End-Mounted Hinge Maintains Post Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional hinges in perimeter fencing create gaps between posts that allow small animals and creatures to pass through, compromising the effectiveness of electrified and non-electrified fences in keeping wildlife out of protected areas.
Innovation Solution
A hinge design featuring interlacing finger portions with arcuate post-engaging sections that allow end posts to maintain substantial contact along their entire length when closed, minimizing the gap between posts to less than 1 mm, utilizing a hinge pin for rotation and secure post engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional hinge is used to connect fence panels, then the gate can open and close freely, but a gap is created between the posts that allows small animals to pass through
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge design transitions from a conventional side-mounted hinge to an end-mounted hinge where the hinge pin is positioned at the end of the posts. This dimensional change allows the posts to remain in longitudinal contact while enabling gate rotation, eliminating the gap problem while maintaining operational freedom
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge pin serves as an intermediary element that connects the two posts at their ends, allowing rotational movement while maintaining continuous contact between the posts. The interlacing finger portions act as intermediaries that guide and constrain the hinge pin's movement path
2Reliability
If the hinge is designed to keep posts in close proximity, then small animals cannot pass through, but the hinge structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge is divided into two separate hinge halves, each attached to one post. This segmentation allows each half to be simple in structure while collectively achieving the complex function of maintaining post contact during rotation. Each hinge half contains interlacing finger portions that interlock with the other half
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge combines multiple functions into a single structure: the interlacing finger portions provide both the mechanical connection and the guidance for rotation, while the end-mounted configuration simultaneously achieves post contact maintenance and gate operability
Data Source
AI summary
A hinge is arranged to move two panels, such as a stationary fence panel and a gate, between an open position and a closed position. When the hinge is in a closed position, the posts to which the hinge is attached are maintained in substantial contact along substantially the entire longitudinal length of the posts, thereby preventing small animals from passing through the fence. The hinge has two hinge halves, each having a finger portion arranged to interlace with a finger portion of the other hinge half, each finger of the finger portions defining an opening, and an arcuate post-engaging portion extending for at least 90 degrees and defining a longitudinal opening for receiving an end post, wherein each longitudinal opening faces the other when the hinge is in a closed position. The hinge also has a hinge pin passing through and within the openings allowing rotation.