Gate Leaf Safety Device with Pivot Cable Tension Sensor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety devices for mobile door leaves, particularly sectional doors, are complex to install, adjust, and replace, and are prone to manipulation or damage, with high production costs and limited accessibility for maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A safety device with a screw connection to the door leaf's base part, featuring a pivot mechanism and a spring-loaded upper part that adjusts cable tension, incorporating a sensor or switching element to automatically shut down the motor if the cable length changes or breaks, ensuring easy installation, accessibility, and protection against manipulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing safety devices are used for mobile door leaves, then safety function is provided, but installation and adjustment become complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The safety device is divided into separate functional components: a mounting plate fixed to the door leaf, a separate sensor unit with pivotable upper part, and a cable connection system. This segmentation allows each component to be installed and adjusted independently, simplifying the overall installation process while maintaining safety functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety device incorporates multiple functions into a single integrated system: it monitors cable tension, detects cable breaks, controls door position, and provides mechanical guidance through the pivotable upper part. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple separate devices, simplifying installation and adjustment while ensuring comprehensive safety coverage.
2Reliability
If existing safety devices are used for mobile door leaves, then safety function is provided, but production and replacement costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device is constructed from modular components that can be manufactured separately using standard production techniques and assembled during installation. This reduces manufacturing complexity and allows for cost-effective mass production of individual components, lowering overall production and replacement costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety device uses simple, inexpensive components such as a basic pivot mechanism, standard sensor elements, and conventional cable connections. These components are designed to be easily replaceable and cost-effective, allowing for economical maintenance and replacement without requiring expensive specialized parts.
3Reliability
If existing safety devices are used for mobile door leaves, then safety monitoring is provided, but accessibility for maintenance is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor unit and upper part are designed as accessible, separable components that can be reached and adjusted from the front side of the door leaf. The mounting plate provides stable attachment while allowing easy access to the sensor and cable connection points, enabling maintenance personnel to service the device without disassembling the entire door mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotable upper part acts as an intermediary mechanism that translates cable tension changes into sensor-activating movements. This mechanical intermediary allows the sensor to be positioned in an easily accessible location while still effectively monitoring cable conditions, improving maintenance accessibility without compromising safety monitoring capability.
4Reliability
If existing safety devices are used for mobile door leaves, then cable tension monitoring is provided, but manipulation and damage resistance is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The device includes a mechanically guided pivotable upper part that pre-establishes the correct geometric relationship between the cable, sensor, and mounting plate during installation. This preliminary mechanical configuration ensures that the sensor is correctly positioned to detect cable tension changes and prevents subsequent manipulation or misalignment, enhancing resistance to unauthorized adjustment or damage.
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 safety device is easy to assemble, maintain, and replace, with reduced production costs, providing reliable and secure door operation by automatically shutting down the motor in case of cable issues, while being resistant to manipulation and damage.
Implementation Method 1
at least one of the main parts has an approximately U-shaped frame, with a spring device for generating a pretension between the two main parts about the axis
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a locking device for a movable gate leaf, in particular a sectional gate, which is moved between an open position and a closed position via guide rails, wherein the gate leaf is equipped laterally with pull cables which are attached in the lower area of the gate leaf and are each guided via deflections, wherein the attachment of at least one pull cable via the locking device is designed in such a way that stepless adjustment of the pull cable length is possible when the gate leaf is closed, and wherein the locking device essentially consists of a fixed base part and an upper part whose position relative to the base part can be changed via a pivot axis, with a connecting element movably mounted therein, wherein a change in the length of the pull cable is detected by the upper part and by a sensor or switching element.