Foundation for supporting a post and arrangment for improved safety in connection to support structures for road equipment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current road equipment support structures, such as those for lighting posts and signs, often fail to meet the highest safety standards for collision safety, particularly in absorbing energy during vehicle impacts, leading to potential fatal injuries or disabilities.
Innovation Solution
A metal foundation with a circumferential wall and adjustable centering and adjusting means, including flexible tongues, is designed to securely position and stabilize road equipment posts, ensuring they remain upright and absorb collision energy effectively, preventing the post from leaving the foundation during impacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the foundation is designed with adjustable means to precisely position the post, then the alignment and stability of the post is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The foundation employs adjustable means that can be positioned at different locations around the circumferential wall, allowing the post to be aligned in multiple directions. The adjustable means can be moved to different radial positions to accommodate posts with different diameters and orientations, achieving precise alignment without requiring a completely complex reconfigurable structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The foundation is divided into distinct functional components: the circumferential wall forming the interior space, the centering means for initial positioning, and multiple adjustable means for fine-tuning alignment. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while keeping the overall structure manageable.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the foundation includes centering means and adjusting means to secure the post, then the post stability is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The foundation incorporates flexible tongues that can deflect during the adjustment process and then provide continuous contact with the post. These flexible elements are simpler to manufacture than rigid mechanical adjustment mechanisms while still providing effective stabilization and alignment functions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the foundation is designed to allow post adjustment in radial direction, then the adaptability to different post positions is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable means serve multiple functions: they act as centering elements during installation, provide alignment adjustment in radial directions, and serve as positioning stops once the post is secured. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components for each function, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining high adaptability.
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 enhances collision safety by allowing for precise alignment and adjustment of posts, providing protection against surface damage and ensuring the post remains anchored, thus reducing injury risk to vehicle occupants and meeting the highest energy absorption standards.
Implementation Method 1
each of the at least one flexible tongue is arranged to flex radially inwardly when the corresponding adjusting means is moved radially inwardly so that the adjusting means abuts the flexible tongue
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4b
Figure 5a~6
AI summary
Foundation (1) for supporting a post (100), comprising an interior space (3) arranged to receive and accommodate an end portion (101) of a post (10) and which is enclosed by a circumferential wall (2), the wall (2) having a top surface (4) arranged to limit the movement of a post (100) in a radial direction (z), transverse to an elongate extension direction (z) of the foundation. Further, centering means (6) protrudes in the radial direction (z) inwards into the interior space (3) and are arranged to center an end portion (101) of a post (100, at least one adjusting means (7) protrudes inwards into the interior space (3) and is arranged to adjust a post (100) in the radial direction, at least one flexible tongue (11), extending in the elongate extension direction (z) and is positioned radially inside of one adjusting means (7), the tongue (11) is arranged to flex radially inwardly when a corresponding adjusting means (7) is moved radially inwardly so that the adjusting means (7) abuts the flexible tongue (11).