Segmented BMX Start Gate Assembly With Buttress Release Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional BMX starting gates pose a safety risk to young riders who lack the skill to maintain a track stand, often resulting in falls and injuries as the heavy barrier moves abruptly, potentially crushing them.
Innovation Solution
A gate assembly with pivotally mounted gates and buttresses that allow controlled movement from a closed to an open position, featuring a bar with actuator-controlled buttresses that enable or disable gate movement, and includes mass dampers and springs for safe collapse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a heavy single barrier is used to block riders, then the gate can effectively prevent forward movement, but it moves abruptly and poses safety risks to young riders who may fall under it
Solution Approach 1:
The single heavy barrier is divided into multiple separate gates (typically 6-8 gates) mounted on a common bar. Each gate is lighter and can be independently controlled. When the bar rotates, all gates drop simultaneously but each lighter gate is less dangerous if a rider falls under it. This segmentation maintains the blocking function while reducing individual gate weight and associated injury risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The gate system transitions from a static heavy barrier to a dynamic system where multiple lighter gates are mounted on a rotating bar. The entire assembly can rapidly rotate from horizontal (blocking) to vertical (open) position. This dynamic design allows controlled movement that is both effective for starting the race and safer for riders, as the distributed weight and synchronized motion reduce the hazard compared to a single heavy barrier.
2Speed
If the barrier moves quickly with great momentum to ensure rapid gate opening, then the start is efficient, but it increases the danger to riders who fall before the start
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the barrier into multiple lighter gates, the system achieves rapid opening speed while reducing the momentum of each individual gate. The collective action of multiple gates provides the necessary blocking function, while each lighter gate presents reduced danger if a rider falls under it during the opening sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The common bar acts as an intermediary mechanism that coordinates the movement of multiple gates. It transmits the actuating force to all gates simultaneously, ensuring they open at the same time with controlled motion. This intermediary allows the system to achieve rapid opening while maintaining safety through synchronized, controlled descent of multiple lighter gates rather than one heavy gate.
3Device complexity
If a single long barrier is used, then the structure is simple, but it requires the entire barrier to be moved by one actuator, increasing complexity in control and synchronization
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier is segmented into multiple gates mounted on a common bar, creating a modular structure that is easier to manufacture and assemble than a single long barrier. While the overall system remains relatively simple, the modular design simplifies the actuation mechanism by allowing a single actuator to rotate the entire bar assembly, naturally synchronizing all gates without complex individual control systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures safe and controlled gate movement, preventing injuries by allowing riders to push the gates down safely without abrupt closure, ensuring a fair start and reducing the risk of accidents.
Implementation Method 1
a mass damper having a weight mounted for reciprocal movement between the upstream and downstream ends and for movement away from an underside of the gate
Implementation Method 2
a mass damper having a weight mounted for reciprocal movement
Implementation Method 3
Each gate further includes a spring biasing the gate toward the open position
Data Source
AI summary
A gate assembly for a bicycle race start includes a plurality of gates, each mounted in a separate start position along a bar to move between a closed position and an open position. The bar is moveable between a first condition and a second condition. The assembly includes buttresses, each coupled to the bar to move between first positions and second positions in response to movement of the bar between the first condition and the second condition, wherein each buttress corresponds to a respective one of the gates. In the first condition of the bar, each buttress disables movement of the respective gate from the closed position to the open position. In the second condition of the bar, each buttress enables movement of the respective gate from the closed position to the open position.