Hinge Embedded Safety Switch Bush Groove Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hinges with embedded travel ends face challenges in adjusting actuation angles for non-standard openings and require protection from water and dust to meet safety and installation requirements.
Innovation Solution
A hinge design featuring two wing-shaped members with a mutual-engagement area, a microswitch, and a bush with a groove for adjustable actuation angles, providing sealing against dust and water, allowing for customizable installation and enhanced reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a hinge with an embedded microswitch is used, then the safety function is improved, but the resistance to dust and water deteriorates due to the exposed switch mechanics
Solution Approach 1:
The microswitch appendix is nested within the bush structure, with the peg means housed in a groove inside the bush. This nesting arrangement protects the switch actuation mechanics from external environmental factors like dust and water while maintaining the safety function.
Solution Approach 2:
The bush acts as an intermediary element between the external environment and the microswitch. It provides a protective barrier that transmits the mechanical motion from the second wing to the switch peg while shielding the switch internals from dust and water contamination.
2Device complexity
If a standard actuation angle is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to non-conventional openings deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a fixed actuation angle to a dynamic, adjustable configuration. The bush can be rotated to different angular positions around the shaft, allowing the actuation angle to be dynamically adjusted during installation to match various opening requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuation angle is predetermined during the installation phase by positioning the bush at the appropriate angle before the hinge becomes operational. This preliminary adjustment ensures the switch activates at the correct door position without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms during operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A safety hinge, apt to constrain a door moving with respect to a fixed frame, of the type consisting of two main wing-shaped constituent members displaying a mutual-engagement area consisting of loops interconnected by a small shaft, with a first one of the wings a switch body being associated, which has a lateral opening in correspondence of an appendix thereof, arranged on the extension of the mutual-engagement area, through the opening peg for the actuation of the switch projecting. Within the appendix a bush is arranged, constrained to the by a second one of the wings, the bush displaying along an annular external crown thereof a groove for the housing of the peg in the closing position of the moving door on the fixed frame, that is in the opening position of the switch.