Covering Apparatus Cam Actuation for Reliable Blade Packing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing outdoor covering apparatuses, such as brise soleil, face issues with unreliable actuation due to mechanical disadvantages, where blade rotation is connected to translation, leading to frequent failures and potential damage during packing, especially in windy conditions.
Innovation Solution
A covering apparatus with independent packing and opening movements, utilizing cam actuation means and motor-driven profiles to rotate and translate blades between closed and open positions, ensuring flexible and reliable operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If blade rotation is connected to translation through a single blade actuation mechanism, then the apparatus can achieve coordinated movement, but the reliability deteriorates due to frequent actuation failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the actuation system into two independent segments: one for rotation (via rotation profiles and rotation pins) and one for translation (via translation profiles and carriages). This segmentation eliminates the single point of failure in the previous coupled mechanism, allowing each function to be actuated independently and reliably.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cam actuation means as an intermediary mechanism that can independently control both rotation and translation. The cam profiles translate linear actuation into the desired rotational and translational movements of the blades, decoupling the two functions while maintaining coordinated operation.
2Volume of moving object
If blades are packed side-by-side without independent positioning, then the apparatus achieves compact storage, but the blades can be stuck or damaged during packing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by maintaining the blades in a predetermined rotated position (e.g., horizontal or tilted) before packing occurs. The rotation actuation means keeps the blades in a safe orientation during the packing process, preventing them from sticking or damaging each other even as they are moved to the compact position.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the blade positioning dynamic by allowing independent rotation actuation during the packing process. The blades can be rotated to optimal positions during translation, adapting to the packing motion and preventing static interference between blades that would occur in rigid fixed-position systems.
3Device complexity
If a single actuation mechanism controls both rotation and translation, then the device structure is simplified, but mechanical stress increases causing frequent failures
Solution Approach 1:
The actuation mechanism is segmented into separate rotation actuation means and translation actuation means. Each means handles only its specific function, reducing the mechanical stress and complexity on any single component while improving overall reliability through functional decomposition.
4Device complexity
If blade rotation is actuated only when blades are in extended configuration, then the mechanism is simpler, but the apparatus loses operational flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the rotation actuation dynamic by enabling it to occur at any blade position rather than only in the extended configuration. The rotation profiles and rotation pins allow continuous rotation control during translation, providing operational flexibility to adjust blade orientation at any point in the movement cycle.
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 allows for efficient and reliable operation of the covering blades, independent of their opening position, reducing mechanical stress and preventing damage, thus enhancing the structural simplicity and usability of the apparatus.
Implementation Method 1
cam actuation means (6) provided with a rotation profile (61) engaged, by means of a rotation cam follower (40), with the first movement means (4)
Implementation Method 2
motor-driven profiles to rotate and translate blades between closed and open positions
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Covering apparatus (1), which comprises a support structure (2), provided with two lateral beams (21), a series of covering blades (3), supported by the lateral beams (21), first movement means (4), arranged for rotating the covering blades (3) between a closed position and an open position, and second movement means (5), arranged for translating the covering blades (3) between a packed configuration, and an extended configuration. In particular, the covering apparatus (1) comprises cam actuation means (6) provided with a rotation profile (61) mechanically engaged, by means of a corresponding rotation cam follower (40), with the first movement means (4, 5). In addition, the covering apparatus (1) comprises motor means (7), mechanically connected to the cam actuation means (6), in order to move them, by actuating the first movement means (4, 5).