Rigid Panel Lockout for Pendant Control Inhibition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Soft lockable bags used for lock out/tag out (LOTO) devices do not effectively inhibit the actuation of pendant controls or other terminally-positioned structures on a cord due to their flexible material, which can allow accidental operation even when covered.
Innovation Solution
A lockout device with flat, rigid surfaces incorporated into flexible fabric sections that surrounds the pendant control, featuring a selectively closeable opening with a drawstring and telescoping portions with snap tabs and a hinged rigid panel to securely prevent operation and allow collapsible storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If soft lockable bags made from flexible material are used to cover pendant controls, then the device can be easily applied and removed, but the flexible material does not completely inhibit the actuation of pendant controls
Solution Approach 1:
The lockout device combines rigid panels (providing structural integrity and inhibition capability) with flexible fabric sections (providing ease of application and conformability). This composite structure allows the device to be easily applied like soft bags while maintaining the reliability to prevent pendant actuation through rigid surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the lockout device have different properties: rigid panels are positioned at critical locations where pendant buttons or switches would be actuated, while flexible fabric sections are used in areas needing conformity and ease of application. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between softness and rigidity.
2Reliability
If rigid panels are incorporated into the lockout device to prevent pendant actuation, then the inhibition of pendant control operation is improved, but the device becomes less collapsible and more difficult to store
Solution Approach 1:
The lockout device incorporates telescoping portions that allow the rigid panels to be positioned at different extendable lengths, and foldable rigid panels that can transition between extended (providing inhibition) and collapsed (for storage) states. This dynamic capability resolves the contradiction between maintaining rigidity for safety and enabling collapse for storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid panel structure is divided into multiple segments including telescoping portions and foldable panels, allowing the device to be broken down into smaller, more manageable sections that can be collapsed and stored efficiently while maintaining the rigid inhibition surfaces when deployed.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the lockout device uses telescoping portions with snap tabs and ramps to adjust length, then the adaptability to different pendant sizes is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The telescoping portions use snap tabs that automatically engage with ramps and stops at predetermined positions, allowing the device to self-adjust and lock into place without requiring complex fastening mechanisms or multiple assembly steps. This simplifies the interaction while maintaining adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A lockout device includes a plurality of rigid panels and a flexible body extending along an insertion axis which has, on one axial end thereof, a selectively closeable opening. The rigid panels are affixed to sidewalls of the flexible body with the rigid panels being positioned about the insertion axis. When the selectively closeable opening is opened, the flexible body and the plurality of rigid panels collectively define an interior volume for reception of a pendant control or other terminally-positioned electrical structure on a cord through the selectively closeable opening. When the selectively closeable opening is closed around the cord from which the pendant control or other terminally-positioned electrical structure extends, the pendant is secured in the interior volume and use of the pendant is inhibited by the plurality of rigid panels of the lockout device.