Adjustable Door and Window Load Lightening for Hinge Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing load lightening devices for doors and windows fail to adjust to load differences and spring response changes over time, risking hinge breakage due to wear and requiring frequent maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A load lightening device with an adjustable tensioning mechanism using a flexible cable and threaded adjustment screw allows quick and tool-free adjustment of the elastic element's preloading directly on the fixed frame, compensating for weight variations and wear without disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a spring element is preloaded inside the containment body to compensate for sash weight, then the hinge load is reduced, but the device cannot adapt to load differences or spring response changes over time
Solution Approach 1:
The device transitions from a static preloaded spring system to a dynamic adjustable system. The threaded adjustment screw enables the spring preload force to be modified after installation, allowing the system to adapt to varying sash weights and spring degradation over time. This dynamic adjustment capability resolves the contradiction by maintaining hinge load protection while enabling adaptability to changing conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameter of spring preload force from a fixed value to an adjustable value. By introducing the threaded adjustment screw, the preload force parameter can be modified to compensate for load differences between various sash configurations and to account for spring response changes during usage, thereby simultaneously protecting the hinge and providing adaptability.
2Device complexity
If the spring preload is fixed during assembly, then the device structure is simple, but load differences and wear cannot be compensated requiring frequent maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism is segmented into distinct functional components: the threaded adjustment screw, the load transfer unit, and the containment body. This segmentation allows the adjustment function to be added without significantly complicating the overall device structure. The screw mechanism is a simple, well-understood component that adds minimal complexity while dramatically improving reliability through enabling maintenance and adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The device enables self-service maintenance and adjustment. Users can adjust the spring preload to compensate for wear or change sash weights without requiring professional service or disassembly of the containment body. This self-adjustment capability maintains simple device structure while significantly improving reliability by allowing users to maintain optimal hinge protection over time.
3Ease of operation
If the adjustment means are positioned on the fixed frame side, then adjustment can be performed without disassembly, but the adjustment mechanism adds complexity to the bracket assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The threaded adjustment screw acts as an intermediary mechanism between the user and the spring preload system. By positioning the adjustment screw on the fixed frame side, it provides an accessible interface for users to adjust the spring tension without disassembling the containment body or load transfer unit. This intermediary approach improves ease of operation while containing the added complexity within the bracket assembly rather than the movable components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables rapid and precise adjustment of the load transfer unit's response to weight changes and wear, ensuring consistent performance without tooling, thus preventing hinge damage and extending device lifespan.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic element housed inside the containment body and held between an end of the body and the second end of the load transfer unit
Implementation Method 2
the adjustment means comprise a threaded adjustment screw which can be screwed on a threaded portion of the first end of the transfer unit positioned on the bracket
Data Source
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AI summary
Described is a load lightening device for doors or windows comprising: a bracket (4) associated with a fixed frame (1); a containment body (5) associated with a movable frame (2); a unit (6) for transferring the load constrained, at a first end, to the bracket (4) and housed, with the second end, in the containment body (5); an elastic element (7) housed inside the containment body (5) associated with the movable frame (2) and held between a first end of the containment body (5) and the second end of the transfer unit (6) of the load housed in the containment body (5); the load transfer unit (6) has a contact element (8) associated with the second end of the transfer unit (6) housed in the containment body (5) and configured for retaining an end of the elastic element (7) and means (9) for adjusting the tensioning of the load transfer unit (6) positioned between the bracket (4) and the first end of the transfer unit (6) and configured, in use, for modifying the position of the contact element (8) inside the containment body (5), in both directions, in such a way as to compress or decompress the elastic element (7) along the containment body (5) in such a way as to modify the load of the device (100).