Stanchion Locking Device with U-Shaped Support Collar
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stanchion arrangements for vehicles, such as railway wagons, face issues with securing stanchions in their operating position while allowing easy pivoting into a rest position after prolonged use, as the locking devices often lead to plastic deformation and difficulty in removing stanchions due to the transmission of forces.
Innovation Solution
A stanchion arrangement featuring a fixed support collar with a U-shaped cross-section and lateral support legs, along with a locking bar and a spring mechanism, which transfers holding forces directly to the vehicle frame, ensuring the stanchion can pivot into the rest position without jamming, even with wear, and includes a locking bolt to prevent unintentional pivoting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a movable stanchion shoe with guide part is used to lock the stanchion, then the stanchion can be secured in the operating position, but the guide part and snap-in element undergo plastic deformation after prolonged use, making unlocking difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The locking device is segmented into a fixed support collar attached to the vehicle and a movable stanchion shoe on the stanchion. The support collar includes fixed locking elements (support legs and locking bar) that remain stationary, while the stanchion shoe with guide part moves along the stanchion. This segmentation allows the fixed elements to bear the brunt of locking forces without deforming, while the movable guide part can still engage and disengage easily.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire locking device movable as in prior art, the invention inverts the approach by making the support collar fixed to the vehicle and only the stanchion shoe movable. The locking action is achieved by the stanchion shoe engaging with the fixed locking elements, reversing the traditional movable-fixture approach and preventing deformation of repeated-contact components.
2Ease of operation
If the stanchion shoe is slidably arranged on the stanchion to allow easy removal, then the stanchion can be detached, but the locking device cannot reliably secure the stanchion against considerable forces
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into a fixed support collar with robust locking elements and a movable stanchion shoe. The support legs and locking bar of the support collar remain fixed to the vehicle, providing stable anchoring points that can withstand considerable forces. The stanchion shoe moves independently along the stanchion, allowing easy engagement and disengagement while the fixed elements maintain secure locking.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide part of the stanchion shoe features a curved guide surface that interacts with the locking bar. This curved geometry allows the guide part to smoothly engage with and disengage from the locking bar through pivoting motion, facilitating easy stanchion removal while maintaining reliable locking when engaged.
3Reliability
If the support collar is fixed to the vehicle, then the locking forces are transmitted directly to the vehicle frame, but the stanchion cannot pivot into the rest position if the support collar shows wear or jams
Solution Approach 1:
The locking system is segmented into fixed support collar elements (support legs, locking bar) and a movable stanchion shoe with guide part. The fixed elements provide reliable force transmission to the vehicle frame, while the movable guide part maintains continuous contact with the stanchion, allowing the stanchion to pivot freely into the rest position even if the fixed elements show wear or become jammed.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide part acts as an intermediary between the fixed support collar and the stanchion. It maintains continuous contact with the stanchion throughout its range of motion, mediating the interaction between the fixed locking elements and the movable stanchion. This ensures the stanchion can always pivot into the rest position via the guide part, while force transmission occurs through the fixed support legs and locking bar to the vehicle frame.
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 reliable locking and easy unlocking of stanchions, preventing plastic deformation and facilitating effortless pivoting and storage, maintaining operational flexibility and reducing wear on components.
Implementation Method 1
a holding and restoring mechanism, which essentially consists of a spring element that acts on the stanchion on the one hand and on a part fixed to the vehicle on the other
Implementation Method 2
the stanchion can transfer the holding forces acting on it during the transport of piece goods directly into the vehicle frame via the lateral support legs and/or the rear support web of the support collar
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~7
AI summary
The platform arrangement (2) has an interlocking device (6) that is provided with a supporting flange (7). The supporting flange is provided as u-shaped cross section with a rearward supporting web (8) and two lateral supporting legs (9,10). The supporting flange is arranged at a distance from an axis of rotation. The supporting web runs parallel to the axis of rotation.