Circumferential Light Guide Rod for Guard Cable Vision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vision guides for guard cables, such as those on highways, face challenges with inadequate light emission durability and susceptibility to slackening, especially under outdoor conditions, and require labor-intensive replacement or exposure to environmental vulnerabilities.
Innovation Solution
A circumferentially light-emitting vision guide with a rope member formed by twisting strands and a core-clad structure using acrylic and fluorine-based resins, incorporating a light source that maintains luminance and chromaticity stability over 1000 hours and features a flexible modulus for secure winding, along with titanium oxide for UV protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If fluorescent linear bodies are spirally wound along wire ropes to provide vision guidance, then the guard cables become visible in darkness, but the amount of emitted light is insufficient to provide satisfactory vision guiding effect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a light guiding rod as an intermediary component that receives light from LED sources and guides it along the rope member. This mediator amplifies and distributes light effectively, solving the insufficient emitted light problem while maintaining reliable vision guidance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces fluorescent materials with LED light sources combined with light guiding rods. This substitution from passive fluorescent emission to active LED illumination with optical guidance provides significantly higher light output and better reliability for vision guidance.
2Illumination intensity
If LED illumination ropes with blinking lamps are laid over wire ropes to increase light emission, then the vision guidance brightness is improved, but the light sources become vulnerable to malfunction due to exposure to wind, rain, and physical deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The light guiding rod serves as a protective intermediary that channels light through an enclosed optical path. This mediator protects the LED sources from direct exposure to environmental elements while maintaining high light emission, thereby improving both brightness and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a rope member with spiral indentations that provides a protective structure for the light guiding rod. This flexible protective shell shields the optical components from wind, rain, and physical damage while allowing the system to maintain its light emission performance.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the light guiding rod is made with high flexural modulus of elasticity to maintain structural stability, then the rod maintains its shape, but it becomes difficult to wind around the rope member and may slacken after winding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies an optimal range for the flexural modulus of elasticity (0.5 to 5.0×10³ MPa) rather than maximizing it. This parameter change allows the rod to have sufficient structural stability while maintaining enough flexibility to be easily wound around the rope member and retain its wound configuration without slackening.
4Strength
If the rope member is twisted at a large twisting angle to increase strength, then the wire rope becomes stronger, but the spiral indentations become less uniform and the light guiding rod winding becomes irregular
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies an optimal twisting angle range of 10° to 20° for the rope member. This parameter change ensures that the wire rope maintains sufficient strength while producing uniform spiral indentations that allow for regular, precise winding of the light guiding rod, thereby achieving both strength and manufacturing precision.
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 long-lasting, weather-resistant, and effective vision guidance with minimal slackening, enhancing safety and installation ease for outdoor applications.
Implementation Method 1
a light guiding rod (1) of circumferentially light emitting type which is adheringly wound around spiral indentations (V) formed between the strands (S) and S on the outer circumference of the rope member (3)
Implementation Method 2
provided with a core layer (11) essentially made of an acrylic-based resin and a clad layer (12) essentially made of a fluorine-based resin
Implementation Method 3
incorporating a light source that maintains luminance and chromaticity stability over 1000 hours and features a flexible modulus for secure winding, along with titanium oxide for UV protection
Data Source
AI summary
A vision guide with a light guiding rod including rope member formed by twisting plural strands; light guiding rod of circumferentially light emitting type being adheringly wound around spiral indentations formed between strands on outer circumference of rope member with core layer made of acrylic-based resin and clad layer made of fluorine-based resin; and light source attached to end portion of light guiding rod, wherein amount of change luminance of light guiding rod in test time over duration of 1000 hours by accelerated weathering tester is contained within range of ±10%; amount of change in each numerical value of chromaticity [x, y] is contained within range of ±0.02; flexural modulus of elasticity of light guiding rod under atmosphere of −20 degrees Centigrade is contained at range of 0.5-5.0×103 MPa; rope member is formed by twisting strands at twisting angle from 10°-20°; and spiral indentations are uniformly formed with pitch from 100 mm-200 mm.