Compact Door Hinge with Spring Friction Position Holding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing door hinges with horizontal rotation axes for household appliances are bulky, heavy, and costly to transport due to bulky supports, and they fail to maintain the door in intermediate positions due to unbalanced weight and elastic forces.
Innovation Solution
A compact hinge device with connection members, a rotation pivot, and a compressed helical spring mechanism that allows the door to be maintained in any intermediate position, featuring a lightweight design with reduced dimensions and easy assembly, utilizing a sliding block and guiding mechanism to generate friction opposing door movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If bulky supports are used for traction springs, then the hinge can provide sufficient elastic force, but the transportation cost increases due to increased weight and size
Solution Approach 1:
The spring is nested within the hollow cylindrical housing, allowing the elastic means to be contained within the connection member structure. This eliminates the need for separate bulky supports, reducing overall weight and transportation cost while maintaining the required elastic closing force through the compact spring-housing integration.
2Device complexity
If the hinge uses a simple elastic force mechanism, then the structure is simpler, but it cannot stop the door in intermediate positions between completely closing and completely opening positions
Solution Approach 1:
The friction means acts as an intermediary between the sliding block and the guiding means, providing a controllable friction force that opposes door movement. This friction mechanism enables the door to be held in intermediate positions by balancing the elastic closing force, while adding minimal complexity to the overall hinge structure.
3Volume of moving object
If a compact design is used to reduce dimensions, then transportation cost decreases, but the hinge may lack sufficient strength to balance the door weight
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge utilizes a composite structure combining a hollow cylindrical housing, a compression spring, a sliding block, and friction means. This composite design achieves compact volume while maintaining sufficient strength to balance door weight through the coordinated action of elastic force and friction resistance in the integrated mechanism.
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 solution provides a hinge device that is significantly smaller and lighter, capable of maintaining the door in any intermediate position without requiring adjustments, ensuring reliable operation and reduced transportation costs.
Implementation Method 1
elastic means 7 fit to provide an elastic closing force to said connection members first 4 and second 5
Implementation Method 2
head 10 of the arm mean 8 compresses the elastic mean 7, of compressed helicoidal spring type
Implementation Method 3
sliding block and guiding mechanism to generate friction opposing door movement
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A compact hinge device for a door (2) of a structure (3) is provided with connection members, first (4) and second (5), mutually connected by means of a first rotation pivot (6) and respectively fit to be fixed to the door (2) and to the structure (3), it is also provided with elastic means (7) fit to provide to the connection members, first (4) and second (5) with an elastic closing force. The device comprises an arm mean (8), whose a first end is connected by means of a second rotation pivot (9) to the first connection member (4) and whose second end has a head (10) connected at an end to the elastic mean (7) whose opposite end is constrained to a lock (13) of the second connection member (5). In the passage from an extreme closing condition (C) to an extreme opening condition (A) the head (10) of the arm mean (8) compresses the elastic mean (7) balancing the door (2).