Laser Curtain Pocket Layout for External Chain Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laser containment systems are inefficient in spatial use, pose safety hazards due to the need to reach through curtains to operate chains, cause curtain damage, and require separate corner flaps for laser light containment, leading to potential injuries and equipment damage.
Innovation Solution
A laser curtain containment system with elongated curtain pockets mounted beneath a platform, where curtains unwind from the sides facing outward, allowing chains to be operated externally and reducing the need for corner flaps, with a scalable design that minimizes overhead space and supports electrical services.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If curtains unwind from the back of rollers (away from table), then rollers and clutches can be installed above sides of tables, but curtains are spaced from table sides and require separate corner flaps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional arrangement by having curtains unwind from the front of rollers (facing the table) rather than from the back. This reversal eliminates the need for separate corner flaps and allows chains to be accessed from outside the containment area, simplifying the overall system while maintaining effective laser containment.
2Ease of operation
If chains hang on the sides of absorbing flaps, then curtains can be lowered close to table sides, but flaps must be separately handled and moved each time users access chains
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the chains from the containment area by having them hang outside the lowered curtains, allowing users to operate them from a safe position without reaching through the laser-containing curtains. This eliminates the safety hazard of users potentially disturbing experiments or being exposed to laser radiation while operating the chains.
3Ease of operation
If users reach through lowered curtains to pull chains, then curtains can be operated, but users may disturb experiments or cause injury
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary arrangement where chains extend outside the containment curtains, allowing users to operate the system from a safe distance. This intermediary positioning prevents direct contact with the contained laser field while still enabling full operation of the curtains, protecting both users and experiments.
4Area of stationary object
If curtains are lowered close to table sides, then space usage is optimized, but curtain fabric is subject to becoming torn or damaged
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the unwind direction to have curtains come from the front of rollers rather than the back, the patent eliminates the need for separate corner flaps that required frequent handling. This reduces mechanical stress and wear on the curtain fabric, improving durability while maintaining compact positioning close to the table.
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
Enhances safety by reducing the need to enter the protected field, minimizes curtain damage, allows permanent corner protection, and optimizes space usage while maintaining effective laser containment.
Implementation Method 1
Fabrics capable of shielding persons from harmful laser radiation are known and commercially available
Data Source
AI summary
A laser containment system in which a platform is suspended above a table on which laser light experiments will be performed. A number of curtain pockets having U-shaped cross sections are mounted beneath the platform, with the pocket openings facing down toward the sides of the table. A roller is mounted between end walls inside each pocket, and a laser curtain long enough to be lowered past a corresponding side of the table is wound on each roller. A clutch supported on an end wall of each pocket operatively engages an end of the roller inside the pocket to lower or raise the curtain on the roller. An associated clutch pulley is disposed outside the end wall of each pocket on which the clutch is supported. A curtain chain engages the circumference of the pulley, and the chain hangs outside the curtain when lowered for access by a user.