Concealed Damping Mechanism for Impact-Free Shower Door Positioning

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing sliding shower door systems experience impacts during opening and closing due to inertia, and existing solutions like flexible closers are aesthetically unpleasing as their components are exposed, affecting user experience.

Innovation Solution

An impact-free gently positioned door opening and closing structure featuring a rail assembly with pulley and flexible closer assemblies, where the flexible closer and pulleys are hidden within the rail, using positioning elements to control the door's speed and position, ensuring smooth operation without external exposure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If flexible closers are mounted on rails with actuators exposed to the outside, then the impact problem is solved to a certain extent, but the appearance of the shower room is negatively affected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimpact during door operationVSAvoidappearance of shower room
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

The flexible closer actuator is nested within the rail structure. The rail is designed with a hollow interior space that accommodates the actuator, allowing the damping function to be integrated into the rail itself rather than being mounted externally. This nesting approach eliminates exposed components while maintaining the impact reduction function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The flexible closer system is merged with the rail structure by integrating the actuator into the rail's hollow interior. The mounting bracket connects the actuator to the rail from the interior side, combining the damping mechanism and support structure into a unified assembly that maintains a clean external appearance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Ease of operation

If additional touching blocks are disposed on the movable door piece to actuate the flexible closers, then the door positioning is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedoor positioningVSAvoidnumber of components
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The touching block function is extracted from the movable door piece and transferred to the rail structure. The positioning element with its positioning protrusion is integrated into the rail, eliminating the need for separate touching blocks on the door piece. This extraction simplifies the overall system by reducing the number of components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The rail structure is given multiple functions: it provides structural support for the sliding mechanism, contains the hollow interior for housing the actuator, and incorporates positioning elements with protrusions that actuate the flexible closer. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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 an aesthetically pleasing and effective way to prevent high-speed impacts during door operation, allowing for gentle and automatic positioning of the door, enhancing user experience while maintaining a clean appearance.

Implementation Method 1

Flexible closers applied on sliding shower doors are able to solve the impact problem to a certain extent through buffering effects

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDamping: Damping

Implementation Method 2

each pulley assembly comprises a pulley base fixed on the movable door piece and a pulley mounted on the pulley base, and the pulley is rollably disposed in the sliding channel

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Data Source

PatentEP3235982B1Completely concealed-type, damped and soft positioning shower room door opening/closing structure
Publication Date: 2021.05.05 FOSHAN IDEAL CO LTD
  • EP3235982B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3235982B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3235982B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The present invention discloses a completely hidden impact-free gently positioned door opening and closing structure for a shower room. The door opening and closing structure for the shower room comprises a movable door piece (60), a rail assembly, pulley assemblies and a flexible closer assembly, wherein the rail assembly comprises a rail (10) having a sliding channel (109) disposed therein, each of the pulley assemblies comprises a pulley base (30) fixed on the movable door piece (60) and a pulley (80) mounted on the pulley base (30), and the pulley (80) is rollably disposed in the sliding channel (109); wherein the flexible closer assembly is fixed to the movable door piece (60), and movably disposed in the sliding channel (109); the flexible closer assembly comprises a fixing support (40) and flexible closers (50) provided with bayonets (501), and the flexible closers (50) are fixed on the fixing support (40); and the rail assembly also comprises positioning elements (20) matched with the flexible closers (50).