Optical Safety Switch Light Guide for State Signaling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety switches for monitoring the closed status of protective devices on machines require complex and unreliable methods to determine their operating states, especially when the protective device is closed and the signaling means are covered by the actuator.
Innovation Solution
A device with a beam splitter that splits light into multiple exit windows, allowing optical signaling of the protective device's state both inside and outside, even when the signaling means are covered by the actuator, using a light-guiding system integrated with the actuator and a switch head, which can interact to signal the closed state to higher-level controls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the signaling means are covered by the actuator when the protective device is closed, then the compactness and protection of components are improved, but the visibility and detectability of the signal deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide is segmented into multiple sections: an entry window section, a middle section, and an exit window section. This segmentation allows the light guide to pass through the actuator while maintaining both signal transmission and component protection functions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guide acts as an intermediary element that carries the optical signal from the signaling means through the actuator to the outside environment. This mediator enables signal detection while the actuator remains closed, solving the contradiction between protection and detectability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a beam splitter is added to split light into multiple exit windows, then the signal visibility in multiple directions is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The beam splitter is integrated into the existing light guide structure, allowing a single component to perform multiple functions: guiding light, splitting light into multiple directions, and maintaining signal intensity. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The beam splitter functionality is merged with the light guide structure, combining what could be separate components into a unified optical element. This integration simplifies the overall system while achieving multi-directional signal visibility.
3Loss of information
If the light guide passes through the actuator, then the signal can be detected both inside and outside the guard, but the risk of contamination and damage to the light guide increases
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide is designed as a thin, flexible optical element that can pass through the actuator while maintaining its structural integrity. This thin-film approach minimizes the surface area exposed to contaminants while still enabling effective light transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guide serves as a protected intermediary pathway through the actuator, allowing signal transmission without direct exposure of the signaling means to the external environment. The actuator itself acts as a protective barrier around the light guide.
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 reliable and long-term monitoring of the protective device's status with minimal effort, ensuring the signal is perceivable and protected from contamination and damage, while allowing for space-saving design and effective protection of components.
Implementation Method 1
the light-guiding means has a beam splitter, which splits the light entering through the entry window into at least two exit windows
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device (1) for monitoring the state of a system (2), in particular safety switches for monitoring the closed state of safety equipment (2) of a machine (3), wherein the device (1) is provided with a switch head (10) and an actuator (8), which can be brought into interaction with one another and thus controll the device (1). The invention is characterized in that the switch head (10) is provided with an optical signal means (14) for optically signaling an operational state of the device (1) the actuator (8) is provided with a light-guiding means (28) having at least one entrance window (32) and at least one exit window (34, 36), and in a state of the device (1) in which the switch head (10) and the actuator (8) are interacting with one another, the light emitted by the signal means (14) enters, at least in part, via the at least one entrance window (32) and exits via the at least one exit window (34, 36).