Self-locating Door Interlock with Sliding Protrusion for Misalignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mechanical interlocks in electrical component enclosures often malfunction due to misalignment of locking protrusions and members, caused by manufacturing tolerances, assembly issues, and wear, making it difficult to close and interlock doors safely.
Innovation Solution
A door interlock apparatus with angled self-locating features and a misalignment-accommodating mechanism that allows motion to align the locking protrusion with the interlock mechanism, ensuring seamless latching and accommodating substantial initial misalignment, facilitating easy door closing and interlocking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional mechanical interlocks are used with welded locking protrusions, then the interlock mechanism provides basic locking function, but misalignment occurs due to manufacturing tolerances and assembly issues causing malfunction
Solution Approach 1:
The locking protrusion is made movable relative to the door through a sliding mechanism within a slot, allowing dynamic adjustment to compensate for misalignment between the door and interlock mechanism. This transforms a static, precision-dependent connection into a dynamic, self-aligning system that accommodates manufacturing tolerances.
Solution Approach 2:
A slot and slider mechanism is introduced as an intermediary between the locking protrusion and the door, enabling relative motion that facilitates alignment. This intermediary structure absorbs the misalignment caused by manufacturing variations and allows the locking protrusion to find its correct position during door closure.
2Ease of operation
If conventional fixed interlock mechanisms are used, then the structure is simple, but difficulty arises in closing doors due to misalignment between locking components
Solution Approach 1:
The locking protrusion is designed to slide within a slot during door closure, enabling automatic alignment without requiring precise pre-positioning. This dynamic adjustment simplifies the door closing operation by eliminating the need for manual alignment while adding only a simple sliding mechanism to the overall structure.
3Reliability
If welded locking protrusions are used directly on doors, then the interlock apparatus is compact, but misalignment and wear cause malfunction over time
Solution Approach 1:
The locking protrusion is separated from the door and connected through a sliding mechanism, allowing it to move independently to maintain proper alignment. This dynamic connection compensates for wear and misalignment over time, maintaining consistent interlock performance without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The interlock apparatus is segmented into separate components: the locking protrusion, the sliding mechanism within the slot, and the door mounting structure. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and facilitates maintenance or replacement of worn parts without replacing the entire interlock system.
Data Source
AI summary
A door interlock apparatus is disclosed. The door interlock apparatus has a body configured to couple to a first one of a door and an enclosure structure, the body having one or more angled self-locating features, a locking protrusion extending from a surface of the body and configured to couple with the locking member of an interlock mechanism, and a misalignment-accommodating mechanism configured and adapted to allow motion of the body. The door interlock apparatus aligns the locking protrusion and locking member during door closing, even when the door and enclosure structure are substantially misaligned. Electrical component enclosures, door interlock assemblies, and methods of assembling a door interlock assembly are also provided, as are other aspects.