Telescopic Pole Safety Device for Lighting Tower Collapse Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lighting towers with telescopic poles are prone to sudden collapse due to rope malfunctions in the raising system, posing a safety risk to operators, especially when the rope breaks, as they lack effective mechanisms to prevent such collapses.
Innovation Solution
A safety device comprising a rest element and an engage element connected by a spring mechanism that blocks the telescopic movement between pole elements when rope tension is lost, preventing the telescopic pole from collapsing by engaging into slots on the pole elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of stationary object
If a manual winch with rope and pulley system is used for raising the telescopic pole, then the apparatus is more compact and lighter, but the risk of sudden pole collapse increases due to potential rope failure
Solution Approach 1:
The safety device is pre-installed on the telescopic pole with the engage element positioned to automatically engage with the slot if rope failure occurs. The spring mechanism is pre-compressed or pre-tensioned to ensure immediate engagement without requiring additional activation, thus cushioning against the harmful effect of sudden collapse before it fully manifests
Solution Approach 2:
The safety device acts as an intermediary mechanism between the rope and the telescopic pole structure. It includes an intermediate engage element that connects to both the rope system (via rest element) and the pole (via slot engagement), transferring and controlling the force transmission to prevent uncontrolled collapse
2Reliability
If a safety device with engage element and spring mechanism is added to prevent pole collapse, then operator safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety device is designed to be self-activating through the spring mechanism that automatically engages the engage element with the slot when rope tension is lost. The device serves itself by using the loss of tension as the triggering condition, eliminating the need for external sensors, actuators, or complex control systems
Solution Approach 2:
The safety function is extracted as a separate, independent device that can be added to the existing manual winch system without replacing or modifying the core raising mechanism. This modular approach allows the safety function to be implemented independently, minimizing the impact on overall system complexity
3Illumination intensity
If the telescopic pole is raised to greater heights for better lighting coverage, then the illumination area is improved, but the risk of collapse and danger to operators increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety device provides preemptive protection regardless of the pole's height position. The engage element is designed to engage with the slot at any position along the telescopic pole, ensuring that collapse prevention works equally effectively whether the pole is at low or high positions, thus cushioning against the increased gravitational force and potential energy at greater heights
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 safety device effectively prevents the sudden collapse of the telescopic pole, ensuring operator safety by blocking the telescopic movement when rope tension is lost, maintaining the structure's robustness and manageability without increasing complexity.
Implementation Method 1
The reinstating means comprise at least one spring inserted inside a support of the at least one engage element, wherein the spring is configured for being subjected to compression in the first position, and is further configured for extending and moving the at least one engage element in the second position.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4(a)~5
AI summary
The present invention relates to a lighting tower (100) comprising: a telescopic pole (102) comprising a first pole element (201) and at least one second pole element (202), telescopically associated with each other; at least one lighting device (103) on a top of the pole (102); a raising system comprising at least one rope (601) configured for being tensioned and for stretching the pole (102) by unthreading the first pole element (201) with respect to the second pole element (202) with a telescopic movement; the lighting tower (100) further comprises a safety device (203) comprising: - a rest element (303) configured for contacting with at least one rope (601) and being maintained in a first position by a tension of the rope (601); - at least one engage element (302) connected to the rest element (303) and configured to move to a second position when the tension of the rope (601) slackens; wherein the at least one engage element (302) is further configured for engaging, in the second position, with a first slot of the first pole element (201) and with at least one second slot of the second pole element (202), to block the telescopic movement between the first pole element (201) and the second pole element (202).