Compact Electric Strike with Adjustable Fail-Safe Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for electric strikes that are compact, reliable, and programmable, with enhanced efficiency and long life, while also providing fail-safe and fail-secure positioning to ensure safe and secure door operation, especially in case of power interruptions.
Innovation Solution
The electric strike design incorporates a longitudinally elongated carrier with a solenoid, a trip lever, a laterally extending actuating arm, and blocking arms, along with a door bolt retainer, allowing for adjustable fail-safe and fail-secure positioning through a slider mechanism, enabling compact construction and reliable operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the strike construction includes multiple components (solenoid, trip lever, blocking arms, retainers) to achieve fail-safe and fail-secure positioning, then the reliability and operational safety are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions (fail-safe positioning, fail-secure positioning, door locking, and unlocking) into a single integrated strike mechanism. The blocking arms and retainers are merged with the trip lever and solenoid system, allowing one mechanism to achieve both safety modes without requiring separate systems for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The strike mechanism is designed to perform multiple functions through its components. The blocking arms serve both to prevent unauthorized opening (fail-secure) and to enable controlled opening (fail-safe). The retainers both captivate the door bolt for secure locking and release it for unlocking. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate mechanisms while maintaining both safety modes.
2Reliability
If the strike construction includes multiple components (solenoid, trip lever, blocking arms, retainers) to achieve fail-safe and fail-secure positioning, then the operational safety is improved, but the overall size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested arrangement where the trip lever is positioned within the carrier, the blocking arms are integrated into the carrier structure, and the retainers are housed within the carrier. The solenoid plunger moves within the carrier cavity. This nesting allows multiple components to occupy overlapping or adjacent spaces, significantly reducing the overall volume while maintaining all necessary functions for fail-safe and fail-secure operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If an adjustable slider is added to provide both fail-safe and fail-secure positioning, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The slider is designed to be movable longitudinally within the carrier, allowing dynamic adjustment between fail-safe and fail-secure positioning. The slider can be positioned in different longitudinal locations to change the operational mode of the strike. This dynamic adjustability provides versatility without requiring multiple separate mechanisms, as the same mechanism can be reconfigured by moving the slider.
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
This design allows for a single mechanism to achieve both fail-safe and fail-secure door operation, ensuring the door can be opened in case of power failure for escape while maintaining secure locking when power is available, all within a compact and efficient framework.
Implementation Method 1
a longitudinally elongated solenoid supported by the carrier, the solenoid having a longitudinally movable plunger
Data Source
AI summary
In a door strike for captivating and releasing a door bolt, the combination comprising a longitudinally elongated carrier, a longitudinally elongated solenoid supported by the carrier, the solenoid having a longitudinally movable plunger, a trip lever pivotally supported in or on the carrier, a laterally extending actuating arm pivotally supported in or on the carrier to be pivoted as the plunger moves longitudinally in response to solenoid energization, thereby to pivot the trip lever, a generally longitudinally extending blocking arm or arms pivotally supported in or on the carrier to be released for pivoting when the trip lever is pivoted, and a door bolt retainer or retainers pivotally supported in the carrier to be released for pivoting when the blocking arm or arms are released for pivoting, thereby to release the door bolt from captivation, for movement with the door.