Safety system for machinery
AssigneeALKEN Inc.
InventorsKeith Hanf, Allan Rodgers, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A safety system for a machine having a danger zone includes an induction coil having one or more turns extending along the periphery of a part of a worker's body as, for example, extending alone the fingers of a glove worn by the worker. A drive circuit applies a time-varying current having an identifiable characteristic such as the frequency of an alternating current. A magnetic field having the characteristic of the time-varying current is induced in an omnidirectional magnetic field sensor mounted adjacent the danger zone. The magnitude of this field is monitored. When the magnitude exceeds a threshold, a warning signal is issued and protective action may be taken, such as stopping or reversing the machine.
Claims10
An element for use in a safety system comprising:
- (a) a support including a body region adapted to overlie at least a portion of a palm or back of a human hand and one or more elongated digit regions projecting from a base adjacent the body region to a tip remote from the body region, each digit region being adapted to overlie a digit of the hand when the body region overlies the palm or back of the hand;
- (b) an induction coil comprising one or more continuous conductive wires, each continuous conductive wire including one or more segments formed in a plurality of overlapping loops having a winding number of two or greater, each loop of the segment including a pair of elongated runs continuously extending from the base of one said digit region to the tip of that digit region and a bend adjacent the tip of that digit region;
- and
- (c) a drive circuit coupled to the induction coil and configured to apply a time-varying current to the induction coil.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.