of the turntable are all adapted to be adjusted by a user to position and properly orient a workpiece thereon.
In another embodiment, the platform and the turntable are configured to support a power circuit breaker.
In another embodiment, the platform and turntable are configured to support a work piece up to 1000 lbs.
In another embodiment, the platform and turntable are configured to support a work piece of at least 800 lbs.
In another embodiment, the portable workstation further comprises outriggers or extending stand supports for bracing the base and the vertical frame.
In another embodiment, the outriggers or extending stand supports are adjustable to reduce the footprint when not in use.
While illustrative embodiments have been described above by way of example, it will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the system and method, which is defined by the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/638,047 filed on Mar. 2, 2018.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62638047 | Mar 2018 | US |
