Modular Safety Switch with Form-Fitting Housing and Expandable Modules
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional modular safety switches for monitoring protective device status are complex and limited in their variability and expandability, failing to provide a highly flexible and easily expandable solution for ensuring safe access.
Innovation Solution
A modular safety switch with a form-fitting basic housing allowing variable attachment to protective devices, featuring reed relays and/or RFID transponders for non-contact monitoring, and expandable modules for additional locking, emergency stop, and status display functions, utilizing magnetic or mechanical closing elements for secure operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional modular safety switches are designed with fixed functional units, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability and versatility are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The safety switch is divided into a basic housing and separate expansion modules that can be independently attached or removed. The basic housing contains essential components (signal transmitter, signal receiver, evaluation unit), while additional functions are provided by detachable modules such as locking units, emergency stop buttons, and status displays. This segmentation allows the system to be customized according to specific application requirements without increasing the complexity of the core device.
Solution Approach 2:
The basic housing is designed with a universal interface that can accommodate various types of expansion modules. The form-fitting design with standardized attachment mechanisms allows different modules to be interchangeably mounted on the same basic housing, enabling a single device to perform multiple functions depending on the configured modules. This multi-functionality approach resolves the contradiction by providing adaptability through modular expansion rather than integrating all functions into a single complex unit.
2Reliability
If the safety switch uses contact-based switching mechanisms, then the reliability is improved, but the ease of operation and safety are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional contact-based mechanical switching mechanisms with non-contact sensing technologies. Reed relays and RFID transponders are used to detect the position of protective devices and transmit signals without physical contact. This substitution maintains reliability through robust signal detection while improving ease of operation by eliminating mechanical wear, reducing maintenance requirements, and enabling quieter operation. The evaluation unit processes these non-contact signals to determine safety states, providing both reliability and operational ease.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the basic housing is designed with fixed mounting positions, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the adaptability to different mounting situations is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The basic housing is designed with dynamic mounting capabilities rather than fixed positions. The form-fitting partial bodies can be attached to different locations on protective devices, and the housing structure accommodates various mounting orientations and positions. This dynamic design allows the safety switch to be adapted to different mounting situations (inside or outside protective devices, different orientations) while maintaining manufacturing precision through standardized attachment interfaces and form-fitting connections that ensure proper alignment and sealing regardless of mounting location.
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
Enables flexible and secure monitoring of protective device status with enhanced expandability, reliable non-contact detection, and customizable safety features, ensuring safe access and operation.
Implementation Method 1
the signal transmitter and the signal receiver are designed as reed relays and/or RFID transponders
Implementation Method 2
the signal transmitter and the signal receiver are designed as reed relays and/or RFID transponders
Implementation Method 3
in technologies such as Hall or GMR ("giant magnetoresistance") educated
Implementation Method 4
in technologies such as Hall or GMR ("giant magnetoresistance") educated
Implementation Method 5
The partial bodies advantageously have magnetic or mechanical closing elements which bring about the closing force
Implementation Method 6
The partial bodies advantageously have magnetic or mechanical closing elements which bring about the closing force
Data Source
Figure 1~1A
Figure 2~2C
AI summary
The invention relates to a modular safety switch (1) for monitoring a protective device state, comprising a basic housing (2) consisting of at least two sub-bodies that are positively interlocked with each other, wherein a signal transmitter (4) is provided in one sub-body (2b) and a signal receiver (3) in the other sub-body (2a), so that a safe state of the protective device can be detected, and wherein the sub-bodies (2a, 2b) are designed such that a closing force is formed, so that the sub-bodies (2a, 2b) are held together when the sub-bodies (2a, 2b) are arranged opposite each other, and wherein the basic housing (2) can be extended with various safety functions, which can be attached differently in the basic housing (2) and/or as extension modules (6, 7, 8, 9) to the basic housing according to a safety requirement for the protective device.