Stop Buffer Impact Sensing for Wear and Failure Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Stop buffers in carriages and crane systems face frequent high mechanical loading, leading to wear and potential failure, necessitating labor-intensive maintenance and risking damage from undetected collisions due to inadequate inspection accessibility and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A stop buffer with impact detection and failure monitoring capabilities, featuring a first spring body connected to a carrier body with an electrical sensor that actuates upon predefined force thresholds, allowing for wireless data transfer and eliminating the need for regular on-site inspections by using an electromechanical energy transducer as a power source and signal initiator.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If regular on-site inspections are conducted to detect wear and failure, then reliability is improved, but loss of time and productivity deteriorate due to labor-intensive maintenance and system downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The stop buffer performs self-diagnosis through integrated sensors that automatically detect wear and failure conditions. The sensor system monitors the spring body's condition and triggers alerts without requiring external inspection personnel, enabling the system to serve its own monitoring needs and eliminate scheduled maintenance interruptions
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system provides continuous feedback on the spring body's condition by detecting changes in mechanical properties. This feedback loop enables real-time monitoring of wear progression and immediate notification when threshold values are exceeded, allowing proactive maintenance scheduling that minimizes downtime while ensuring reliability
2Measurement precision
If manual inspections are performed to detect wear, then measurement capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase due to accessibility requirements and safety measures
Solution Approach 1:
Manual mechanical inspection methods are replaced with an integrated electrical sensor system that automatically measures wear conditions. The sensor detects changes in the spring body's mechanical properties through electrical signals, eliminating the need for physical access and manual measurement tools while improving measurement precision and reducing system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system serves multiple functions: it monitors wear progression, detects sudden failures, triggers maintenance alerts, and provides diagnostic data. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate inspection systems into a single integrated solution, reducing overall device complexity
3Adaptability or versatility
If stop buffers are placed in exposed locations for optimal protection, then functionality is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficult accessibility for maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The automated sensor system enables the stop buffer to self-monitor and self-report its condition, eliminating the need for maintenance personnel to physically access exposed locations for inspection. The system performs its monitoring function independently regardless of location accessibility, allowing optimal placement for protection while maintaining ease of operation through remote diagnostics
4Ease of operation
If battery-powered sensors are used for wireless monitoring, then ease of operation is improved, but loss of time increases due to regular battery replacement requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs energy harvesting techniques that capture ambient mechanical energy from the stop buffer's operation to power the sensor system. This approach replaces disposable batteries with a self-sustaining energy solution, eliminating periodic battery replacement while maintaining wireless operation and ease of use
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
Enables early detection of wear and failure, preventing damage by wirelessly signaling maintenance needs, reducing maintenance costs, and ensuring continuous operation by avoiding battery replacement and environmental exposure risks.
Implementation Method 1
a first spring body (2) made of an elastic material, which first spring body (2) is connected to a carrier body (3)
Implementation Method 2
for absorption of kinetic energy during a collision between two objects
Implementation Method 3
using an electromechanical energy transducer as a power source and signal initiator
Data Source
AI summary
A stop buffer for absorbing kinetic energy in a collision between two objects, includes a first spring body made of an elastic material. The first spring body is connected to a carrier body, and includes at least one electrical sensor, which has a triggering element that can be mechanically actuated. The sensor outputs a signal when the triggering element is actuated. The sensor is arranged relative to the carrier body in such a way that the triggering element is actuated by a detachment of the first spring body from the carrier body, or an actuation mechanism is provided, by which the triggering element of the sensor is actuated by a force acting on the carrier body in a collision when the force exceeds a predefined magnitude that indicates a failure of the first spring body because of wear or, if the first spring body is intact, indicates excessive collision energy.