Gate Locking Device with Sheared Fixating Member
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing locking devices for gates, particularly in secure applications like industry plants and prisons, are not sufficiently secure as they can be easily forced open, failing to meet the requirements of insurance companies and national regulations.
Innovation Solution
A locking device with a fitting and fixating member that engages through a threaded portion and abutment surface, allowing an irreversible locked configuration by shearing a bridging portion, minimizing the gripping surface and making it difficult for unauthorized access, combined with multiple fixating points and a padlock for enhanced security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional locking devices are used, then the gate can be locked, but the locking device can be easily forced open and does not provide sufficient security
Solution Approach 1:
The locking device is divided into multiple independent components: a fitting with through-holes, multiple locking members with threaded portions, and multiple fixating members with heads and bodies. This segmentation allows each component to perform a specific function and makes the overall system more robust against forcing attempts.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixating member's body is inserted into the through-hole of the fitting, and the head is attached to the body. When locked, the body is surrounded by the fitting walls, creating a nested structure that protects the fixating member and makes it difficult to access with tools.
2Reliability
If the fixating member is designed with a head and body for easy installation, then the locking device is easier to operate, but the gripping surface can be easily accessed by tools for unauthorized removal
Solution Approach 1:
The fixating member is designed with a head and body that can be easily assembled during installation. The bridging portion connects the head to the body, allowing preliminary assembly before the final locking action where the body is inserted into the fitting's through-hole.
Solution Approach 2:
The head of the fixating member is designed to be removable from the body through shearing of the bridging portion. This extraction of the head after installation eliminates the gripping surface that could be used by unauthorized persons to remove the fixating member.
3Reliability
If multiple fixating members are used to increase security, then the time and difficulty for unauthorized access increases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fitting is designed with multiple through-holes that can accommodate multiple locking members and fixating members. Each locking member-threaded portion-fixating member combination functions independently but contributes to the overall security, providing a universal structure that scales with security requirements.
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 locking device significantly increases the time and difficulty for unauthorized access, providing a higher level of security that meets insurance and regulatory requirements by ensuring the fixating member is extremely hard to remove and the gate remains locked.
Implementation Method 1
the head is removable from the body by shearing of the bridging portion
Implementation Method 2
The body is adapted to engage with said at least one threaded portion of the locking member
Data Source
Figure 1a~3c
Figure 2a~5
Figure 6a~6b
AI summary
The present invention relates to a locking device (100, 200) for a gate. The locking device comprises a fitting (10) having at least a first surface (11) and a second surface (12), said first surface and said second surface being arranged opposite to each other, said fitting (10) is provided with a first through hole (15) arranged from said first surface (11) to said second surface (12); and a locking member (20) comprising at least one threaded portion (21, 21 a, 21 b) and a handle portion (22), said locking member (20) being at least partially insertable into said first through hole (15) from said second surface (12); at least one fixating member (30, 30a, 30b) comprising a head (31, 31 a) and a body (32, 32a, 32b) being catenated by a bridging portion (35, 35a), said at least one fixating member being insertable into said first through hole (15) from said first surface (11) until said body (32, 32a, 32b) is constrained by an abutment surface (40). Moreover, the present invention relates to a gate comprising a locking device.