Centering Unit for Sectional Door Stability and Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sectional doors with rotatably interconnected sections face instability and water ingress issues due to their hinged design, leading to challenges in achieving a secure locking position, watertightness, and effective drainage, which disrupts operation and compromises thermal resistance and sound insulation.
Innovation Solution
A centering unit is introduced, comprising sections with a centering inlet and a rotatable rolling element, mounted on attachment elements at the upper ends of the door sections, ensuring a secure and watertight seal, and incorporating drainage openings to efficiently manage water and condensation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If sections are connected with hinges to allow rotation, then the door leaf can be moved between open and closed positions, but the door leaf becomes unstable and experiences play in all directions
Solution Approach 1:
The centering unit acts as an intermediary element between the door leaf and the gate leaf, providing a mediating mechanism that simultaneously enables controlled movement and ensures stability. The rolling element facilitates movement while the centering inlet constrains positional play, resolving the contradiction between movability and stability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a door leaf is integrated into the gate leaf, then passage control is enabled, but the closing position becomes difficult to achieve and maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The centering unit enables the door leaf to self-center and automatically assume the correct closing position within the gate leaf. The rolling element moving through the centering inlet creates a self-aligning mechanism that eliminates the need for precise manual positioning, making the closing operation intuitive and reliable.
3Ease of operation
If sections are pivotally connected, then the door can be operated, but water ingress and condensation occur between sections
Solution Approach 1:
The centering unit extracts and addresses the water management function separately from the mechanical connection system. By positioning the rolling element and centering inlet to create defined gaps, the design enables separate drainage pathways that remove water and condensation from between sections, preventing water ingress while maintaining operational freedom.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the door leaf is not securely positioned, then movement is possible, but thermal resistance and sound insulation are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The centering unit creates a dynamic sealing system where the rolling element maintains optimal contact with the centering inlet during movement. This dynamic interaction ensures consistent positioning that maintains thermal and acoustic insulation properties throughout the door leaf's range of motion, rather than compromising insulation for movement capability.
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
The centering unit enhances the stability and sealing of sectional doors, facilitating easy closure, reducing water ingress, and improving insulation by ensuring a secure locking position and effective drainage, thus maintaining operational integrity and reducing air exchange.
Implementation Method 1
a rotatable rolling element (23) corresponding to the centering inlet (20) for a secure closed position
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a centering unit (1) for a gate leaf (13) consisting of several rotatably connected sections, which is guided in lateral guide rails, wherein a door is integrated into the gate leaf (13), the door leaf (12) of which also consists of several rotatably connected sections, which are rotatably connected to the sections of the gate leaf by hinges (45), the sections consist of two spaced-apart sheets, the space between which is filled with an insulating material, wherein the lateral, vertical edges of the sections are closed by end caps (21, 22), the upper sides of the sections are provided with profiles (25), wherein the upper ends of the end caps (21, 22) in the area of the profiles (25) of the sections between the gate leaf (13) and the door leaf (12) are each provided with a centering unit (1) at the main closing edge and the secondary closing edge,wherein the centering unit (1) consists of a first section (2) and a second section (3), which are hinged opposite each other on the sections of the gate leaf (13) and the door leaf (12) and interlock in a centering manner in the closed position of the door leaf (12) in the gate leaf (13).