Casement Window Hinge Roller and Integrated Shipping Block
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing casement window hinges face challenges with increased sash weight, leading to high friction, premature operator mechanism failure, wear, and potential damage during shipping and handling, as well as issues with bending loads causing track breakage or detachment.
Innovation Solution
A casement window hinge design featuring a single roller in the sliding shoe that reduces friction and serves as a built-in shipping block, allowing impact loads to be transferred to the frame, reducing the number of shipping blocks needed and protecting the roller during transit, while additional rollers can be added to manage horizontal friction forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single roller is used in the sliding shoe, then sliding friction is reduced and operator mechanism wear is decreased, but the hinge may be vulnerable to damage during shipping and handling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the sliding shoe and shipping block into a single integrated component. The sliding shoe includes a built-in shipping block portion that provides impact protection during shipping while maintaining the roller mechanism for reduced friction during operation. This merging eliminates the need for separate shipping blocks and protects the roller from damage during transit.
Solution Approach 2:
The sliding shoe is segmented into functional portions: a roller portion for reducing sliding friction during operation, and a shipping block portion for absorbing impact loads during shipping. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized for its specific function while being integrated into a single component.
2Strength
If multiple rollers are used to support heavy sash weight, then load capacity is increased, but device complexity and part count increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters of the sliding shoe to accommodate heavier loads through material selection and structural design. The shoe is designed with increased thickness and optimized geometry to handle higher bending moments and loads, allowing a single roller to support heavy sash weight without exceeding the roller's load capacity or requiring multiple rollers.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If shipping blocks are added to protect the hinge during shipping, then damage risk is reduced, but device complexity and installation steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The shipping block function is merged into the sliding shoe structure itself. The built-in shipping block portion of the sliding shoe provides impact protection during shipping without requiring separate components or additional installation steps. The shipping protection is integrated into the hinge assembly during manufacturing.
4Strength
If the sliding shoe is designed for high load capacity, then heavier sashes can be supported, but friction increases and operator mechanism wear increases
Solution Approach 1:
The roller acts as an intermediary between the sliding shoe and the track. By introducing the roller as a mediating element, the patent converts sliding friction into rolling friction, significantly reducing the friction force and energy loss while maintaining the ability to support heavy sash weights. The roller enables the shoe to handle high loads with minimal 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 the handling of larger and heavier sashes without operator mechanism overload, reduces wear, and minimizes damage during shipping and handling by distributing loads effectively, thus extending the hinge's lifespan and reducing the complexity of shipping preparations.
Implementation Method 1
A casement window hinge, according to embodiments of the invention, reduces the friction in the sliding shoe by using a single roller
Implementation Method 2
This feature allows impact loads perpendicular to the track to be transferred from the sash to the window frame without damaging the shoe roller
Data Source
AI summary
A hinge for a hingedly movable sash in a window having a frame, including a track assembly having a track and a shoe engageable with the track and reciprocally movable along the track. The shoe presents a first rolling member at a first portion thereof and a bearing portion at a second portion. The shoe is shiftable between a window closed configuration in which the bearing portion contacts the track and transmits loads from the track to the sash arm and a window moving configuration in which the rolling member contacts the track and transmits loads from the track to the sash arm and rolls along the track as the shoe translates along the track.