Simple Lifter Concept

The drawing shows a simple Lifter design. Much of the supporting hardware is not shown, but there is enough detail to show a basic design. It shows the three positions that the object would need to be cycled through, Left, Center and Right. The object is supported by a Carriage. Two spring loaded pinions are positioned at the base of the Carriage. Where they make contact to the Vertical Support they provide a fulcrum point for tilting the Carriage. One pinion is allowed to move along the Vertical Support when the Carriage is tilted, while the other one supports the Carriage. Once the nonsupporting pinion re-positions to a new rack position the process is repeated by tilting the Carriage from the other side. A complete cycle, starting from say the center position, would be, C-L-C-R-C. This would result in the object being raised the distance between two adjacent support extensions on the Vertical Support. The red dashed line seen running vertically is the Center of Gravity of the object. This represents the maximum distance that the object can be tilted without toppling over. This isn't a hard stop point and the Carriage does not need to tilt to its tilt point, however, tilting past this point will increase the amount of force needed to restore it to a level position. In this particular design the tilt angle and the spacing of the projections along the Vertical Support must match. The base of the Carriage must cause the pinions to rise up to the next projection along the Vertical Support. This is a simple model. It shows the basic concept and action expected of the Carriage as it is tilted through a tilt cycle.

No matter what design is chosen for the Lifter, at its heart is the Carriage. All other additional components are designed to assist the Carriage through its tilt cycle and support it as it is moved up and along a vertical or inclined support. On this website there are several designs.