Desenvolvimento de um dispositivo que possibilite a verticalização do armazenamento com alcance acessível

Abstract

Storage verticalization is a growing trend due to apartments size reductions around the world. However, it is noted that there is still a technological gap in this field, since there are few products available on the market that allows easy access to items stored at high levels for people with reach limitations, such as elderly and wheelchair users. Thereby, there is an opportunity to offer a product that enables the storage of objects in high places by changing the position to an accessible height for the customer. The present work aims to develop this device, from its planning and conception to its prototyping, following an adapted product design methodology. A study of furniture classifications, ergonomics and design guidelines for furniture was carried out, in addition to the verification of existing technologies and patents in the national and global market to prove the viability of the project’s development. The next step according to the method is a benchmarking of similar products, followed by customer needs identification through observation and simulation of the problem situation. Technical requirements are listed, and with the quality function deployment, the technical specifications of the project are defined. The conceptual design addresses the function structure, which, with the support of the morphological matrix, presents different components to perform each function of the device. Five alternative solutions are conceived and evaluated based on the decision matrix and concept test prototypes. The selected system has a pantographic mechanism as its main characteristic for changing height. The preliminary and detailed design includes the components list, separating them into purchased and manufactured ones. Constraint propagators of the geometry are listed. In the dimensional definition section, a kinematic and dynamic analysis of the pantographic mechanism is performed, adapting the methodology of a crank-rocker mechanism for the dimensioning of the links. Other components are also dimensioned, and all are incorporated into a virtual prototype. To validate the designed device, required tests are listed, and a concept test prototype is built with alternative materials. At the end, it is evaluated which project requirements were met, and two ways of supplying the designed device that have the potential to become products are presented. Despite achieving the objective, improvements and suggestions for future work are proposed.