Gate arm saver
View Patent ↗A gate arm saver is provided. The gate arm saver includes a cam and cam follower arrangement. A biasing element biases the cam follower into engagement with a detent formed in the cam upon rotation of the cam from a rest position due a loading placed upon a gate arm extending from the gate arm saver.
1. A gate arm saver, comprising:
a mounting bracket configured to receive a gate arm,
a pivot about which the mounting bracket is pivotably mounted;
a cam positioned outwardly about the pivot, the cam including a detent, the cam pivotable about the pivot from a rest position;
a cam follower abutting the cam and positioned within the detent in the rest position; and
a leaf spring, the cam follower connected to the leaf spring such that the cam follower is resiliently biased by the leaf spring into engagement with the detent such that a force applied about the pivot overcomes a biasing force provided by the leaf spring to force the cam follower out of engagement with the detent to permit movement of the mounting bracket.
2. The gate arm saver of claim 1 , wherein the cam has a generally arcuate outer periphery defining an arc length, wherein the detent is positioned at a midpoint of the arc length.
3. The gate arm saver of claim 2 , wherein the detent, cam follower, and a pivot axis which the pivot rotates about are aligned along a common axis in the rest position.
4. The gate arm saver of claim 3 , wherein the cam follower and pivot axis remain aligned along the common axis when the cam rotates out of the rest position.
5. The gate arm saver of claim 4 , wherein the cam has a radius of curvature and the pivot is pivotable about the pivot axis, and wherein an origin of the radius of curvature is not coincident with the pivot axis.
6. The gate arm saver of claim 4 , wherein the cam has a radius of curvature and the pivot is pivotable about the pivot axis, and wherein an origin of the radius of curvature is not coincident with the pivot axis.
7. The gate arm saver of claim 1 , wherein the leaf spring includes first and second distal ends, and wherein the pivot is positioned between the first and second distal ends.
8. The gate arm saver of claim 1 , wherein the detent is a generally semi-circular notch.
9. A gate arm saver, comprising:
a mounting bracket configured to receive a gate arm,
a pivot about which the mounting bracket is pivotably mounted to pivot from a rest position to a deflected position and from the deflected position to the rest position;
a cam defining a cam surface positioned outwardly about the pivot, the cam including a detent, the cam pivotable about the pivot from a rest position;
a cam follower abutting the cam surface, the cam follower positioned within the detent in the rest position; and
a leaf spring, the cam follower connected to the leaf spring such that the leaf spring biases the cam follower against the cam surface to pivot the mounting bracket about the pivot to transition the mounting bracket from the deflected position to the rest position.
10. The gate arm saver of claim 9 , wherein the cam has a generally arcuate outer periphery defining an arc length, the detent situated at a midpoint of the arc length.
11. The gate arm saver of claim 9 , wherein the detent, the cam follower and a pivot axis which the pivot rotates about are aligned along a common axis in the rest position.
12. The gate arm saver of claim 11 , wherein the cam follower and pivot axis remain aligned along the common axis when the cam rotates out of the rest position.