Headlock Barrier Balance Wheel Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing headlock type barriers face issues with unreliable locking mechanisms, particularly due to slow movement of sliding elements under gravity, centrifugal forces, and susceptibility to obstruction, which can lead to incomplete locking and manual unlocking risks.
Innovation Solution
A headlock type barrier design featuring a balance wheel with a fork and rigidly connected rods, utilizing a locking mechanism with articulated cleats that cooperate to block the balance wheel's rotation, eliminating movable parts and reducing obstruction risks, and incorporating a control member for automatic unlocking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a slide extending transversely between the branches of the fork is used to lock the balance wheel, then the locking mechanism is simple in structure, but the locking reliability is insufficient because the slide movement under gravity is too slow to guarantee insertion into the notch before the balance exceeds the locking position
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using gravity to move the slide into the locking position (which is too slow), the patent inverts the approach by using a cam mechanism that actively pushes the slide into the notch during the balancing phase. The cam profile is designed so that during normal balance operation, the slide is forced into the locking notch, ensuring positive engagement regardless of balance speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cam as an intermediary element between the balance wheel and the slide. The cam converts the rotational motion of the balance wheel into linear motion of the slide, ensuring reliable locking engagement. The cam acts as a mediator that transforms the slow gravitational movement into a rapid, controlled insertion of the slide into the notch.
2Ease of manufacture
If slots are provided through the branches of the fork and a notch on the rod to guide the slide, then the locking mechanism is easy to manufacture, but these slots and notch can easily be obstructed by debris or residue, resulting in the balance not locking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the slide from the traditional slot-guided mechanism and replaces it with a cam-driven system. The slide is no longer guided through slots that can be obstructed, but is instead actively pushed by the cam profile. This removes the vulnerable slots and notch from the system, eliminating the obstruction problem while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a simple cam profile that can be easily manufactured and replaced if needed. Rather than relying on precision slots and notches that are vulnerable to obstruction, the cam provides a robust, easily manufacturable solution that ensures reliable locking without complex guiding features.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the slide is locked in the notch by gravity, then the locking mechanism requires no additional power source, but the rotation of the balance subjects the slide to centrifugal force which opposes gravity, increasing the risk of the balance not locking at higher rotation speeds
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of relying on gravity to lock the slide (which fails at high speeds due to centrifugal force), the patent inverts the approach by using the cam mechanism to actively push the slide into the notch during balance rotation. The cam profile ensures that the slide is locked regardless of rotation speed, eliminating the conflict between gravitational locking and centrifugal force.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam acts as an intermediary that mediates between the balance wheel rotation and the slide locking. Rather than letting gravity directly lock the slide (which fails under centrifugal force), the cam transforms the rotational motion into a force that actively secures the slide in the notch, overriding the opposing centrifugal force.
4Reliability
If manual removal of the slide from the notch is required to unlock the balance, then the locking mechanism is simple and reliable, but this operation presents a significant risk of injury to the human operator
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the locking mechanism self-unlocking by designing the cam profile to automatically release the slide from the notch when the balance wheel rotates to a specific position. The system serves itself by using the balance rotation to both lock and unlock the mechanism, eliminating the need for manual intervention and the associated safety risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam mechanism creates a periodic locking and unlocking cycle that automatically occurs with each rotation of the balance wheel. The slide is locked during the balancing phase and automatically unlocked during the discharge phase, creating a safe, periodic operation cycle that eliminates manual unlocking operations.
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 provides robust and reliable locking of the balance wheel, reducing the risk of obstruction and manual intervention, ensuring safe and efficient operation while preventing injuries to operators.
Implementation Method 1
a first cleat and a second cleat which are articulated relative to the upper spar between a deployed position in which the first cleat and the second cleat are adapted to cooperate with the rod of the balance in order to block the balance in pivoting around the first transverse axis
Data Source
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AI summary
A barrier (10) of the headgate type comprising an upper stringer (11) and a lower stringer (12); a pair of vertical posts (13a, 13b) connected to the lower stringer (12) and the upper stringer (11) to define a frame; a rocker (20) pivoting relative to the frame around a first transverse axis (Y1), the rocker (20) comprising an arm (21) and a fork (22) integral with an upper end of the arm (21), the fork comprising a pair of branches (23) arranged transversely on each side of the upper stringer (11), the rocker comprising a rod (24) rigidly connected to each of the branches (23), the rod (24) being arranged above the upper stringer (11); a locking mechanism (30) comprising a plate (31) fixed to the upper stringer (11) and on which a first and second cleat (40a; 40b) are articulated between a deployed position and a retracted position.