A telescopic platform for interaction inside and outside a security fence and a safety interlock system thereof

Abstract

The utility model discloses a telescopic goods platform for inside and outside interaction of safety fence and safe interlocking system thereof, including goods platform fixing frame, the top of goods platform fixing frame is provided with safety fence, be equipped with the movable platform that can parallel shift on the track on goods platform fixing frame, the movable platform below has the adjusting crossbeam, be equipped with double -acting cylinder on goods platform fixing frame, and the piston rod end of double -acting cylinder is connected with adjusting crossbeam, and safe interlocking system, safe interlocking system includes the position sensor for detecting movable platform extension or retraction to position signal and receives sensor signal's programmable logic controller, programmable logic controller with safety fence in production equipment's emergency stop control loop hard -wired connection. Realized the non -contact material transmission of inside and outside fence, reduced 90% or above to work injury risk, single interaction time shortens to 30 seconds within, compared with manual operation efficiency promotion 6 times.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of industrial safety logistics equipment technology, and in particular, it is an automated telescopic platform integrated into a safety fence, which realizes safe and efficient material transfer through cylinder drive and equipment start-stop interlock control. Background Technology

[0002] In smart manufacturing and hazardous materials warehousing scenarios, material exchange is often required inside and outside safety fences (such as robotic workstations and high-voltage equipment areas). Existing technologies have the following problems: 1. High safety risks: Operators need to frequently open the fence gate to manually deliver materials, which can easily lead to mechanical injuries or electric shock accidents. According to OSHA statistics, such accidents account for 12%.

[0003] 2. Inefficiency: Traditional fixed workbenches require the equipment to be completely stopped before operation, and a single interaction takes ≥3 minutes, which seriously affects the production cycle.

[0004] 3. Poor automation compatibility: Existing telescopic platforms (such as electric push rod type) lack safety signal linkage with equipment inside the enclosure (such as robotic arms and conveyor lines), have insufficient thrust (<500N), and low waterproof and dustproof rating (below IP54), making them difficult to adapt to harsh industrial environments.

[0005] The closest existing technology includes some electric push rod type loading platforms, but these have problems such as insufficient thrust (<500N) and low waterproof and dustproof rating (below IP54), making them difficult to adapt to industrial site environments. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this utility model is to provide a telescopic cargo platform and its safety interlocking system for interaction between the inside and outside of a safety fence. Through innovation in the overall and local structures, it realizes contactless material transfer between the inside and outside of the fence, automatic linkage between the extension and retraction of the cargo platform and the start and stop of the equipment, and highly reliable operation.

[0007] The objective of this utility model is achieved through the following technical solution: A telescopic loading platform for interaction between the inside and outside of a safety fence and its safety interlocking system include a platform mounting frame, with a safety fence mounted above the platform mounting frame; a movable platform that can move parallel to a track is mounted on the platform mounting frame, an adjusting beam is located below the movable platform, and a double-acting cylinder is mounted on the platform mounting frame, with the piston rod end of the double-acting cylinder connected to the adjusting beam to drive the movable platform to move horizontally; and The safety interlocking system includes a position sensor for detecting the extension or retraction signal of the mobile platform and a programmable logic controller (PLC) for receiving the sensor signal. The PLC is hardwired to the emergency stop control loop of the production equipment within the safety fence.

[0008] The safety fence is fixed to the base on both sides by outriggers, and its position will not move with the mobile platform.

[0009] When the mobile platform extends, the safety interlock system forcibly triggers the production equipment within the fence to suspend operation; when the mobile platform retracts to a safe position, the safety interlock system automatically resumes the operation of the production equipment within the fence.

[0010] As a further improvement of this utility model, the thrust of the double-acting cylinder is not less than 800N and the stroke is 0.8 to 1.5 meters; the air circuit of the double-acting cylinder is integrated with a speed regulating valve, which is used to control the extension and retraction speed of the mobile platform to be between 0.1 and 0.3 meters / second.

[0011] As a further improvement of this utility model, the position sensor is a magnetic switch, which is installed on the cylinder body of the double-acting cylinder; the safety interlock system meets the PLC-level safety requirements in ISO13849-1 standard.

[0012] As a further improvement of this utility model, the surface of the mobile platform is provided with anti-slip texture and limiting edge.

[0013] As a further improvement of this utility model, it also includes a protective structure, which includes an IP66-rated enclosure for accommodating cylinder pipelines and signal lines, and a stainless steel dust cover disposed at the folding joint of the mobile platform.

[0014] As a further improvement of this utility model, a set of horizontally distributed track grooves are provided on the platform fixing frame, and several pulleys are provided on both sides of the mobile platform, with the pulleys slidably disposed in the track grooves.

[0015] The above technical solution offers the following advantages: A double-acting cylinder with a thrust ≥800N drives a mobile platform equipped with anti-slip textures and limit stops, allowing it to move parallel to and out of the safety fence. A magnetic switch detects the platform's position and transmits the signal to the PLC. The PLC is directly connected to the emergency stop circuit of the equipment inside the fence via a hardwired connection, achieving strict interlocking control of "platform extension → forced equipment pause, platform retraction → automatic equipment recovery." This enables contactless material transfer inside and outside the fence, reducing the risk of workplace injuries by over 90%, shortening the single interaction time to less than 30 seconds, and increasing efficiency by 6 times compared to manual operation. The cylinder drive is impact-resistant and explosion-proof, suitable for environments from -20℃ to 80℃; the hardwired interlocking ensures strict synchronization between "platform movement and equipment start / stop," avoiding the risk of signal delay. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of this utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art can derive other embodiments based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0017] The structures, proportions, sizes, etc. shown in this specification are only for the purpose of assisting those skilled in the art in understanding and reading the content disclosed herein, and are not intended to limit the implementation conditions of this utility model. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in the proportional relationships, or adjustments to the size, without affecting the effects and purposes that this utility model can produce, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in this utility model.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the present invention installed on a safety fence.

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the loading dock fixing frame and the mobile platform provided by this utility model.

[0020] Figure 3 The control logic block diagram of the safety interlocking system provided by this utility model.

[0021] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the mobile platform provided by this utility model.

[0022] In the picture: 1. Platform fixing frame; 2. Safety fence; 3. Mobile platform; 31. Adjust the crossbeam; 4. Limiting edge; 5. Double-acting cylinder. Detailed Implementation

[0023] In this utility model, unless otherwise stated, directional terms such as "upper," "lower," "top," and "bottom" are generally used in relation to the direction shown in the accompanying drawings, or in relation to the vertical, perpendicular, or gravitational direction of the component itself; similarly, for ease of understanding and description, "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours of each component itself, but the above directional terms are not used to limit this utility model.

[0024] First embodiment, such as Figures 1-4As shown, a telescopic platform for interaction between the inside and outside of a safety fence and its safety interlocking system include a platform mounting frame 1, with a safety fence 2 suspended above the platform mounting frame 1. The safety fence 2 is fixed to a ground base via two side legs. The legs and base can be connected by expansion bolts or pre-embedded fixing methods. The fence body can be made of mesh or panel material, and its position remains fixed and will not move with the moving platform 3, thereby ensuring the stability of the safety isolation boundary between the inside and outside of the fence.

[0025] A set of horizontally distributed track grooves is provided on the platform mounting frame 1. Several pulleys are provided on both sides of the moving platform 3, and the pulleys are slidably disposed in the track grooves, so that the moving platform 3 can move parallel to the track. Below the moving platform 3 is an adjusting beam 31, and a double-acting cylinder 5 is correspondingly installed on the platform mounting frame 1. The cylinder body of the double-acting cylinder 5 is fixed to the platform mounting frame 1 by a bracket. The piston rod end is connected to the adjusting beam 31 by a pin or thread. By extending or retracting the piston rod of the double-acting cylinder 5, the adjusting beam 31 can be driven to move the moving platform 3 horizontally along the track. A safety interlock system is also included, which is crucial to ensuring the safe operation of the equipment. This system includes a position sensor for detecting the extension or retraction of the moving platform 3 and a programmable logic controller (PLC) for receiving the sensor signals. Position sensors are installed on the platform mounting frame 1 corresponding to the extended limit position and the retracted safe position of the mobile platform 3. They are used to accurately detect whether the mobile platform 3 has been extended or retracted into place and transmit the detection signal to the PLC. The PLC, as the control core, is connected to the emergency stop control circuit of the production equipment inside the safety fence 2 by hard wiring to ensure the reliability and safety of signal transmission.

[0026] When goods need to be exchanged between the inside and outside of the enclosure, the double-acting cylinder 5 drives the mobile platform 3 to extend. When the position sensor detects that the mobile platform 3 has extended to the correct position, it transmits a signal to the PLC. The PLC immediately outputs a control signal to forcibly trigger the emergency stop control circuit of the production equipment inside the enclosure, causing the production equipment to stop running and preventing interference between the mobile platform 3 and the production equipment. After the goods exchange is completed, the double-acting cylinder 5 drives the mobile platform 3 to retract. When the position sensor detects that the mobile platform 3 has retracted to the safe position, it transmits a signal to the PLC. The PLC outputs a recovery signal to automatically release the emergency stop state of the production equipment, allowing the production equipment to resume normal operation. This achieves a safety interlock control between the telescopic platform and the production equipment, ensuring the safety of the operation process and the stability of the equipment operation.

[0027] In this design, the surface of the mobile platform 3 is equipped with anti-slip textures and limiting edges 4, which together ensure the stability of goods during platform movement. The anti-slip textures can take the form of diamond-shaped embossing, strip grooves, or dotted protrusions, etc., to increase the friction between the goods and the platform surface and prevent the goods from sliding due to inertia when the mobile platform 3 starts, stops, or runs. The limiting edges 4 are set along the edge of the mobile platform 3 and can be fixed to the platform surface by welding or bolts. Their height can be designed to be 5 to 15 centimeters according to the height of conventional load-bearing goods, which can play a lateral limiting role for the goods and prevent them from slipping off the platform edge.

[0028] Furthermore, the thrust of the double-acting cylinder 5 in this solution is no less than 800N. This parameter setting ensures that the mobile platform 3 can overcome track friction and cargo inertia to drive smoothly when carrying goods, allowing the mobile platform 3 to enter and exit the safety fence 2 in parallel. The stroke of the double-acting cylinder 5 is set to 0.8 to 1.5 meters, which can be adapted to different installation spacings of the safety fence 2, meeting the distance requirements for cargo interaction inside and outside the fence in most industrial scenarios.

[0029] Preferably, the air circuit of the double-acting cylinder 5 integrates a speed control valve. This speed control valve can be a one-way throttle valve or a two-way speed control valve. By adjusting the air flow, the extension and retraction speed of the mobile platform 3 can be controlled between 0.1 and 0.3 meters per second to avoid excessive speed causing cargo shaking or equipment impact, while also preventing excessively slow speed from affecting work efficiency.

[0030] In this solution, the position sensor specifically employs a magnetic switch, installed on the cylinder body of the double-acting cylinder 5. It accurately detects the extension and retraction position of the piston rod, thereby determining the status of the moving platform 3. The safety interlock system strictly complies with the PLC-level safety requirements of the ISO13849-1 standard, ensuring the safety of equipment and personnel within the enclosure and preventing dangerous working conditions in the event of a system failure.

[0031] The telescopic platform in this solution is also equipped with a protective structure, which includes an IP66-rated enclosure and a stainless steel dust cover. The IP66-rated enclosure houses the air lines of the double-acting cylinder 5 and the signal lines of the safety interlock system. This enclosure can be made of stainless steel or high-strength engineering plastic and forms a sealed structure with the enclosure cover via sealing strips, effectively preventing dust and rainwater intrusion and avoiding short circuits or damage to the lines and signal lines due to external environmental corrosion, thus ensuring the stable operation of the system's electrical and pneumatic components. The stainless steel dust cover is located at the folding joints of the mobile platform 3. The dust cover can be telescopic or flip-top type, tightly covering the joint gaps to prevent dust and debris from entering the joint and affecting the flexibility of the moving parts, thereby extending the service life of the mobile platform 3.

[0032] The interaction method used for the telescopic platform in this solution is as follows: The operator triggers the start command outside the safety fence 2. The start command can be triggered by pressing a physical button, touching a touch sensor switch, or a remote control signal to ensure that the operator is in a safe area. After the command is triggered, the double-acting cylinder 5 is vented and drives the mobile platform 3 to extend out of the fence along the track. The position sensor installed on the cylinder body detects the position of the piston rod in real time. When the mobile platform 3 is fully extended out of the fence and reaches the preset position, the sensor generates an extension signal and transmits it to the programmable logic controller (PLC) in real time through the signal line.

[0033] Upon receiving the positioning signal, the PLC, connected via a hardwired connection to the emergency stop control circuit of the production equipment within the enclosure, can immediately cut off the equipment enable signal, forcing the production equipment to halt operation and preventing interference between the platform and the equipment. After the operator safely places or removes materials outside the enclosure, a reset command is triggered (the reset command triggering method is the same as the start command, equivalent to using a button, sensor, etc.); the double-acting cylinder 5 reverses airflow, driving the mobile platform 3 to retract to a safe position within the enclosure. The position sensor detects the retraction positioning signal and transmits it to the PLC, which then restores the production equipment enable signal, and the equipment continues to operate according to the original program. The entire interactive process achieves a balance between safety and efficiency.

[0034] In summary, this telescopic platform and its safety interlocking system possess significant technical advantages in practical applications, as detailed below: 1. Enhanced Safety: Since the entire material exchange is conducted through a mobile platform that moves between the inside and outside of the fence, operators do not need to enter the fence to work. This fundamentally avoids the possibility of personnel coming into contact with the equipment operating inside the fence. Actual testing has shown that compared to the traditional manual entry into the fence operation mode, it can reduce the risk of workplace injuries such as mechanical injuries and equipment collisions by more than 90%, which fully complies with the safety operation standards for industrial scenarios.

[0035] 2. Efficiency Optimization: Relying on the double-acting cylinder drive and speed control valve for precise speed control, the complete cycle of the platform extending and retracting is ≤30 seconds. There is no need for manual opening and closing of the fence door or manual handling of materials. Compared with traditional manual operation (each interaction takes about 3 minutes), the efficiency is increased by 6 times, and the waiting time for material interaction is greatly reduced.

[0036] 3. High reliability: It adopts cylinder drive, and its cylinder body and piston rod have impact resistance characteristics. The air circuit system does not generate electric sparks and meets the explosion-proof requirements. At the same time, the cylinder and supporting components are made of high and low temperature resistant materials, which can operate stably in high and low temperature environments from -20℃ to 80℃.

[0037] 4. Intelligent linkage: The PLC and the emergency stop control circuit of the production equipment are connected by hard wires. Compared with wireless or bus transmission, signal delay and interference problems can be completely avoided. This ensures that the equipment stops immediately when the mobile platform extends and starts in time when it is retracted, achieving strict synchronization of "platform movement - equipment start and stop" and avoiding the risk of signal delay.

[0038] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to this application. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0039] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented in sequences other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0040] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this utility model and is not intended to limit the utility model. Various modifications and variations can be made to this utility model by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A telescopic cargo platform for interaction between the inside and outside of a safety fence and its safety interlocking system, characterized in that, The system includes a loading platform frame with a safety railing above it; a movable platform that can move parallel to a track on the loading platform frame; an adjusting crossbeam below the movable platform; and a double-acting cylinder mounted on the loading platform frame, with the piston rod end of the double-acting cylinder connected to the adjusting crossbeam. The safety interlocking system includes a position sensor for detecting the extension or retraction signal of the mobile platform and a programmable logic controller for receiving the sensor signal. The programmable logic controller is hardwired to the emergency stop control loop of the production equipment within the safety fence.

2. The telescopic cargo platform and its safety interlocking system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The double-acting cylinder has an integrated speed control valve in its air circuit, which is used to control the extension and retraction of the moving platform.

3. The telescopic cargo platform and its safety interlocking system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The position sensor is a magnetic switch, which is installed on the cylinder body of the double-acting cylinder.

4. The telescopic cargo platform and its safety interlocking system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The surface of the mobile platform is provided with anti-slip texture and limiting edges.

5. The telescopic cargo platform and its safety interlocking system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a protective structure, which includes an IP66-rated enclosure for housing cylinder lines and signal lines, and a stainless steel dust cover located at the folding joint of the mobile platform.

6. The telescopic cargo platform and its safety interlocking system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The platform frame is equipped with a set of horizontally distributed track grooves, and the mobile platform is equipped with several pulleys on both sides, which are slidably disposed in the track grooves.

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