Door Closer Oblique Dial Indicator for Ergonomic Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing door closers lack effective visual indicators for adjusting the closing force, making it difficult for users to accurately determine the size of the closer, leading to visibility issues and operational challenges.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable door closer with a rotatable member and an indicator mechanism featuring a non-perpendicular dial and display surface, allowing for clear visual indication of the size through a frustoconical or annular display surface, facilitating easy adjustment and visibility during the process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a traditional perpendicular dial indicator is used, then the structure is simple, but the visibility of the indicia is poor requiring users to crane their neck to view
Solution Approach 1:
The dial indicator is reoriented from a perpendicular arrangement to an oblique arrangement, changing the dimensional orientation of the display surface relative to the rotational axis. This allows the indicia to be viewed at a more ergonomic angle without requiring users to crane their neck, thereby improving both visibility and user comfort simultaneously.
2Loss of information
If visual indicators are added to show closing force strength, then adjustment information becomes available, but the indicators suffer from visibility drawbacks
Solution Approach 1:
The indicator mechanism utilizes an oblique display surface that angles the indicia away from the perpendicular axis, creating a viewing geometry that naturally improves light reflection and visibility. This dimensional change allows the indicator to effectively convey closing force information while eliminating the visibility drawbacks of traditional perpendicular indicators.
3Illumination intensity
If the display surface is made non-perpendicular to the rotational axis, then visibility and viewing comfort improve, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a non-perpendicular display surface that angles the indicia relative to the rotational axis. This geometric modification provides enhanced visibility and viewing comfort while maintaining reasonable mechanical complexity through straightforward implementation of the oblique arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The dial indicator is designed to rotate in conjunction with the rotatable member, dynamically updating the displayed indicia position as adjustments are made. This dynamic operation ensures that the oblique display surface continuously presents accurate size information throughout the adjustment range.
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary door closer has an adjustable size and includes a rotatable member operable to adjust the size and an indicator mechanism configured to indicate the current size. The indicator mechanism includes a cover mounted to a housing of the door closer and a dial rotatably mounted to the cover. The dial is engaged with the rotatable member such that the dial rotates in response to rotation of the rotatable member. The cover includes an indicating region, and the dial includes a display surface including indicia relating to the sizes of the door closer. The display surface is non-perpendicular to the rotational axis of the rotatable member. When the door closer has been adjusted to a particular size, indicia relating to the particular size are indicated by the indicating region.