Concealed Hinge Scissor Mechanism for Heavy Pivoting Windows
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional concealed hinges are inadequate for heavier pivoting windows due to increased operating forces and difficulty in maintaining balance, especially with thicker glass and deeper profiles required for better insulation, limiting their use and requiring costly gas springs for adjustment.
Innovation Solution
A scissor mechanism-based hinge that displaces the axis of rotation during the initial tilting phase to avoid collisions and reduce operating forces, allowing the window to open beyond 180°, with a fixed axis in the second phase for reduced effort and balanced equilibrium.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If conventional concealed hinges are used with heavier leaves (thicker glass, deeper profiles for insulation), then the hinge structure must support increased weight and operating forces, but the operating forces become too great and the hinge cannot maintain balance
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge employs a dynamic axis of rotation that shifts position during operation. In the closed position, the axis is positioned to minimize operating force. As the leaf opens, the axis transitions to a second position that maintains balance. This dynamic adjustment allows the hinge to handle heavier leaves without requiring excessive operating force throughout the entire range of motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge changes the positional parameter of the rotation axis during operation. The axis moves from a first position when the leaf is closed to a second position as the leaf opens. This parameter change optimizes the mechanical advantage at different stages of opening, reducing the peak operating force required for heavy leaves while maintaining balance.
2Length of moving object
If the leaf centre of gravity slides further away from the hinge pin due to deeper profiles and thicker glass, then the leaf becomes heavier, but the operating forces increase excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic repositioning of the rotation axis compensates for the increased moment arm created by deeper profiles and thicker glass. By moving the axis position during operation, the hinge maintains optimal mechanical advantage even when the centre of gravity is farther from the initial axis position, preventing excessive operating forces.
3Weight of moving object
If known concealed hinges are used with heavy leaves, then the hinge structure is compromised, but it becomes difficult to obtain balance with partially open leaves
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic axis repositioning automatically maintains balance throughout the opening range. As the leaf transitions from closed to open positions, the axis moves to compensate for changing gravitational moments, ensuring the leaf remains balanced at any partial opening angle without requiring manual adjustment or additional counterweights.
4Force
If gas springs are used to handle heavy leaves, then the operating forces are reduced, but the cost increases and the window cannot tilt over 180°
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge is self-regulating through its dynamic axis mechanism, eliminating the need for external gas springs or complex adjustment mechanisms. The system automatically adapts to the leaf weight and dimensions, providing force reduction and balance control inherent in the mechanical design rather than requiring separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic axis position enables the hinge to achieve force reduction and balance control that would otherwise require gas springs, while simultaneously allowing full 180° tilting motion without the spatial constraints imposed by spring mechanisms.
5Strength
If the space between frame and leaf profiles is reduced due to insulation requirements, then the profiles become deeper for better insulation, but the space for hinge operation becomes smaller
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic axis mechanism allows the hinge to operate effectively in reduced spaces. By repositioning the axis during motion, the hinge achieves its mechanical functions with a more compact configuration, fitting within the smaller gap between frame and leaf profiles that results from deeper insulation requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A hinge for a pivoting window or door with a frame and a leaf that can tilt with respect to the frame, whereby the hinge includes a frame part fastened to the frame and a leaf part fastened to the leaf, with a scissor mechanism between the frame part and the leaf part on which the leaf part is hingeably affixed around an axis of rotation, whereby the scissor mechanism comes into operation in a first phase of the tilting movement of the leaf, so that the axis of rotation moves in a direction essentially transverse to the plane of the frame into a locking position whereby the axis of rotation is at a distance from the frame such that the axis of rotation is a fixed axis around which the leaf can tilt further in a second phase of the tilting movement of the leaf.