Collapsible Barricade Hinge Layout for Portable Wide-Footprint Blocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing traffic barricades, such as cones and barrels, are either too compact and easily circumvented or too bulky and heavy for practical use by first responders, requiring them to wait for external support for deployment, which can be dangerous in emergency situations.
Innovation Solution
A portable barricade with at least three legs that can be collapsed into a compact stack for easy transportation and expanded to increase footprint and visibility, featuring a hinge mechanism for angular deployment and optional retention in the expanded state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traffic cones are used as barricades, then they are compact and easily portable, but they have a small footprint that allows vehicles or pedestrians to easily circumvent them
Solution Approach 1:
The barricade employs a dynamic structure with legs that can transition between a collapsed portable state and an expanded obstructive state. The legs are hinged to allow movement from a compact configuration for transport to a spread-out configuration for deployment, enabling the barricade to adapt between portability and footprint requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The barricade design nests the legs within each other when collapsed, with at least one leg stacked between two others to form a compact stack. This nesting approach minimizes the space occupied during transport while allowing full expansion when deployed
2Area of stationary object
If larger barricades such as barrels or sawhorses are used, then they have a larger footprint for better obstruction, but they are bulky and heavy making them impractical for first responders to carry
Solution Approach 1:
The barricade transforms from a compact portable form to a large obstructive form through the deployment mechanism. When collapsed, the legs are stacked to create a small, carryable unit. When expanded, the legs spread outward to create a large footprint that effectively blocks traffic, resolving the contradiction between size and portability
Solution Approach 2:
The barricade is divided into multiple separable legs that can be independently positioned. This segmentation allows the structure to be collapsed into a compact form for transport and then expanded into a large footprint when deployed, achieving both portability and obstruction effectiveness
3Area of stationary object
If first responders wait for local traffic control or maintenance departments to setup larger barricades, then they can use effective obstruction, but this takes valuable time when the hazard is still present
Solution Approach 1:
The barricade is designed to be self-deploying by first responders without requiring specialized equipment or additional personnel. The simple hinge mechanism allows any first responder to quickly expand the barricade from its collapsed state, enabling immediate deployment without waiting for external support
Solution Approach 2:
The barricade is pre-configured in a collapsed state that is ready for rapid deployment. The hinge mechanism is pre-positioned to allow quick expansion, and the structure is designed so that no complex assembly is needed - the first responder simply needs to expand the legs from the compact stack to the deployed position
Data Source
AI summary
A portable barricade includes at least three legs that are operably coupled together to permit movement relative to each other between a collapsed state and an expanded state. The barricade is configured such that when in the collapsed state, the at least three legs are arranged with at least one of the legs stacked between at least two other legs to form a compact stack that facilitates portability of the barricade. The at least three legs are operably coupled together for rotation about a common axis. When the barricade is deployed to the expanded state, each leg is rotated about the common axis to spread the legs apart such that each leg is arranged at a different angular position about the axis relative to the other legs, thereby enlarging the footprint and/or enhancing stability of the barricade.