GB1592797A - Safety mats - Google Patents

Description

(54) SAFETY MATS (71) I, OMAR JEET JOHL, of 2, Shakespeare Way, Sutton Heights, Telford, Shropshire, England, an Indian citizen, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- The invention relates to a mat constructed of flexible material suitable for use as a safety mat in an industrial and/or domestic environment. The main object of this invention is to provide a fail safe, reliable and economical safety mat which will initiate a control and/or an alarm device when anyone treads upon the mat.

According to the invention there is provided a safety mat made of flexible material having a channel extending sinuously therein from an inlet-port to an outlet-port respectively connected to a fluid pressure source via a pressure regulator and a fluid outflow means via a fluid flow detector whereby any reduction in the rate of flow of the fluid through the channel is detected by the detector which is adapted to initiate a control and/or an alarm circuit.

The safety matt of this invention consists of two sheets of hardwearing flexible material e.g. rubber or plastics, glued or welded together to form narrow channels extending sinuously therein from an inletport to an outlet-port as shown in figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows the plan view of the mat with inlet-port and outlet-port arranged at diagonally opposite corners of the mat; figures Al, Bl and Cl are cross sections of the mat shown in figure 1 at lines A1-a1, B1-b1 and C1-c1 respectively. Figure 2 shows the plan view of the mat with the inlet-port and outlet-port arranged at the same side of the mat; figures A2, B2 and C2 are cross sections of the mat shown in figure 2 at lines A2-a2, B2-b2 and C2-c2 respectively. Figure 3 corresponds to a cross section at line X1-x1 of the mat in figure 1 and also a cross section at line X2-x2 of the mat in the figure 2.The narrow channels as shown in figure 1 and 2 form a continuous sinuous channel from the inlet-port to the outlet-port such that a fluid may flow through the body of the mat in a zig-zag pattern.

The basic scheme of operation of the safety mat is as follows:-- Figure 4 shows a basic arrangement and interconnections between a fluid reservoir (labeled RES), a pressure regulator (labeled RG), the safety mat (labeled SM) and a flow detector (labeled FD). The fluid under pressure from the reservoir flows through the pressure regulator to the inlet-port of the safety mat.

The fluid from the inlet-port flows in a zigzag pattern through the sinuous channels in the body of the mat to the outlet-port and through the flow detector to the outflow.

If there is no one treading on the mat, all the channels will be wide open and there will be a certain rate of flow of the fluid through to the flow detector. If anyone treads upon the mat; since the mat is made of flexible material, some of the channels will get squeezed under the external pressure on the surface of the mat and thus reduce the rate of flow of the fluid through to the flow detector. Application of external pressure on any part of the surface of the mat on top of the sinuous channels will produce changes in the rate of flow of the fluid through the mat.

The rate of flow detector is used to obtain a signal when the rate of flow of the fluid goes from high to low. This signal is employed to initiate a control and/or an alarm circuit, which in turn may be integrated with a machine control circuit to stop the machine operating and/or raise a warning alarm.

The pressure regulator is used to set an optimum rate of flow of the fluid through the mat, such that the flow detector operates satisfactorily to give rise to two distinct signals corresponding to "high flow rate" (when there is no one treading on the mat) and "low flow rate" (when there is anyone treading on the mat) respectively.

If the safety mat gets punctured or blocked or disconnected or the fluid supply to the system fails, the system will still be in a safe state, because these faults give rise to a persistant "low flow rate" signal from the detector.

A plurality of safety mats can be connected in series to cover as wide an area as desired for safe working of a machine.

The mat may be used for initiating a burglar alarm system. The mat can be placed directly under a carpet or any such floor covering. The use of the mat of the invention minimises fire hazard since there are no electrical wires or contacts which may give rise to a spark under the floor covering.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A safety mat made from flexible material having a channel extending sinuously therein from an inlet-port to an outlet-port respectively connected to a fluid pressure source via a pressure regulator and a fluid outflow means via a fluid flow detector whereby any reduction in the rate of flow of the fluid through the channel is detected by the detector which is adapted to initiate a control and/or an alarm circuit.

2. A mat constructed and arranged substantially as described herein and shown in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (2)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. blocked or disconnected or the fluid supply to the system fails, the system will still be in a safe state, because these faults give rise to a persistant "low flow rate" signal from the detector. A plurality of safety mats can be connected in series to cover as wide an area as desired for safe working of a machine. The mat may be used for initiating a burglar alarm system. The mat can be placed directly under a carpet or any such floor covering. The use of the mat of the invention minimises fire hazard since there are no electrical wires or contacts which may give rise to a spark under the floor covering. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A safety mat made from flexible material having a channel extending sinuously therein from an inlet-port to an outlet-port respectively connected to a fluid pressure source via a pressure regulator and a fluid outflow means via a fluid flow detector whereby any reduction in the rate of flow of the fluid through the channel is detected by the detector which is adapted to initiate a control and/or an alarm circuit.

2. A mat constructed and arranged substantially as described herein and shown in the accompanying drawings.