Slidable Comb Plate for Escalator Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automatic conveyor devices, such as escalators and moving walkways, face safety issues due to the risk of foreign objects, like shoelaces, entering the connection area between moving and stationary components, leading to potential damage or injury.
Innovation Solution
A slidable comb plate structure is integrated into the automatic conveyor device, featuring a comb support plate connected to a platform footboard via guide rails, allowing the comb plate to slide relative to the platform footboard when a foreign object is detected, thereby preventing entrapment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the comb plate is fixed to the platform footboard, then the structure is simple and stable, but foreign objects can be trapped between the comb plate and steps causing safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The comb plate structure is transformed from a fixed state to a movable state. The comb support plate can slide along the guide rails relative to the platform footboard, allowing the comb plate to dynamically adjust its position. This dynamic capability enables the comb plate to move away from steps when foreign objects are detected, preventing entrapment while maintaining structural simplicity through the use of guide rails and sliding mechanisms.
2Reliability
If the comb plate is made movable to prevent foreign object entrapment, then safety is improved, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The comb plate assembly is segmented into multiple independent components: the comb plate itself, the comb support plate, and the platform footboard. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently. The comb support plate can slide along the guide rails while the comb plate remains attached to it, creating a modular structure that improves safety without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The comb support plate acts as an intermediary between the comb plate and the platform footboard. It provides the sliding mechanism that allows the comb plate to move relative to the platform footboard while maintaining structural support. This intermediary component simplifies the overall design by concentrating the movement function in a single element rather than requiring complex mechanisms throughout the entire assembly.
3Reliability
If the comb support plate slides a large distance relative to the platform footboard, then foreign objects can be effectively released, but the guiding mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding mechanism uses guide rails that extend along the length direction of the platform footboard, providing guidance in one primary dimension. The sliding teeth engage vertically while allowing horizontal movement, effectively using vertical structure to enable horizontal sliding. This dimensional approach simplifies the guiding mechanism by separating the guidance function (vertical engagement of sliding teeth) from the movement function (horizontal sliding along guide rails).
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic conveyor device includes an entrance platform and an exit platform opposite to each other, and a series of steps running in a loop between the entrance platform and the exit platform; a platform footboard at the entrance platform or exit platform; a comb support plate connected to the platform footboard and slidable along guide rails of the platform footboard along a length direction; and one or more comb plates fixedly mounted onto the comb support plate.