3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

Trees have been an important part of our lives and man has tried to build his life around it from time immemorial. Humans have been altogether lived a dependent lives climbing the trees for various reasons. Though trees have been isolated from various walks of life in the urban lives, man is still dependent on them and has to scale them now and then. Having lost touch not many can climb a coconut tree these days. Dependence on technology has made them attempt to conquer the heights, but as yet, they have not come out with a consolidated, safe, efficient and versatile mechanism to climb trees like palmyrah and coconut trees. Hence an mechanism is proposed here as a solution for the problem of climbing not just coconut and palmyrah trees, but also tall structures like vertical pipes, lamp posts and hanging ropes.

Accordingly, the solution is a mechanism/vehicle with a set of wheels, links and joints powered by internal combustion engines, electric motor or any mode of power through the transmission mechanism carrying a person and luggage, up and down a tree trunk or lamp post/pipe or ropes of any length with maximum safety, to help perform various tasks with the capacity to self-lock at any height.

The process of the best way in carrying out the invention involves the following steps:

1. The various steps involved developing the vehicle/mechanism are listed below:

2. Design the frames A, B and C as shown in the diagram. Analyze the design using the FEA software, if any new modifications are attempted.

3. Fabricate the metal wheels with spikes to the specified dimensions and the surfaces are to be rubberized.

4. Select the engine, gear box, clutch and transmission system based on the specifications provided earlier.

5. Connect the wheels and transmission system along with the frames after fixing the engine, gear box and clutch.

6. Fix the harnesses for safety and connect to the power supply for operation.

4. DESCRIPTION

4.1 THE OBJECTIVES AND ADVANTAGES:
Objectives:

i. To carry people along the trunk of trees like palmyrah, coconut tree by accommodating varying sizes of the trunk with safety ii. To hold the person at any height along the trunk for performing any tasks in power& unpowered mode iii. To carry people up and down tall vertical structures like pipes or lamp posts and hold them at different heights for performing various tasks

Advantages: i. The equipment could accommodate any varying sizes of the trunk with rough and uneven surfaces ii. Apart from locking in power mode the person could be held at any height from the ground, even in the unpowered mode through self-locking capability iii. The same equipment without any modifications could be used to climb structures like lamp posts and pipes iv. The design is simple and easy to move from one place to another v. The vehicle can be brought down even if the engine or the motor stops working vi. With a liter of petrol at least 100 trees could be climbed vii. Luggage can also be carried along with the mechanism

4.2 DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
The equipment/mechanism has the following set of major components: > Frames: Three frames (frame A, frame B & frame C) in combination hold two sets of wheels on either side of the tree facing each other as shown in Fig. 1. The gap between the frames is the space for holding the tree-trunks through the wheels. The frames and the covers make the body of the mechanism.

■ Frame A: This frame holds two wheels, one below the other in a plane. The space between these two wheels is the space for holding the power source, fuel tank, battery, driver circuit, controllers and sensors. Just above these two wheels the frame extends to the other side in 'L-shape', which is the place for a person to sit who is to be carried up and down the trees/posts/pipes.

■ Frame B: This frame holds three wheels one below the other with equal spacing in a plane. This frame provides the reaction force for holding the entire weight of the person, luggage and the self weight of the mechanism.

■ Frame C: This frame encloses both frames A and frame B and compresses all the springs between the frames which provide the precompression force for the springs which in turn provides the traction force through the wheels. A hinged opening is made a part of this frame which allows the entire vehicle to be mounted/unmounted encompassing the trunk. Through this hinged joint the entire vehicle could be folded into two and carried at ease.

The design of the frames is such that it provides self-locking capability at any height of ascent/descent even in unpowered mode. The structural design of the frame ensures even distribution of the load through all the three wheels in frame B. The material to be used for this frame is mild steel or stainless steel or aluminium alloys or even composites.

Wheels: Two sets of wheels, two on one side and three on the other, hold and climb the trunk through friction. Since the traction provided by the wheels allows the person to move up and down the trees/posts/pipes, it is a very important component of the mechanism.

■ The wheel has 2 hemispherical cups joined back to back approximating the shape of a modified rectangular hyperbola as shown in Fig. 2. This "V-shaped" groove like feature provides the advantage of better gripping over the conventional wheels.

■ The unique design of the wheel allows for accommodation in the variation that naturally arises on the surface of the trees.

■ It also helps the mechanism to accommodate the variation in the size of the trunk of a single tree.

■ The surfaces of the wheels have spike like features and it is molded with rubber for proper gripping.

■ If any conventional wheels are used the traction obtained would be highly random and the entire mechanism would slip when favorable conditions are not met. The groove like feature provides the capacity to hold on to the trunk surface under all conditions owing to the fact that the wheel surface would be in surface contact at least two places on a single wheel.

The first set of wheels as shown in Fig. 1, close to the power source, is the drive wheels which are two in number. The other set of wheels is idle/driven wheels which are three in number. The placement of the wheels and their interspatial distance are also important design parameters. The material used is aluminium and the wheels could be made to any size starting from 5 cm for tree climbing applications. Smaller wheels can also be used for other applications.

> Self-aligning mechanism: This mechanism helps in accommodating the size variation and redistributes the variable forces to the wheels for better traction. Helical compressions springs are used to accommodate these variations in the sizes of the tree trunks. These springs get compressed and expanded based on the size and in the process help in delivering the required traction at all instants. It also provides suspension of the vehicle to absorb the shock from being transferred to the human. These springs are supported by frame C on one side and frames A & B on the other sides respectively.

> Power source: The choices of power source are many for this vehicle: ICE (Internal Combustion Engines) and Electric motors are the primary choices. With ICE engines, for a 100 cc capacity engine with a liter of fuel the mileage obtained is approximately around 100 trees of 30-40 feet height. Using an electric motor with an on-board battery or wired power would allow noiseless operation. A mobile generator unit could be used along with the vehicle for ease of operation. When a self-starter motor is used for starting the IC engine, an on-board battery should also be provided.

> Transmission system: Positive displacement is achieved through the usage of chain and sprocket mechanism and as an alternative gear mechanism could also be used. When IC engines are used, the reverse gear mechanism is used for the descent and forward gear for the ascent. When electric motors are used the drive circuit would take care of the motor reversal. The expected safe speed for ascend is around 1 feet/s. A chain casing is provided for safe operation.

> Locking mechanism: A socket is provided on one-side of the frame along with a spring loaded pin for locking. Similarly a rod is fixed to the other side of the frame. Once they are brought together the pin slides into place to lock the frame together to lock the vehicle around the tree trunk. To unlock, the spring loaded pin in pulled and the rod is set free by pulling it out from the socket. Apart from this a self-locking mechanism is also provided, which is a 'C-shaped' locking mechanism for moving around the tree after locking the tree around the vehicle.

> Safety mechanism: Harnesses like belts, restraints and buckles are provided for the safety of the user and also for the vehicle. There are three layers of safety that is included with this vehicle: i. Vehicle to trunk/pipe/post/rope ii. Man to trunk/pipe/post/rope iii. Man to vehicle

An emergency stop is also provided along with the other motor on/off buttons.

4.2.1 Working and the cycle of operation & usage:

As shown in the complete working model as in Fig. 3, the user rolls with the vehicle/mechanism with wheels on the ground to the tree and opens the mechanism through the frame C and locks it, to secure the vehicle to the trunk/pipe with maximum safety, by fixing it on the tree-trunk at a convenient height for him/her to mount. Once mounted on the vehicle the safety locks, belts and restraints are engaged and put in place, securing the person to the vehicle and to the tree securing the user with maximum safety.

The user then switches the motor button 'on' and the vehicle starts to ascend. Provisions are made for carrying some tools and luggage in a secured manner. After reaching the top the vehicle is stopped by pressing the 'stop' button, and the user does all the operations/tasks by sitting on the vehicle itself. Things to be carried down are also secured to the vehicle. To descend, the user has to release the clutch lever that releases the transmission mechanism in a controlled manner. Meanwhile the vehicle could be stopped at any position and held in place by using the stop button.
Once descended the 'stop'button is pressed and the vehicle comes to a stop close to the ground and the user releases the safety devices and then disembarks. The vehicle is then unmounted by releasing the securing lock and then rolled on the ground to the next tree.

4.2.2 Potential different uses and methods of operation:

a. Climbing lamp post and pipelines: Accidents are very common when electrical maintenance work is carried out on the electric transmission lines and lamp post. This vehicle can be used for carrying people up a lamp post for carrying out various tasks. This also provides an insulated means of transit for the users which can be locked at any height from the ground.

Similarly, it could be used for climbing any vertical pipelines.

b. Compulsory feature in a Muiti-storey building: Fire accidents in multi-storey buildings lead to stranded people on the top floors. A rope from the top floor could help people descend down safely away from a fire using this mechanism.

c. Firefighting: Apart from the usual ladder-like mechanism used in fire-fighting, any pipe like structure can also be added to carry human beings and firefighters across.

d. In-house lift mechanism: A low cost lift mechanism could be developed and used in-house without consuming too much of space.

e. Elevated household work: Work like painting, cleaning the walls and glasses of huge building could be done safely by using this vehicle. Even the life of construction workers could be made safe.

f. Maintenance activities: Any physical maintenance activity requires some vertical movement assistance like in a library. This vehicle would be a safe bet in all those cases.

4.2.3 Possible modifications:

The design explained above is a compact and effective design suited for the purpose. However, the length and size of the vehicle could be varied for various reasons like riding comfort, additional facility inclusion, payload, etc., for which proportionate increase in various dimensions would suffice. Sometimes, a rare relative modification in individual parts is also agreeable. For ex., modifications in the number of wheels on either side of the vehicle and even the type & size of wheel material could be altered and accordingly the design of the transmission system would be altered to suit the design.

Seating arrangement for the user could be made elaborate with sophistication (like upholstery, etc.) if needed and accordingly the support components like frames, power source, and transmission system should be varied. Frame design could also be varied for all the above mentioned reasons. The choice of materials for all the parts used in the vehicle could be changed based on the availability and also based on the advent of new material technologies. Based on the payload variation the choice of springs, shape, material, length, coil diameter and its stiffness should be varied.

As advancements in technologies happen newer power sources could be tried out for it would offer many advantages to our vehicle. Accordingly newer materials also could be tried for any part of the vehicle including the transmission system. Any improved transmission system could also be used. Even the locking mechanism for the frames and the safety mechanisms like harnesses could be chosen from contemporary choices.

Combinations of more than one vehicle could be used for applications as listed below:

Vehicle in tandem: For carrying heavy and large payloads more than one vehicle could be used in parallel across pipe lines or post or trees too. Provision can also be made for making those vehicles move in parallel. An on-board microcontroller could be programmed for tandem operation and appropriate sensors could be added to ensure the same.

Serial vehicles: The handling lengthy objects and even to carry human beings on a rope, a serial combination of this vehicle would help. Even train-like vehicles could be put to use when more vehicles are needed for specific tasks. As like above, the on-board microcontroller could be programmed for tandem operation and appropriate sensors could be added to ensure the same.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention and a few variations have been disclosed here for purposes of illustration, it should be understood that various changes, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated, apart from the ones mentioned above, without departing from the spirit of the invention, which is defined by the claims which follows at the end.

5. CLAIMS
I claim:
1. A mechanism/vehicle with a set of wheels, links and joints powered by internal combustion engines, electric motor or any mode of power through the transmission mechanism carrying a person and luggage, up and down a tree trunk or lamp post/pipe or ropes of any length with maximum safety, wherein the load of the user/luggage is used to increase the tractive force of the wheels, to help perform various tasks with the capacity to self-lock at any height.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein a mechanism which would climb any pillar, post, rope and any pipe-like structures apart from climbing trees where the load is applied downwards and the direction of motion of the vehicle is against gravity
3. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the back to back hemispherical wheels (rectangular hyperbola) with a groove-like feature in between to accommodate the variation in the sizes of the tree trunk
4. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the surface of the wheels have metal spikes and then rubberized for gripping
5. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the placement of the two sets of wheels allows a tractive force complemented by the compressive force provided by combination of springs and the frames, placed in opposite directions facing each other across the trunk and any equivalent mechanism that provides the opposing forces
6. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the number of sets of wheels are atleast two with any number of driving and driven wheels
7. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the spacing, between the placement of the driving and driven wheels on either side of the trunk, allows for the uniform distribution of the torque required by the wheels
8. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the entire vehicle could be opened at a hinge provided in the frame and then locked encompassing the tree which then acts as a self-locking mechanism to hold on to the tree at any height once loaded
9. A device as claimed in claim 1 where in a separate self-locking mechanism for the purpose of safety and support to the user
10. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims incorporating an electric drive or IC

engine as power source for driving one set of wheels and using the other driven set of wheels to compress and provide the necessary tractive force for climbing
It will be appreciated that this invention is not confined to the embodiment described above and illustrated but that various other embodiments of the device proposed herein are possible without departing from the scope and ambit of this invention.