Automated safety rail system
AssigneeLeading Edge Safety, LLC
InventorsBrent Edward Smith, Matthew Scott Small, Travis Michael Budenbender
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automated safety rail system for use on an elevated surface or for temporarily blocking off a restricted area, the automated safety rail system broadly includes primary support structures, horizontally extending support structures, an actuator for shifting the support structures between a disengaged and an engaged configuration, and an electronic control system.
Claims18
A safety rail system for use on an elevated surface, the safety rail system comprising:
- a plurality of primary support structures spaced from each other;
- a plurality of substantially horizontally extending members connected between the primary support structures;
- an actuator configured to shift the primary support structures and the substantially horizontally extending members between a disengaged configuration and an engaged configuration;
- a plurality of skids each having a conduit section connectable to conduit sections of adjacent skids, the conduit sections collectively being configured to carry pressured air to an actuator of each skid;
- and
- a locking mechanism configured to lock the primary support structures and the horizontally extending members in the engaged configuration,
- wherein the primary support structures are substantially vertical in the engaged configuration such that the primary support structures and the horizontally extending members are configured to prevent a person from falling off of the elevated surface.
A safety rail system comprising:
- a plurality of skids connectable to each other, each skid including:
- three primary support structures spaced from each other;
- a plurality of substantially horizontally extending members connected between the primary support structures;
- an actuator configured to shift the primary support structures and the substantially horizontally extending members between a disengaged configuration and an engaged configuration;
- a locking mechanism configured to lock the primary support structures and the horizontally extending members in the engaged configuration;
- a valve attached to the actuator and configured to selectively apply pressurized air to the actuator;
- and
- a valve attached to the locking mechanism and configured to selectively apply pressurized air to the actuator, and
- an electronic control system for selectively activating the actuators and the locking mechanisms via the respective valves,
- wherein the primary support structures are substantially vertical in the engaged configuration such that the primary support structures and the horizontally extending members are configured to prevent a person from falling off of an elevated surface or from entering an unauthorized area.
An electronic control system for controlling a safety rail system, the electronic control system comprising:
- a user interface configured to display to an operator indicators representing whether the safety rail system is in the disengaged configuration, in the engaged configuration, or is being shifted between the disengaged configuration and the engaged configuration;
- and
- a plurality of electronic switches for selectively opening actuator valves for shifting the safety rail system between a disengaged configuration and an engaged configuration and a plurality of locking mechanism valves for activating the locking mechanisms when the electronic control system is shifted to the engaged configuration, wherein the safety rail system is configured to prevent a person from falling off of an elevated surface when in the engaged configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.