Inchworm-type lifting device

Wedge-tip coupling inchworm-style lift device for building exteriors

This technology is a lift device that moves along the vertical panels of a building exterior using an inchworm-style mechanism. It utilizes a ball screw drive and a wedge-tip expansion/contraction system to sequentially couple and move the main body and the mobile units.

Maintenance of high-rise building exteriors currently faces challenges such as worker fall risks and labor shortages. Existing gondola systems are vulnerable to weather conditions and lack an effective means to navigate dead zones at building corners.

This technology uses a rotating ball screw to secure or release two mobile units into coupling holes via wedge-tip units, allowing the main body to ascend and descend in an inchworm motion. The L-shaped main body and guide rail mobile unit enable work even at building corners. It is designed for high-rise exterior maintenance, ensuring both precise vertical movement and large-displacement travel.

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Key Features:

• Main body for moving the robot along the vertical panels of a building exterior
• Lifting ball screw rotatably installed on the main body to move the wedge-tip units
• Wedge-tip units that can be coupled to or released from the coupling holes of the vertical panels and move along the ball screw
• Configuration where two mobile units alternately couple and decouple to achieve inchworm-style movement

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This invention was developed with support from the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA) for the development of an intelligent robot system for high-rise building exterior maintenance.