Sliding Hatch Assembly for Wind Turbine Opening Safety
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Wind turbine openings pose a fall hazard to personnel due to space constraints that prevent the use of traditional hatch covers, necessitating the development of a system that can occlude these openings without exposing personnel to the risk.
Innovation Solution
A hatch assembly with a slidable support surface and frame structure that transitions between positions to occlude the opening, using a guideway system to prevent exposure, allowing for cargo handling and personnel access while maintaining safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional hinged hatch cover is used, then personnel can access the opening, but the cover creates a fall hazard when opened and requires separate gate structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the hatch cover and gate functions into a single integrated support surface. The support surface serves dual purposes: it covers the opening when closed and acts as a gate barrier when positioned vertically, eliminating the need for separate gate structures and continuously preventing fall hazards.
Solution Approach 2:
The support surface is designed to be movable between horizontal and vertical positions through a guideway system. This dynamic repositioning allows the same structure to adapt between covering the opening and blocking the passageway, maintaining safety while enabling access when needed.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the support surface is designed to occlude both the opening and passageway, then personnel safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support surface is designed as a multi-functional element that performs both opening coverage and passageway blocking functions. This universal design eliminates the need for separate hatch covers and gate structures, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining comprehensive safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple safety functions into a single integrated structure. The frame structure with guideways and the movable support surface work together to provide both opening occlusion and passageway blockage capabilities, simplifying the overall system architecture.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the support surface is made movable to enable access, then operational flexibility is improved, but the reliability of fall prevention deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The support surface is designed to be dynamically repositionable between horizontal and vertical positions through a controlled guideway system. This allows the system to adapt between covering and blocking functions while maintaining reliable fall prevention through the guided movement mechanism and interlocking features.
Solution Approach 2:
The guideway structure acts as an intermediary mechanism that controls the movement of the support surface. This intermediary system ensures that the support surface can only move along predetermined safe paths, maintaining reliability while enabling operational flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly and method are provided for preventing exposure of personnel to an opening defined by a surface of a wind turbine. Accordingly, a hatch assembly is arranged adjacent to the opening. The hatch assembly includes a frame structure and a support structure. The frame structure includes a plurality of frame members arranged together to at least partially surrounded opening the plurality of frame members further define a passageway for receiving the support surface. The support surface is slidable between a first position and a second position. The support surface occludes the opening defined by the surface of the wind turbine when the support surface is in the first position and occludes the passageway defined by the plurality frame members when in the second position so as to prevent exposure of personnel to the opening.