Adjustable Wedge Spacer for Partition Wall Width Tolerance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing partition wall elements with spacer devices have complex designs leading to tolerance issues and limited width adjustment capabilities, complicating manufacturing and assembly.
Innovation Solution
A partition wall element with a wedge-shaped base and adjustable wedge-shaped adjusting element, allowing for stepless width adjustment through a fastening mechanism, eliminating the need for a complex rack and pinion drive, and enabling flexible application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a rack and pinion drive is used for width adjustment, then the spacer device can be adjusted for selected widths, but the design becomes complex and manufacturing becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex rack and pinion drive mechanism from the spacer device design. Instead, it uses a simpler adjusting element with a groove and a fastening element that can be positioned at different locations along the groove to achieve width adjustment. This extraction of the complex mechanical drive system resolves the contradiction by maintaining adjustability while eliminating design complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjusting element is segmented into a base portion and an extending portion that can be selectively positioned. The fastening element can be located at different positions along the groove, creating discrete adjustment steps without requiring a complex continuous adjustment mechanism. This segmentation approach provides width adjustment capability while keeping the design simple.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a rack and pinion drive is used for width adjustment, then the spacer device can be adjusted, but the manufacture and assembly become relatively complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex rack and pinion drive mechanism and replaces it with a simpler structure consisting of a groove in the adjusting element and a positionable fastening element. This dramatically simplifies manufacturing and assembly processes while maintaining the essential width adjustment capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a mechanical drive system (rack and pinion) to achieve adjustment, the patent inverts the approach by using a positionable fastening element along a groove to directly set the width. This inversion of the adjustment mechanism simplifies manufacturing and assembly.
3Device complexity
If fixed width spacers are used, then the design is simple, but the spacer device can only accommodate selected widths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the spacer device from a fixed-width design to a dynamically adjustable design. The fastening element can be positioned at different locations along the groove in the adjusting element, allowing the width to be changed as needed. This dynamic capability is achieved with minimal added complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjusting element with the groove and positionable fastening element provides multi-functionality, allowing the same basic structure to accommodate multiple width settings. This universal design approach enables width adjustment capability while maintaining design simplicity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 2c~2d
AI summary
A spacer device (1) for a window, a door or a partition element, wherein the spacer device (1) has a substantially wedge-shaped lower part (2) and a substantially wedge-shaped adjusting element (3) which is adjustable along a longitudinal extension (L) of the lower part (2) so that a width of the spacer device (1) perpendicular to the longitudinal extension (L) can be set, wherein the adjusting element (3) can be clamped to the lower part (2) by means of a fastening means (6) extending parallel to the direction of the width of the spacer device (1) so that the width of the spacer device (1) is continuously adjustable, wherein the fastening means (6) is arranged in a groove (5) of the adjusting element (3) so that the adjusting element (3) can be guided along the groove (5) by means of the fastening means (6) for adjusting the width of the spacer device (1).