Tetra Society Transfer Device

Wrapping Up

Just before and during reading break, we began implementing our chosen design. We had a final meeting with Ron and George at Vancouver General Hospital where we finalized everything, and wrote up some measurements. We also decided upon the orientation of the linear actuator on the scissor lift. The next day, we visited Doug at the UBC Metal Workshop and explained to him what we wanted to build. Before meeting with Doug, we drew up sketches of the scissor lift with parts required such as nuts and washers, as well as exact dimensions. Directly after speaking with him, we went to the Metal Supermarket in Burnaby and purchased the required aluminum tubes and rods that we had been instructed to by Doug and Ron.

Following that, we began construction of the scissor lift at the UBC Metal Workshop. After two days at work at the shop, the scissor lift was ready to go. We then brought it to Ron’s house, where we constructed a steel base with wheels. At Ron’s house we realized that we had welded the scissor lift incorrectly so that same day, we headed back to the Metal Supermarket and purchased extra aluminum rods. After welding it properly, we brought the lift back to Ron’s house and worked on a way of connecting the scissor lift to the base. After running multiple tests we were pleased that it the scissor lift could be easily mounted to the base, and Ron had also provided us with an alternate, possibly more powerful power source, a modified motor. Below are some pictures of our product.

Scissor lift and base in the extended position

Scissor lift and base while in the collapsing motion

Ron was very pleased with the work we had put in and said that he would take the project from here. However, we still plan to help build the platform at the top, as well as assist with some of the final stages of fabrication, such as painting the device.

Project Experience

Working on this project has been a great experience. We have gained valuable team and communication skills. Overall, the process of developing a concept based on a list of necessary items and constraints was the same as in the overhead walkway bridge for CIVIL 201. However, one very big difference with this project was that there were more stakeholders within the project that we had to stay in contact with. This ended up being great for our project as it increased the amount of resources we had substantially. Finally, we also managed this project differently than the CIVIL 201 project as we were constantly building different mock-up designs to see if they were viable. After going through multiple designs, just as we did for CIVIL 201, we finally decided upon the most optimal and user friendly one. We found that building a mock-up design, no matter how crude, was very helpful in picking the final design.

 Weekly Meeting

During our weekly Monday meeting (13 February 2012), we met to finalize everything about the design and begin ordering parts as we were convinced we had the most effective design. During the meeting, we called Ron to settle the final details. However, when we called him he suggested that we go back to the scissor lift concept we were originally thinking. During the past week, he had been experimenting with a design and even developed a prototype. He managed to combine both of the designs in order to make the scissor lift reach floor level. This is possible by leaving an empty space in between the two supports for the platform to travel to. Ron took several pictures of his prototype and put them on the Tetra Society website. Below is a picture showing his prototype.

Picture taken by Ron Payne of his scissor lift prototype <Source: http://tetrasociety.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=196>

After comparing our two choices we have decided to use this scissor lift design, as it compresses to small size and is easy to store. More pictures of Ron Payne’s prototype can be found on the Tetra Society forum at http://tetrasociety.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=196. That same day, we also met with Mark at the UBC Metal Shop and showed him the design we will be making. He is now aware of what needs to be done and will be setting us up with time and assistance at the shop to get this design built on time.

Client Visit

The next day (14 February 2012), we picked the prototype up from Ron’s house and visited Heidi and Michael. After showing them this new design, they were very pleased by it and loved how compact it was. They suggested that we may want to consider making the battery rechargeable for the lifting mechanism. We have decided to power the scissor lift with a linear actuator since Ron is very knowledgeable and experienced with it. They also suggested that we add a netting around the scissors of the final product as a safety feature.

Future Plans

We have arranged to meet with Ron and George tomorrow (18 February 2012), at Vancouver General Hospital, where we will make the final adjustments to the design and move on to the building stage. We will also be meeting with Mark again on Monday, to discuss the design with a welder.

Weekend Meeting

Last Saturday (4 February 2012), we met once again to discuss design plans. After talking on the phone with Heidi and Michael, it was clear that they really wanted the lift to be able to reach the floor. Therefore, the design needed to be tweaked. After much consideration during this meeting, we came up with a new design. This design was inspired by the lifting system that large trucks use in their rear to lift large objects. With two supports and empty space in between them, a platform would be able to move in between them and reach floor level. The oven door would be able to fit between the platform and the ground supports, allowing the platform to span into the oven without adjusting the oven rack. We also believe that a winch or motor would be able to lift the platform up and down in combination with some sort of pulley system. Below is a SolidWorks image of the new design.

New design made in SolidWorks

Tetra Society Visit

On Thursday (9 February 2012) we visited the Tetra Society workshop at Vancouver General Hospital to present our new idea to Ron and George. At first they   seemed to not be very interested in the new idea, but after deeper explanation, they started to show great interest. They suggested that it would be best to build a mock-up model of our design and show it to Heidi to see her reaction. Using the measurements previously made, we were able to cut pieces of wood into reasonable dimensions and put together a rough mock-up model.  The platform was made so that it can be easily adjusted to different levels while showing it to Heidi. A picture of the mock-up model is shown below.

Mock-up model made at the Tetra Society workshop

Project Progress

Earlier today (10 February 2011) we brought the mock-up model to Heidi’s place and we were very happy with her reaction. Both her and Michael thought that this design could definitely work. This coming Monday, we have arranged a meeting at the metal workshop at UBC to discuss what exactly we need done and how they can help us.

Meeting with Ron and George

Over the past weekend we had a team meeting  (28 January 2011) with Ron and George. In this meeting, we discussed possible design ideas and we were pleased to see that they had the same type of concept in mind. Three main tasks that are necessary for the device to handle were discussed and possible solutions to each task were discussed in detail. The three tasks discussed were lifting, transferring, and moving. Lifting can be done  by a scissor lift, a column lift, or a crane lift. Transferring can be done by using a trolley system, collapsing boards, rotating boards, or a full extendable drawer. Lastly, moving can be accomplished by casters. One thing that we must consider is the different combination of caster types we will use (ie rigid or swivel).

White board notes made during the meeting

At the end of this meeting, we agreed that our preferred concept consists of a platform, retractable arm, scissor lift, linear actuator, base, and casters.

Site Visit

We visited the client’s home (30 January 2011) with George in order to answer any final questions and to test the client’s true abilities. In order to test the client’s true abilities, we created a very crude prototype of our design. At the site, we split into two groups, one to ask any remaining questions and perform the required tests with the prototype, and the other to make measurements and photograph the kitchen. Also, we came up with a rough model of our initial design, which can be seen below, in order to give the client a better understanding of what we were thinking.

Initial design made in SolidWorks

Overall, the site visit went very well as we got all of the necessary tasks done and we were pleased that the client, Heidi, and her husband, actually had something similar in mind to what we came up with. They also noted that they plan on moving soon, so the device we create cannot be site specific. One concern that we have is that they requested that the device is able to lift from floor height (or at least 3 inches above the ground). We find that this may be a problem as the casters will already lift the device a lot, and the scissor lift (when at it’s lowest form) will also need to be a small height above the ground.

Directly following the site visit, we had a team meeting where we discussed what we had learned from the visit. As we have the measurements of the kitchen, we are now ready to finalize the design and consider ordering parts.

Future Plans

After meeting again during the week, we feel that modifying the oven may cause this project to be simpler. By adding a slider system to the oven rack, the oven rack could easily slide out and a retractable arm could extend from the side, spanning a much smaller distance than originally anticipated. We believe we have found  supplier that makes sliders to fit our exact needs (sliding oven trays). We are currently trying to get in contact with them for further information.

Weekend Meeting

Over the past weekend, we had a team meeting with our mentor where we discussed our initial thoughts towards the projects, and how to proceed with it. We created a detailed list of questions for our client which can be seen in the ‘Initial Concerns’ tab’. We did this so we could get a better idea of the needs and constraints, as well as an exact definition of what is expected of us. Another main topic covered in this meeting was the scheduling of the project. We created a Gantt Chart outlining what tasks need to be completed in an allocated time period. The Gantt Chart can be found in the ‘Schedule’ tab.

Research

During this week, we also researched Tetra Society and looked into projects they have done in the past. This allowed us to get a better feel for the type of projects that they have been involved with and what is expected from us. We found that they emphasize simple but effective solutions. We also looked into current solutions for similar design problems. One of the more relevant solutions that we found was the Sky Hook. A picture of this device can be seen below. We understand that alterations must be made to this design but the general concept of a pulley system is a viable possibility.

Current example: Sky Hook

Project Progression

We have contacted Pat Tweedie at Tetra Society, and were redirected to Ron and George, the designated helper’s for this project. After contacting Ron, he answered the majority of our initial concerns. One of the key issues that was made clear was that our design does not need to support the lifting of a baby. Ron was also very helpful as he drew a rough sketch of the kitchen that our device would have to operate in. The kitchen has fairly small dimensions: about 9ft by 8ft. A picture of the rough sketch drawn by Ron can be seen below.

Rough sketch of client's kitchen

Lastly, we have arranged a meeting with Ron and George this Saturday (28 January 2012). At this meeting, we will discuss our initial design ideas, and see what ideas they had in mind. We will also answer any additional questions so that we can effectively move forward on this project.

Introductions

Nick Richardson is the team leader for the project. He will ensure the project progresses on schedule and meets the high standard of work that we expect from ourselves.

Fangqing Chen is the team secretary. During meetings, she will take team minutes and important notes, as well as create an action list that is to be completed.

Robert Lipski is the team blogger. He is responsible for keeping the blog organized and up to date. Each week, he will make sure that at least one blog post is posted on time.

Kamal Braich is in charge of collecting project documentation, either by e-mail or in person . He will keep a record of all documents, and present documents that he retrieves to the group.

Norman Richardson is client liaison. He will ensure that the client is kept up to date on the project progress.

Chen Cheng’s role in this project is instructor and mentor liaison person and he will be keeping in touch with them and update them with the progress of the project.

From left to right: Robert Lipski, Chen Cheng, Fangqing Chen, Norman Richardson, Nick Richardson, Kamal Braich

First design ideas

At the previous meeting (16 Jan 2012) we discussed a few design ideas that focused on a single task, to removing/placing items in an oven. The main problem is to come up with a design that can cope with the horizontal span that is required. A design that tries to do this via a single pivot point (like a crane) would struggle to do so, and result in a bulky design. During the meeting a discussed an idea that uses a platform to span the horizontal distance and introduces an additional pivot point by resting on the oven shelf (in this manner acting like a bridge). The item would then be removed from the oven by sliding it along the platform where after it can be lifted vertically. See Figure below.

Main concerns

At present our main concern focus around the user. Some of our concerns are what is are the users physical limitations, is it a permanent disability, does the user have access to special cooking equipment,  and what are the space limitations? These issues would influence the design. For instance will the device be electric or man powered and will the device be a permanent placement. More information is required in this regard.

Short term plans

In the coming week we intend to contact our client to find out more information about the project specifics.

Hi everyone,

I really want to come up with a creative introduction but my mind is not in its creative zone right now so I will go with simple this morning…

My name is Shalaleh and I am a third year mechanical engineering student and I am taking the mechatronics option. Currently I am doing my co-op term at a company called Cellula Robotics at New Westminister. They specialize is submarine engineering and excavation. I have been interested in robotics after I got involved with Thunderbird robotics in first year but undersea is a whole new world.

As you probably know I will be your mentor during this project and from my perspective I will explore the project with you and have conversations with you about the direction of the project, it’s implication, it’s practicality and etc. I am a very open person and enjoy discussions so please from now on do not hesitate to just start a conversation with me about anything that bugs your mind.

For your information, my involvement with CSL mostly started when I took the MECH 410E/P and got to complete a CSL project and an international service learning project in Mexico. I really enjoyed these two courses and learned quite a bit from it which is why I decided to be involved with more CSL projects. I am really excited that we are working with Tetra society since they have been really supportive of the CSL initiative at UBC and are great people to work with.

And finally, I am really sorry I could not make it to the meet and greet session. It was definitely one of the sessions I did not want to miss but I had to because of my co-op term. I will make sure that my co-op job does not hinder my involvedment with this project and for that I would really appreciate your collaberation.

My e-mail is shalaleh.rismani@gmail.com. Please cc me in the e-mails that you think  I should be cc’d in. I would also like to meet you guys as soon as possible. Let me know when would be a good time for you and we can arrange something (over e-mail).

Looking forward to working together on this project,

Shalaleh

You can chronicle your CSL team’s weekly accomplishments as you move toward the successful completion of your project.