Adjustable Shim for Window Frame Parallelism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wedges and air wedges used for positioning and fixating window or door frames in walls face issues such as difficulty in adjusting parallelism, friction-related problems, and risk of puncture, while also being bulky and obstructing screw placement.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable shim comprising two parallel contact bodies connected by rotatable brackets, allowing for precise adjustment via a threaded rod mechanism, ensuring stable and flexible positioning and easy removal without the risks associated with air wedges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional wedges are used for positioning and fixating the frame, then the frame can be positioned in the horizontal direction, but adjusting the parallelism of the frame with the wall requires loosening and re-hammering the wedges, which is time-consuming and may spoil the positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The wedge is designed with a through-hole allowing a rod to pass through, transforming the static wedge into a dynamic adjustment system. The rod can be rotated to adjust the wedge's position and orientation, enabling easy adjustment of frame parallelism without loosening and re-hammering, thus resolving the time loss and operational difficulty.
Solution Approach 2:
A rod is introduced as an intermediary element passing through the wedge's through-hole. This rod serves as a mediator that allows adjustment of the wedge's position and orientation by rotation, enabling easy adjustment of frame parallelism without direct manipulation of the wedge itself, thus resolving the operational difficulty and time loss.
2Ease of operation
If air wedges are used to facilitate easy centring and removal of the frame, then the frame can be easily centred by inflating and deflating the air wedges, but the large size of air wedges may obstruct the placement of securing screws and cause the side parts of the frame to curve inwards
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a removable rod that can be inserted through the wedge's through-hole during adjustment and then removed after the frame is secured. This temporary, simple element enables easy centring and removal operations without the need for large, persistent air wedges that would obstruct screw placement and cause frame curvature.
Solution Approach 2:
The rod is extracted or removed after serving its purpose of enabling easy adjustment and centring. This extraction eliminates the obstruction problem and prevents frame curvature, while still retaining the benefits of easy operation during the installation process.
3Ease of repair
If air wedges are used to enable easy removal after securing the frame, then the air wedges can be easily removed by deflating them, but there is always a risk that air wedges may puncture
Solution Approach 1:
The rod is designed as a simple, removable, disposable element that can be easily inserted and removed. It provides the ease of removal function without the reliability issues of air wedges, as it is not subject to puncture risks. The rod can be simply pulled out after serving its positioning purpose.
Solution Approach 2:
The air wedge system is replaced with a simple mechanical rod system. This substitution eliminates the reliability issues of air wedges (puncture risk) while maintaining or improving the ease of removal, as the rod can be simply pulled out through the through-hole without deflation processes.
4Stability of the object's composition
If wedges are used to position the frame, then the frame can be fixedated, but the friction between the wedges and the frame and wall makes it difficult to remove the wedges after securing the frame with screws
Solution Approach 1:
The rod serves as an intermediary element that passes through the wedge's through-hole. This rod-mediator allows the wedge to maintain stable fixation through friction while enabling easy removal by simply pulling the rod, thus resolving the contradiction between stable fixation and ease of removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The rod is extracted or pulled out after serving its purpose of enabling stable fixation during installation. This extraction allows easy removal of the positioning system after the frame has been secured with screws, resolving the difficulty of removing wedges due to friction.
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 accurate and flexible adjustment of frame parallelism, easy removal after securing, and prevents frame curvature, while avoiding the risks of puncture and obstruction of screw placement.
Implementation Method 1
rotating a threaded rod engaging with an internal thread arranged within the first contact body or within a flange connected thereto
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of brackets, each of which are rotatably connected to the first contact body and to the second contact body, such that when the a plurality of brackets are rotated, the first contact body and the second contact body are displaced in relation to each other by a translation
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2a
AI summary
An adjustable shim is disclosed, comprising a first contact body (2) with a first outward facing contact surface (3), a second contact body (4) with a second outward-facing contact surface (5) arranged so that the second contact surface is parallel to and faces away from the first contact surface, one or more brackets (6), each of which are rotatably connected to the first contact body and to the second contact body, such that when the one or more brackets are rotated, the first contact body and the second contact body are displaced in relation to each other by a translation, which changes the distance between the first contact surface and the second contact surface, and means (7, 8, 9, 10) for rotating the one or more brackets. Furthermore, the use of one or more such adjustable shims for positioning and fixating a window frame or a door frame when mounting it in an opening in a wall is disclosed.