Pivot Latch for Elevating Cage Floor Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Elevating cages with pivotally attached floor panels often have latches that protrude, causing trip hazards and catch points, which interfere with workers accessing the container hatches.
Innovation Solution
A platform assembly with pivotally attached panels and a latch that pivots due to weight imbalance, allowing the latch to move between a stowed orientation below the platform floor and a latching orientation to engage an attachment structure, such as a rail, to retain the panel in a raised position without protruding into the cage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a latch is used to retain the floor panel in a raised position, then the panel can be securely held open for access, but the latch protrudes into the cage creating trip hazards and catch points
Solution Approach 1:
The latch is designed to pivot between a stowed orientation where it lies substantially below the platform floor surface and a latching orientation where it engages the attachment structure. This dimensional movement resolves the contradiction by allowing the latch to be hidden when not in use, eliminating the trip hazard while maintaining retention capability when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch transitions from a static protruding structure to a dynamic component that can pivot between stowed and latching positions. This dynamic behavior allows the system to adapt its configuration based on operational needs, providing both safety (when stowed) and functionality (when latched).
2Reliability
If the latch is positioned to engage the attachment structure effectively, then the panel is securely retained, but the latch protrudes into the cage interfering with workers
Solution Approach 1:
The latch moves between two distinct dimensional states: a stowed orientation below the floor surface that provides clear worker access, and a latching orientation that engages the attachment structure for secure panel retention. This resolves the contradiction by separating the operational states in the vertical dimension.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch structure is divided into functional segments: a head portion for engaging the attachment structure and a tail portion providing a release handle. This segmentation allows the engagement function to be separated from the worker access area, maintaining both retention reliability and ease of operation.
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 eliminates trip hazards by keeping the latch below the platform floor when panels are lowered and securely engages the rail to maintain the panel in a raised position, providing safe access without interfering with workers.
Implementation Method 1
the latch pivots between the stowed orientation and the latching orientation due to a weight imbalance of the latch about the axis that causes a first moment in a first rotational direction about the axis when the at least one panel is in the first position and a second moment in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction about the axis when the at least one panel is in the second position
Data Source
AI summary
An elevating cage system includes floor panels for a walk surface that can pivot upward to expose a portion of a container disposed below the platform. Each floor panel has a latch that pivots to engage a cage railing surrounding the platform and hold the floor panel in an open position. The latch is weighted about a pivot so that when the panel is pivoted to a completely open position, the latch pivots under its own weight to engage a stop so that the latch is disposed in an orientation to engage the handrail and hold the panel in the open position until an operator releases the latch. When the panel pivots to its closed position, the latch's weight balance about its pivot causes the latch to rotate until the latch engages the stop and is held in a stowed orientation in which the latch is entirely below a plane of an upper surface of the panel.