US 5,946,859 AGranted

Safety problem solution with movement control system

AssigneeXerox Corporation

InventorsWilliam E. Kramer, William R. Klimley

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Abstract

A motion control system controls the linear motion of a safety gate or other object, to prevent its skewing or binding, by two inter-connecting (meshed) gears, which also connect with (are respectively meshed with) two spaced apart, parallel, linear gear racks. The two gears extend between and interconnect the two gear racks, so that all four components are geared together, and have the same gear pitch. This forces the two spaced apart gear racks to track and move in lock-step with one another in a direction of motion aligned with and parallel to the gear racks, thus insuring linear movement of the member being moved (the safety gate here) irrespective of where on the member the moving member is pushed, pulled or otherwise acted on, i.e., even off-center, and without requiring critical edge guide channels, tracks, or the like. In this example a simple solenoid moves the safety gate with consistently low force.

Claims2

Dependent claims

In an safety gate motion control system for human safety protection from moving machinery, wherein a safety gate must be repeatedly reliably moved relative to a mounting frame in a desired movement direction into a safety position without skewing or binding, the improvement in said safety gate motion control system comprising;

first and second spaced apart elongated parallel linear gear racks integrally mounted to and moving with said safety gate,
wherein both said first and second gear racks extend in said desired movement direction;
a rotatable intermeshing gear train of plural gears mounted to said mounting frame in a fixed position;
said safety gate having plural elongated slots extending in said desired movement direction;
wherein said plural gears are all rotatably mounted to said mounting frame by plural fixed gear axles;
wherein each of said gear axles extends through a respective said elongated slot in said safety gate so as to are non-interfering with movement of said safety gate in said desired movement direction;
said plural gears of said gear train positively gear connecting said first and second gear racks for common linear movement of both said first and second gear racks in the same direction to provide linear motion of said safety gate to insure said movement of said safety gate in said desired movement direction without skewing and without any laterally-confining edge guides.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.