Glove port safety mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9452539-B2
Application number	US-201414533234-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 5, 2014
Priority date	Oct 15, 2010
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

A safety device for a glove port includes a hatch that is rotatably fixable by a hinge to an outer frame of a glove port so as to rotate between a closing position and an opening position for preventing or allowing access to the glove port, respectively. The device further includes a sensor associated with the glove port and arranged for engaging and/or detecting an abutment portion of said the hatch in the closing condition and generating an alarm signal when the abutment portion does not engage the sensor means, in particular when the hatch is not in the closing position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for stopping an automatic machine comprising a safety device for a glove port, the safety device comprising a hatch providing access to the glove port, the hatch including an appendage containing a through hole, a hinge connecting the hatch with a frame of the machine and including a pivot pin fixed to the frame by a pivot assembly and arranged in the appendage through hole, the pivot assembly including a cam containing a recess, and an active sensor that detects an element fixed to a portion of the hatch when the hatch is in a closed position, said method comprising mechanically blocking the hatch in the closed position where the hatch is adjacent to the frame and prevented from rotating by a roller mounted on the hatch and arranged in the cam recess to prevent access to the glove port, opening the hatch by rotating the hatch about an axis X to the open position where the hatch is away from the frame to allow access to the glove port;
and before the hatch is rotated there being provided the steps of:
(a) linearly displacing the hatch along the axis X from the closed position to an intermediate position in which the active sensor stops detecting the element, the hatch is linearly displaced relative to the frame and continues to prevent access to the glove port, and the roller is out of the cam recess to engage a race of the cam,
(b) generating an alarm and stop signal for the automatic machine when the hatch reaches the intermediate position where the hatch is linearly displaced relative to the frame, and
(c) stopping the automatic machine when the alarm and stop signal are generated, and wherein
the step of rotating the hatch about the axis X from the intermediate position to the open position being provided after the alarm and stop signal have been generated.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the linearly displacing step comprises lifting the hatch to the intermediate position, the intermediate position being a raised position axially above said closed position.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the linearly displacing step comprises linearly displacing the element away from the active sensor, whereby the active sensor does not detect the presence of the element.

4. A method for stopping an automatic machine comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a glove port in the automatic machine;
(b) providing a safety device comprising a hatch which affords access to the glove port, the hatch including an appendage containing a through hole, a hinge connecting the hatch with a frame of the automatic machine and including a pivot pin fixed to the frame by a pivot assembly and arranged in the appendage through hole, the pivot assembly including a cam containing a recess, and an active sensor connected with the frame of the automatic machine for detecting an element connected with a portion of the hatch when the hatch in a closed position;
(c) mechanically blocking the hatch in the closed position where the hatch is adjacent to the frame and prevents access to the glove port and is prevented from rotating by a roller mounted on the hatch and arranged in the cam recess;
(d) opening the hatch by rotating the hatch about an axis X to an open position where the hatch is away from the frame to allow access to the glove port,
and before the hatch is rotated there being provided the steps of:
(e) linearly displacing the hatch along the axis X while preventing rotational movement of the hatch about the axis X from the closed position to an intermediate position in which the active sensor stops detecting the element, the hatch is linearly displaced relative to the frame but continues to prevent access to the glove port, and the roller is out of the cam recess and engages a race of the cam,
(f) generating an alarm and a stop signal for the automatic machine when the hatch reaches the intermediate position where the hatch is linearly displaced relative to the frame, and
(g) stopping the automatic machine when the alarm and stop signal are generated, and wherein

the step of rotating the hatch about the axis X from the intermediate position to the open position being provided after the alarm and stop signal have been generated.

Assignees

• Ima Spa

Inventors

• Sassatelli Luca

Classifications

• Y10T16/53984

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• E05F15/40

  Safety devices, e.g. detection of obstructions or end positions · CPC title

• E05F15/0004

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic

• Y10T16/5398

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• G08B21/187

  Machine fault alarms · CPC title