Light Grid Profile Housing with Rail Contact Area
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing light grid security devices for automatically driven gates, such as sectional doors, face challenges in reliably detecting obstacles close to the gateway, have complex manufacturing and assembly processes, and require improved security and ease of installation.
Innovation Solution
A light grid device with a profile housing for accommodating a light grid element, featuring a contact area for engagement with running rails, holders for secure fastening, and spacers for adjusting the rail spacing, allowing for oblique alignment and secure attachment without additional fastening elements, enabling quick and secure assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional light barriers are installed near the floor, then obstacles on the ground level are detected, but obstacles entering slightly above the ground (e.g., forklift loads) are not detected
Solution Approach 1:
The light barrier is divided into multiple individual light barriers arranged vertically at different heights. Each light barrier operates independently to detect obstacles at its specific height level, enabling comprehensive coverage from ground level up to higher obstacles like forklift loads without requiring a single complex high-position barrier.
2Reliability
If multiple light barriers are installed at different heights, then comprehensive obstacle detection is achieved, but the complexity of installation and alignment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent installs light barriers at specific critical heights (ground level and higher positions) rather than continuous coverage. This partial action approach provides sufficient detection coverage for typical obstacles while avoiding the excessive complexity of installing light barriers at every possible height, balancing detection reliability with installation practicality.
3Reliability
If light grid devices are securely fastened to running rails, then detection reliability is maintained, but the assembly process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The light grid device incorporates self-aligning features where the housing automatically positions itself relative to the running rail during assembly. The design includes inherent alignment mechanisms that guide the light grid into the correct position without requiring complex external alignment tools or procedures, maintaining security while simplifying assembly.
4Measurement precision
If the profile housing is precisely aligned with the running rail, then obstacle detection accuracy is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The light grid device incorporates adjustable mounting mechanisms that allow field adjustment of the profile housing position relative to the running rail. This dynamic adjustment capability compensates for minor manufacturing tolerances and enables precise alignment during installation without requiring extremely high manufacturing precision, thereby maintaining obstacle detection accuracy while reducing manufacturing stringency.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a light grid device (22) for forming a transmitter and/or a receiver of a light grid safety device (20) for an automatically driven gate (10) equipped with guide rails (12). In order to create a light grid device that can be easily mounted in the precisely appropriate position on the gate to be monitored, a profile housing (24) is proposed for receiving an elongated light grid element (26) which is designed to emit or receive a series of light beams, wherein the profile housing (24) has at least one contact area (48) which is designed for the profile housing (24) to contact a guide rail (12) of the gate (10) in the direction of the longitudinal extent of the guide rail (12).