Sliding Display Cabinet Lock With Rail Contact Position Sensing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing locking systems for sliding cupboards in display cabinets lack a reliable method to identify and transmit the locked position of sliding panes to monitoring devices, especially under vibrational conditions, and often require additional components like strikes for proper operation.
Innovation Solution
An electromagnetic locking system with a bolt interacting with a lateral protrusion on the rail, forming a closed electric circuit that allows identification of the locked position and transmission of an electric signal to a monitoring device, eliminating the need for additional strike components and ensuring operation independent of vibrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional mechanical lock or electromagnetic closure is used, then locking function is achieved, but reliable identification and transmission of locked position to monitoring device cannot be ensured, especially under vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the locking function and the monitoring function into a single integrated electromagnetic lock device. The bolt serves dual purposes: mechanically locking the pane and electrically closing the circuit to signal the locked position. This merging eliminates the need for separate monitoring components, achieving reliable vibration-resistant monitoring while keeping the system simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The electromagnetic lock performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the mechanical locking action through the bolt, serves as the actuator for the electric supervision circuit, and enables the transmission of locked position information. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by achieving reliable monitoring without adding separate components.
2Reliability
If additional components like strikes are added to the shoe to enable circuit closure, then locked position identification is achieved, but device complexity and number of parts increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the circuit closure function from the shoe and relocates it to the rail structure. The lateral protrusion on the rail serves as the contact element, eliminating the need for additional strike components on the shoe. This extraction reduces the number of parts while maintaining reliable locked position identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The rail structure provides its own lateral protrusion that automatically serves as the contact element for circuit closure when the bolt engages. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate strike components, achieving the function with existing structural elements.
3Reliability
If contact elements are added to the shoe for circuit closure, then locked position can be identified, but micro-breaks in contact due to pane vibrations occur
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding contact elements to the moving shoe (which is subject to vibrations), the patent inverts the approach by placing the contact element (lateral protrusion) on the stationary rail. The bolt on the electromagnetic lock (fixed in the frame) makes contact with this stationary protrusion, ensuring stable contact immune to pane vibrations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the locking and monitoring functions from the moving shoe component and places them in the stationary frame/rail structure. The electric circuit closure mechanism is separated from the vibrating pane assembly, eliminating vibration-induced contact issues while maintaining reliable monitoring.
4Device complexity
If a single lock is used to lock multiple panes, then device complexity is reduced, but the lock must be positioned in a location that can interact with multiple shoes simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The electromagnetic lock housed in the bottom frame performs a universal function for multiple panes. A single bolt can interact with notches on multiple shoes simultaneously or sequentially, enabling one lock to secure multiple sliding panes. This multi-functionality reduces component count while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the locking capability for multiple panes into a single electromagnetic lock device positioned in the bottom frame. The bolt's vertical displacement allows it to engage with notches on different shoes, combining multiple locking functions in one device and simplifying the overall system.
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 system provides reliable locking and signal transmission without additional parts, using the rail's protrusion as a natural stop, enhancing vibration resistance and simplifying the locking mechanism while maintaining electric supervision.
Implementation Method 1
the lock is of the electromagnetic type and is housed in the frame of the cupboard so that the bolt of the lock can interact with a notch formed on the shoe
Data Source
AI summary
A cupboard forming a display cabinet includes at least one pane fixed on a shoe moving along a rail and an electromagnetic lock housed in the frame of the cupboard, so that its bolt can interact with a notch formed on the shoe when the pane is in the locked position. In order to identify the locking of the pane, the rail may have a lateral protrusion and the cupboard may contain an electric circuit including a contact between the bolt of the lock and the protrusion, the closure of the circuit allowing the desired identification.