A low-noise wear-resistant spiral track-based roller shutter garage door system

Abstract

This application relates to the field of garage door assembly technology, specifically disclosing a roller shutter garage door system based on a low-noise, wear-resistant spiral track. The system includes a roller shutter track, door curtain slats, and a door curtain drive mechanism. The roller shutter track includes a vertical track and a spiral track connected to the upper end of the vertical track. The door curtain slats are elastically connected, with their side edges embedded in the roller shutter track. Ball bearings are embedded at the ends of the door curtain slats within the roller shutter track, allowing them to roll within the slats. The diameter of the ball bearings is larger than the thickness of the door curtain slats, and the ball bearings contact the interior of the roller shutter track and roll along it. The roller shutter track also includes a lubrication structure. The purpose of this patent is to solve the problem of increased noise caused by loose fittings after long-term use of the improved roller shutter door structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of garage door equipment technology, and in particular to a roller shutter garage door system based on a low-noise, wear-resistant spiral track. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of high-end intelligent garage doors, existing garage door tracks generally adopt a linear rigid structure. The door curtain and the track are connected by rollers, and the contact method is surface contact or line contact transmission. This has three major defects: First, the friction loss is serious. Traditional tracks are mostly made of ordinary steel, and the friction coefficient is high when the door curtain moves. This not only limits the running speed, but also makes the track and door curtain easy to wear and deform. Second, the noise pollution is prominent. The combined noise generated by the friction contact and the collision of the door curtain is large, which seriously disturbs the neighbors at night. Third, the space utilization rate is low. The linear track requires a large horizontal space to store the door curtain and is prone to jamming. To address the aforementioned issues, Chinese patent CN208617187U discloses a fireproof roller shutter for fire elevators. While this solution replaces the sliding friction between the shutter curtain and the track with rolling friction from rollers, transforming the sliding friction of ordinary tracks into rolling friction through the structure of inner tracks, ball bearings, and outer tracks, it requires two rows of opposing ball bearings within the track, resulting in a large number of bearings. Furthermore, the shutter curtains are hinged by nested rigid rotating shafts, which, while allowing door slats to rotate, achieve rotation through the rotational engagement of metal components, essentially remaining a rigid connection. Even with lubrication, gaps will develop between the metal shafts and metal sleeves over time. When the shutter slats move, especially when passing through track interfaces or experiencing force changes, the metal components collide, generating high-frequency noise, which still fails to solve the noise problem. Moreover, the rigid rotating shaft is prone to metal fatigue and shaft breakage under long-term alternating loads, or the bushings may wear, causing increased gaps and wobbling, further increasing the noise of the roller shutter. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the technical problem solved by this invention is to provide a roller shutter garage door system based on a low-noise and wear-resistant spiral track, which solves the problem that existing improved roller shutter door structures also suffer from loose metal fittings and increased noise after long-term use.

[0004] To solve the above problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a roller shutter garage door system based on a low-noise and wear-resistant spiral track, including a roller shutter track and door curtain slats, as well as a door curtain drive mechanism. The roller shutter track includes a vertical track and a spiral track connected to the upper end of the vertical track. The door curtain slats are elastically connected to each other. The two side edges of the door curtain slats are respectively embedded in the roller shutter track. The ends of the door curtain slats located in the roller shutter track are embedded with ball bearings. The ball bearings can roll inside the door curtain slats. The diameter of the ball bearings is larger than the thickness of the door curtain slats. The ball bearings are in contact with the inside of the roller shutter track and can roll along the roller shutter track. The roller shutter track is also provided with a lubrication structure.

[0005] The beneficial effects of this solution are as follows: By setting a spiral track connected to the upper end of the vertical track, the door curtain slats are guided to arrange themselves in an orderly manner along the spiral path during the ascent, forming a progressively spiraling retraction state. The spiral track structure avoids the mechanical collision noise caused by the radial stacking and mutual compression of door slats during the retraction of traditional roller shutters, while also eliminating sudden abnormal noises caused by door slat misalignment or jamming. The elastic connection between the door curtain slats acts as a buffer during door movement, effectively attenuating the vibration transmission caused by inertia during door opening and closing. The design of the ball bearings having a diameter larger than the thickness of the door curtain slats causes them to protrude from the side edge of the door slats, becoming the only contact point during door operation, greatly reducing running resistance and the wear rate of the contact surface. The free rolling characteristics of the ball bearings within the door curtain slats, combined with the spiral track, ensure that the door maintains continuous and smooth rolling contact in the turning area, avoiding jamming and grinding noise caused by sliding friction.

[0006] Furthermore, the spiral track includes an inner ring track and an outer ring track that are adapted to each other. The inner ring track and the outer ring track form a spiral annular fitting cavity, and the ball bearings contact the inner track. The cooperation between the spiral annular fitting cavity and the ball bearings further constrains the movement trajectory of the door panel, ensuring that it can maintain a smooth transition in the curved area.

[0007] Furthermore, the door curtain slats are connected by elastic hinges. Each elastic hinge includes a connecting shaft and two connecting springs. One end of each spring is fixed to the connecting shaft, and the other end is fixed to the door curtain slat. Multiple elastic hinges are provided along the length of the door curtain slats. The springs provide a fixed restoring force, ensuring that each door slat effectively returns to its original position when rolled up and unfolded. The elastic hinges prevent rigid collisions between the door curtain slats, achieving low-noise operation.

[0008] Furthermore, the curtain slats are connected by elastic soft rubber, with each end of the elastic soft rubber fixed to one side of two adjacent curtain slats. The elastic soft rubber achieves flexible adhesion through the damping properties of the material itself, and also plays a role in noise reduction during the operation of the curtain.

[0009] Furthermore, the lubrication structure includes an oil tank and an oil replenishment assembly located at the vertical track. The oil replenishment assembly includes a compression groove and an oil replenishment groove on the side wall of the vertical track that contacts the ball bearings. The compression groove and the oil replenishment groove are arranged in parallel. A telescopic rod that can reciprocate along the compression groove is provided in the compression groove. One end of the telescopic rod is connected to a hemisphere with its spherical surface facing the ball bearings, and the other end is connected to a piston plate. The piston plate is slidably connected to the compression groove, and the side wall of the piston plate contacts the inner wall of the compression groove. A limiting ring is provided in the compression groove between the piston plate and the hemisphere, and a telescopic spring is provided between the limiting ring and the plane of the hemisphere. The oil tank is located close to the compression groove. An oil inlet check valve that connects the oil tank and the compression groove is provided on the side wall between the compression groove and the oil tank. The oil inlet check valve only allows lubricating oil to enter the compression groove from the oil tank. An oil outlet check valve that only allows lubricating oil to flow from the oil replenishment groove to the vertical track is provided at the outlet of the oil replenishment groove.

[0010] When the ball presses down on the telescopic rod, it compresses the compression chamber. After the ball leaves, the negative pressure formed by the spring reset draws lubricating oil from the oil tank through the inlet check valve. The cumulative pumping action of the ball passing through multiple times fills the oil replenishment groove with lubricating oil. A certain amount of lubricating oil is delivered to the oil replenishment groove and finally evenly coated on the guide rail surface through the outlet check valve.

[0011] A completely closed lubricant circulation system is constructed using an oil replenishment component and an oil tank. The oil tank, replenishment component, and oil lines are all integrated inside the vertical track, effectively preventing external dust and moisture from contaminating the lubricating oil and ensuring the long-term cleanliness of the lubricating medium. Secondly, it achieves on-demand lubrication response. The trigger frequency of lubrication actions is positively correlated with the operating frequency of the gate. The more frequently the gate operates, the more times the balls pass through, and the more cycles of oil pumping and supply occur. This achieves adaptive lubrication that matches the intensity of equipment use, avoiding the waste of fixed-cycle lubrication under low loads and the inadequacy under high loads. Lubricant is only applied to the guide rail surface just before the balls pass through, and the amount applied can be designed according to the size of the compression groove, thereby controlling the amount of piston compression each time. This results in a thin oil film forming on the ball surface, reducing friction, operating noise, and wear, while preventing oil accumulation.

[0012] Furthermore, the compression groove includes a compression section and a telescopic section from the inside out. The limiting ring and telescopic spring are located in the telescopic section, and the piston is located inside the compression section. The diameter of the compression section is larger than that of the telescopic section. Because the diameter of the compression section is larger than that of the telescopic section, the volume changed by compression each time the telescopic rod extends or retracts is greater, which facilitates the extraction of lubricating oil from the oil tank.

[0013] Furthermore, the lubrication structure is a lubricating coating located on the contact surface between the track and the ball bearings. The lubricating coating, in conjunction with the ball bearings, achieves solid lubrication, ensuring stable and low-noise operation of the roller shutter door.

[0014] Furthermore, the lubricating coating is a MoS2 coating. MoS2 coatings possess excellent tribological properties and interface protection capabilities. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the spiral track portion of Example 1.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the spiral track in Example 1.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of Example 3; The reference numerals in the accompanying drawings of the instruction manual include: spiral track 1, inner track 11, outer track 12, door curtain slat 2, ball bearing 21, elastic hinge 3, connecting spring 31, rubber sleeve 31, vertical track 4, compression groove 5, telescopic rod 51, telescopic spring 52, piston plate 53, oil inlet check valve 54, oil guide check valve 55, oil replenishment groove 6, oil outlet check valve 61, and oil tank 7. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The following detailed description illustrates the specific implementation method: Example 1 is basically as shown in the appendix. Figure 1-2 The diagram shows a roller shutter garage door system based on a low-noise, wear-resistant spiral track 1. It includes a roller shutter track, door curtain slats 2, and a door curtain drive mechanism. The drive mechanism uses existing structures, such as a traditional rotary motor + synchronous belt or rotary motor + chain, which will not be elaborated upon here. The roller shutter track includes a vertical track 4 and a spiral track 1 connected to the upper end of the vertical track 4. The door curtain slats 2 are elastically connected, with their two side edges embedded in the roller shutter track. Ball bearings 21 are embedded in the ends of the door curtain slats within the roller shutter track. The door curtain slats have concave arc-shaped grooves, allowing the ball bearings to be embedded in the grooves and rotate without falling off. Alternatively, bullseye bearings can be used to mount the ball bearings on the door curtain slats, with the bullseye bearing size selected according to the size of the ball bearings 21. The ball bearings 21 can roll within the door curtain slats 2. The diameter of the ball bearings 21 is larger than the thickness of the door curtain slats 2. The ball bearings 21 contact the inside of the roller shutter track and can roll along the roller shutter track. The spiral track 1 is integrally formed from 7075 aluminum alloy. The spiral track 1 includes an inner ring track and an outer ring track that fit together. The inner ring track and the outer ring track form a spiral annular fitting cavity, and the ball bearing 21 contacts the inner track 11. By using the spiral track 1, the surfaces of the curtain slats 2 will not contact each other when the curtain slats 2 are rolled up, thus preventing excessive noise caused by friction between the curtain slats 2 during the rolling up and unfolding process. Secondly, by setting the ball bearing 21, sliding friction is changed to rolling friction, and solid lubrication is achieved with a lubricating coating, so that the ball bearing 21 remains smooth even after long-term use.

[0019] The door curtain slats 2 are connected by elastic hinges 3. Each elastic hinge 3 includes a connecting shaft and two connecting springs 31. One end of each connecting spring 31 is fixed to the connecting shaft, and the other end is fixed to the door curtain slat 2. Multiple elastic hinges 3 are provided along the length of the door curtain slats 2. Each elastic hinge 3 is covered with a rubber sleeve 31, the two ends of which are connected to one side of the adjacent door curtain slats 2. The connecting shaft and springs act as an elastic framework, responsible for bearing tension and ensuring the door's flatness. The rubber sleeves 31 further reduce noise. The springs provide a fixed restoring force, ensuring each door slat effectively returns to its original position when rolled up and unfolded. The elastic hinges 3 prevent rigid collisions between the door curtain slats 2, achieving low-noise operation.

[0020] The roller shutter track is also equipped with a lubrication structure, which is a MoS2 lubricating coating on the contact surface between the track and the ball bearing 21. The thickness is 0.05-0.1mm.

[0021] The similarities between Example 2 and Example 1 will not be repeated here. The difference lies in that the curtain slats 2 are connected by elastic soft rubber, with each end of the elastic soft rubber fixed to one side of two adjacent curtain slats 2. Specifically, the curtain slats 2 are provided with pressure strips, which are fixed to the curtain bolts. The pressure strips are used to press the soft rubber onto the curtain slats 2. Alternatively, the curtain and the elastic soft rubber can be connected by a slot-type embedding connection. Connecting slots are provided on the curtain slats 2, and corresponding connectors are provided at both ends of the soft rubber connector. The elastic soft rubber material can be one of rubber, TPE, or TPU.

[0022] Example 3 is attached. Figure 3 As shown, the similarities with Embodiments 1 and 2 will not be repeated. Other differences are as follows: the lubrication structure includes an oil tank 7 located at the vertical track 4 and an oil replenishment assembly. The oil replenishment assembly includes a compression groove 5 and an oil replenishment groove 6 on the side wall of the vertical track 4 that contacts the ball 21. The compression groove 5 and the oil replenishment groove 6 are arranged in parallel. A telescopic rod 51 that can reciprocate along the compression groove 5 is provided inside the compression groove 5. One end of the telescopic rod 51 is connected to a hemisphere facing the ball 21, and the other end is connected to a piston plate 53. The piston plate 53 and the compression groove... 5. A sliding connection is made and the side wall of the piston plate 53 contacts the inner wall of the compression groove 5. A limiting ring is provided in the compression groove 5 between the piston plate 53 and the hemisphere. A telescopic spring 52 is provided between the limiting ring and the plane of the hemisphere. The oil tank 7 is located close to the compression groove 5. An oil inlet check valve 54 is opened on the side wall between the compression groove 5 and the oil tank 7 to connect the oil tank 7 and the compression groove 5. The oil inlet check valve 54 only allows lubricating oil to enter the compression groove 5 from the oil tank 7. The outlet of the oil replenishment groove 6 is provided with an oil outlet check valve 61 that only allows lubricating oil to flow from the oil replenishment groove 6 to the vertical track 4.

[0023] The compression tank 5 consists of a compression section and a telescopic section from the inside out. The limiting ring and telescopic spring 52 are located in the telescopic section, and the piston is located inside the compression section. The diameter of the compression section is larger than that of the telescopic section, so that the volume changed by compression is larger each time the telescopic rod 51 extends or retracts, making it easier to extract lubricating oil from the oil tank 7. A one-way oil guide valve 55, which allows lubricating oil to flow only from the compression tank 5 to the oil replenishment tank 6, can also be installed between the compression tank 5 and the oil replenishment tank 6 to separate the compression tank 5 and the oil replenishment tank 6.

[0024] When the ball bearing 21 rolls past the telescopic rod 51, it presses down the hemisphere at the head of the rod 51, thus compressing the space in the piston compression section. After the ball bearing 21 leaves, the telescopic rod 51 springs up under the elastic force of the telescopic spring 52, expanding the space in the compression section. This allows lubricating oil to be drawn from the oil tank 7 into the compression chamber under negative pressure. Then, when the next ball bearing 21 passes by, it presses down the telescopic rod 51. After repeated compression, when there is enough lubricating oil in the compression section, the lubricating oil is forced into the oil replenishment groove 6 during the next compression. When the oil replenishment groove 6 is full, it flows out to the guide rail surface through the oil outlet check valve 61. When the ball bearing 21 passes by, the lubricating oil adheres to the surface of the ball bearing 21, providing lubrication. This structure achieves self-lubrication between the ball bearing 21 and the slide rail, eliminating the need for frequent manual addition of lubricating oil to the curtain. Furthermore, the oil is dispensed in a fixed quantity each time, and the size of the compression section can be designed according to the required oil dispensing volume. The oil dispensing volume is controllable, preventing excessive oil dispensing from causing a large amount of dust to stick.

[0025] As a passive solid lubrication method, the friction-reducing effect of the lubricating coating depends on the tribological properties of the coating material itself. With the accumulation of operating time, the coating gradually wears down and thins due to the repeated rolling and micro-cutting action of the balls 21, eventually leading to failure and a rebound in the coefficient of friction. This performance degradation cannot be recovered online. However, this lubrication structure ensures long-term stability of the friction-reducing and noise-reducing effects through continuous and quantitative lubricant replenishment. From a failure mode perspective, the coating's lifespan is limited by its thickness and bonding strength; once worn through, it requires complete recoating, making maintenance cycles unpredictable. The replenishable oil tank 7 design transforms the lubrication function from a one-time surface treatment into a continuous system behavior, significantly extending the overall maintenance interval. Secondly, although the initial application cost of the coating may be low, the cost of repeated recoating throughout its lifespan and the repair costs of guide rail or ball 21 wear due to lubrication failure often exceed the initial investment and periodic lubrication maintenance costs of the mechanical lubrication system. This structure, through functional integration and long-term effectiveness, significantly reduces the overall operating cost of the equipment.

[0026] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention, and common knowledge regarding specific structures and characteristics in the solutions is not described in detail here. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the structure of the present invention, and these should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention. These modifications and improvements will not affect the effectiveness of the implementation of the present invention or the practicality of the patent.

Claims

1. A roller shutter garage door system based on a low-noise, wear-resistant spiral track, comprising a roller shutter track and door curtain slats, and a door curtain drive mechanism, characterized in that: The roller blind track includes a vertical track and a spiral track connected to the upper end of the vertical track. The curtain panels are elastically connected, and the two side edges of the curtain panels are respectively embedded in the roller blind track. The ends of the curtain panels located in the roller blind track are embedded with ball bearings, which can roll inside the curtain panels. The diameter of the ball bearings is larger than the thickness of the curtain panels. The ball bearings are in contact with the inside of the roller blind track and can roll along the roller blind track. The roller blind track is also provided with a lubrication structure.

2. The roller shutter garage door system based on a low-noise, wear-resistant spiral track according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spiral track includes an inner ring track and an outer ring track that are adapted to each other. The inner ring track and the outer ring track form a spiral annular fitting cavity, and the ball bearings are in contact with the inner track.

3. The roller shutter garage door system based on a low-noise, wear-resistant spiral track according to claim 1, characterized in that: The door curtain slats are connected by elastic hinges. Each elastic hinge includes a connecting shaft and two connecting springs. One end of each connecting spring is fixed to the connecting shaft, and the other end is fixed to the door curtain slats. Multiple elastic hinges are provided along the length of the door curtain slats.

4. A roller shutter garage door system based on a low-noise, wear-resistant spiral track according to claim 1, characterized in that: The door curtain panels are connected by elastic soft rubber, and the two ends of the elastic soft rubber are respectively fixed to one side of two adjacent door curtain panels.

5. A roller shutter garage door system based on a low-noise, wear-resistant spiral track according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lubrication structure includes an oil tank and an oil replenishment assembly located at the vertical track. The oil replenishment assembly includes a compression groove and an oil replenishment groove on the side wall of the vertical track that contacts the ball bearings. The compression groove and the oil replenishment groove are arranged in parallel. A telescopic rod that can reciprocate along the compression groove is provided in the compression groove. One end of the telescopic rod is connected to a hemisphere with its spherical surface facing the ball bearings, and the other end is connected to a piston plate. The piston plate is slidably connected to the compression groove, and the side wall of the piston plate contacts the inner wall of the compression groove. A limiting ring is provided in the compression groove between the piston plate and the hemisphere, and a telescopic spring is provided between the limiting ring and the plane of the hemisphere. The oil tank is located close to the compression groove. An oil inlet check valve that connects the oil tank and the compression groove is provided on the side wall between the compression groove and the oil tank. The oil inlet check valve allows lubricating oil to enter the compression groove from the oil tank only. An oil guide check valve that allows lubricating oil to flow from the compression groove to the oil replenishment groove is provided between the compression groove and the oil replenishment groove only. An oil outlet check valve that allows lubricating oil to flow from the oil replenishment groove to the vertical track is provided at the outlet of the oil replenishment groove only.

6. A roller shutter garage door system based on a low-noise, wear-resistant spiral track according to claim 4, characterized in that: The compression groove includes a compression section and a telescopic section from the inside out. The limiting ring and telescopic spring are located in the telescopic section, the piston is located inside the compression section, and the diameter of the compression section is larger than that of the telescopic section.

7. A roller shutter garage door system based on a low-noise, wear-resistant spiral track according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lubrication structure is a lubrication coating provided on the contact surface between the track and the ball.

8. A roller shutter garage door system based on a low-noise, wear-resistant spiral track according to claim 7, characterized in that: The lubricating coating is a MoS2 coating.

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