Safety Switch Mounting With Spring Absorbing Vibrations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional safety switch mounting arrangements face issues with actuator misalignment, damage from vibrations, and repetitive power interruptions due to relative movement between the door and door post, leading to unreliable operation and potential machinery damage.
Innovation Solution
A mounting arrangement featuring a tapered aperture and elongate guiding element with a catch mechanism and resilient member, such as a helical spring, ensures accurate alignment and absorption of vibrations, preventing damage and ensuring repeatable operation by dissipating forces and maintaining actuator engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the actuator is rigidly mounted to the door and safety switch to the door post, then alignment precision is improved, but the system becomes sensitive to vibrations and relative movement causing damage and power interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting arrangements incorporate resilient members (springs) that allow dynamic adjustment and movement absorption. The actuator mounting includes a spring that permits relative movement between the door and door post without causing misalignment or damage, while the safety switch mounting includes a spring that maintains proper engagement despite vibrations.
Solution Approach 2:
Resilient members are pre-installed in the mounting arrangements to cushion against future vibrations and relative movements. The springs are positioned to absorb shocks and maintain alignment before damage or power interruptions can occur, preventing rather than reacting to problems.
2Reliability
If the actuator is allowed to move freely to accommodate vibrations, then operational reliability is improved, but alignment precision deteriorates causing misalignment and damage
Solution Approach 1:
Guiding elements act as intermediaries between the actuator and mounting structure, providing a controlled path for movement. The guiding elements constrain the actuator's movement to a specific trajectory, allowing vibration absorption while maintaining proper alignment through the guided motion path.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of resilient members and guiding elements creates a dynamic mounting system that adapts to vibrations while maintaining precision. The spring provides movement freedom while the guiding element ensures the movement follows a precise path, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and alignment.
3Device complexity
If conventional rigid mounting is used, then device complexity is reduced, but wear and tear increases due to vibrations and relative movement
Solution Approach 1:
Resilient members are incorporated into the mounting arrangements to preemptively cushion against vibrations and shocks during operation. This prevents wear and tear on the actuator and safety switch, extending their service life without significantly increasing the complexity of the mounting structure.
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 provides a reliable safety switch mechanism with improved alignment, reduced wear, and minimized power interruptions, ensuring consistent operation and extending the lifespan of both the actuator and safety switch.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient member which attaches the second mounting to a second support structure
Implementation Method 2
such as a helical spring
Data Source
AI summary
A mounting arrangement includes a first mounting that is attachable to a first support structure and configured to cooperate with one of a safety switch and a safety switch actuator and a second mounting configured to cooperate with the other of the safety switch and the safety switch actuator. The first and second mountings provide variable guided interaction between the first and second mountings and thereby provided variable guided interaction between the safety switch and the safety switch actuator.