Tempered Glass Rod Sensor for Breakaway Pole Power Cut
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing breakaway bases for electrical devices, such as light poles, fail to ensure complete disconnection of power upon impact, leaving wires vulnerable to damage and potential hazards like electric shock or fire, especially when the hot end becomes wet or snagged by a colliding vehicle.
Innovation Solution
A physical barrier breach sensor utilizing a tempered glass rod that shatters upon significant force application, triggering a microswitch to open the circuit and interrupt electrical power, ensuring safety and reliability by preventing power flow and triggering an alarm, with the option to use a narrow sheet of tempered glass for cost reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a pull-apart wire disconnect is used in breakaway bases, then the vehicle collision severity is reduced by allowing the vehicle to continue on its path, but the wires remain vulnerable to electrical hazards such as shock or fire after disconnection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the electrical disconnect function from the mechanical breakaway base and relocates it to the sensor housing. The microswitch and glass rod assembly are positioned upstream of the wire disconnect point, ensuring that electrical power is cut off before the mechanical separation occurs. This separation of functions ensures that when wires are pulled apart mechanically, they are already de-energized, eliminating the electrical hazard while preserving the collision mitigation benefit.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary electrical disconnect action before mechanical wire separation. The microswitch is triggered by glass rod shattering during impact, which opens the electrical circuit and de-energizes the wires before the pull-apart disconnect occurs. This preliminary action ensures that the wires are safe to separate mechanically without creating electrical hazards.
2Ease of operation
If the wires are disconnected by wire terminal strength during collision, then the mechanical breakaway function is achieved, but power is not removed from the wiring at the foundation side creating safety dangers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary electrical disconnect action before mechanical wire separation. The microswitch is triggered by glass rod shattering during impact, which opens the electrical circuit and de-energizes the wires before the pull-apart disconnect occurs. This preliminary action ensures that the wires are safe to separate mechanically without creating electrical hazards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a microswitch as an intermediary device between the mechanical impact and the electrical disconnect. The microswitch, triggered by glass rod shattering, acts as a mediator that reliably opens the electrical circuit before the mechanical wire separation occurs, ensuring that power is removed from the foundation side wiring regardless of the mechanical disconnect outcome.
3Ease of manufacture
If extended length wires are used in breakaway bases, then the wire disconnect mechanism can function, but the extended wires create vulnerability to wetting, nicking, or snagging by errant vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary electrical disconnect action before mechanical wire separation. The microswitch is triggered by glass rod shattering during impact, which opens the electrical circuit and de-energizes the wires before the pull-apart disconnect occurs. This preliminary action ensures that the wires are safe to separate mechanically without creating electrical hazards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the electrical disconnect function from the mechanical breakaway base and relocates it to the sensor housing. The microswitch and glass rod assembly are positioned upstream of the wire disconnect point, ensuring that electrical power is cut off before the mechanical separation occurs. This separation of functions ensures that when wires are pulled apart mechanically, they are already de-energized, eliminating the electrical hazard while preserving the collision mitigation benefit.
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 solution effectively and reliably disconnects power to electrical devices upon impact, ensuring safety for responders and bystanders by preventing electrical hazards and facilitating emergency responses, while allowing for easy maintenance and power restoration.
Implementation Method 1
A physical barrier breach sensor utilizes a tempered glass rod that shatters upon significant force application
Data Source
AI summary
A physical barrier breach sensor is disclosed that contains a frangible material that, upon displacement, opens a microswitch that de-energizes power or stops the flow of electricity to an electrical device. Displacement of the frangible material causes activation of the sensor, such as due to a vehicle colliding with a streetlight pole containing the sensor. The device is omnidirectional, operating regardless of direction of impact from the vehicle or activation, and has the ability to disconnect power when, for example, a streetlight pole or other structure (e.g., a parking gate) falls or breaks due to a shearing impact (such as a vehicle collision) or due to tension created by wind or weight failure.