Insulating Carabiner Gate With Color-Lock Status Indication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional safety hooks, such as carabiner hooks, often fail to ensure proper locking, leading to accidents among workers in elevated workplaces and extreme sports participants due to loosened buckles, necessitating an improved mechanism for secure identification of the locked state.
Innovation Solution
An insulating carabiner hook design featuring a pivotable gate with distinct color-coded sections and a rotating restricting sleeve, allowing users to easily verify the locked state through color differentiation and a simple security check, while also providing insulation to prevent electric shock.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional safety hooks are used, then the basic locking function is provided, but the users cannot easily identify whether the hook is properly locked, leading to safety accidents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color-coded sections on the gate (first section with first color, second section with second color) that become visible or hidden based on the locking state. When the gate is properly locked, the color configuration provides visual feedback to users, making it easy to identify the locked state without complex mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements visual feedback through the color-coded sections and the restricting sleeve positioning. The feedback mechanism shows whether the gate is properly locked by the position of the restricting sleeve relative to the colored sections, allowing users to immediately know the locking status without additional inspection steps.
2Ease of operation
If conventional safety hooks are used, then the structure is simple, but the users cannot easily verify the security state, requiring complex inspection procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color-coded sections (first section with first color, second section with second color) on the gate that provide immediate visual indication of the locking state. This simple visual system allows users to easily verify security without adding complex mechanical verification mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The restricting sleeve automatically positions itself based on the gate's locking state, and its position relative to the color-coded sections provides self-verifying feedback. The system serves itself by automatically indicating the locked state without requiring user intervention or complex inspection procedures.
3Strength
If conventional metal safety hooks are used, then the strength is sufficient, but electric conduction may cause electric shock in hazardous environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs insulating materials for the gate and restricting sleeve components that come into contact with electrical environments. These insulating materials maintain the mechanical strength needed for safety applications while providing electrical insulation to prevent conduction and electric shock in hazardous environments.
Data Source
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Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
An insulating carabiner hook (1) is characterized in that a free end (24) of an insulating gate (20) includes a first insulating section (242) and a second insulating section (244). A color of the second insulating section (244) is different from a color of the first insulating section (242). A restricting sleeve (30) could moves along an axial direction (AX) of the insulating gate (20). When the free end (24) abuts against an abutting portion (14) of an insulating body (10), and the restricting sleeve (30) completely covers the second insulating section (244), the restricting sleeve (30) is located at a safe position and cannot freely pivot. When at least a part of the second insulating section (244) is exposed via the restricting sleeve (30), the restricting sleeve (30) is located at a warning position. An insulating gate (20) and a manufacturing method thereof are also disclosed.