Rack security enclosure bracket
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing security enclosures and safety backstop systems for pallet racks face difficulties in installation due to precisely milled bracket holes requiring vertical and horizontal alignment, which is challenging especially when handling the weight of rear panels and ensuring alignment with pallet rack leg holes.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of adjustable rear mounting brackets with orientation tabs and elongated slots allows for lateral and vertical adjustment, facilitating easier alignment and installation by providing flexible positioning of the rear panel relative to the pallet rack, accommodating various manufacturer designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If precisely milled bracket holes are used for secure attachment, then connection strength is improved, but installation difficulty increases due to alignment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket holes are designed as elongated slots rather than fixed circular holes, allowing dynamic adjustment during installation. The slots can accommodate a range of positions, enabling installers to align the brackets with pallet rack leg holes while maintaining secure attachment. This transforms the static alignment requirement into a flexible positioning feature.
Solution Approach 2:
The geometry of the bracket attachment feature is changed from circular holes to elongated slots. This parameter change allows the attachment points to vary in position along the slot length, providing alignment flexibility while preserving the structural integrity of the connection when properly installed.
2Device complexity
If rear panel is pre-attached to brackets, then assembly is simplified, but manipulation difficulty increases due to weight and alignment challenges
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate components: brackets with elongated slots and rear panels with positioning features. The brackets are installed on the pallet rack first, establishing reference points. Then the rear panel is attached to the brackets, using the elongated slots to accommodate alignment adjustments. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall assembly process.
Solution Approach 2:
The brackets are pre-installed on the pallet rack legs before attaching the rear panel. The elongated slots are oriented to facilitate alignment during this preliminary installation phase. This preliminary action establishes a stable foundation that guides the subsequent attachment of the rear panel, reducing manipulation difficulty.
3Reliability
If multiple brackets are used for secure attachment, then connection reliability is improved, but alignment complexity increases between different rack legs
Solution Approach 1:
The elongated slot design provides multiple functions: it serves as both the attachment feature and the alignment mechanism. The same slot structure that provides secure attachment also inherently guides alignment across multiple brackets and rack legs, eliminating the need for separate alignment features. This universal design simplifies the overall system while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment feature extends in a second dimension (along the length of the slot) rather than being confined to a single point. This dimensional change provides an additional degree of freedom for alignment, allowing brackets to be positioned correctly relative to multiple rack legs while maintaining secure attachment. The elongated slot effectively adds an alignment dimension to the attachment process.
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable rear mounting bracket may include a planar main body, a channel extending from the planar main body, at least one forward slot, at least one rear slot, a rear pair of tabs, and a forward pair of tabs. The channel is configured to couple to at the rear panel. One of the rear or forward pairs of tabs may be configured to engage a rear leg of the pallet rack for laterally aligning the at least one rear slot or the at least one forward slot with at least one hole of the rear leg. The at least one rear or forward slot may then be vertically adjusted. The at least one rear slot when coupled to the pallet rack may define a close mounting position and, alternatively, the at least one forward slot when coupled to the pallet rack may define an offset mounting position.