Door Leaf Overflow Cavity with Sound Partition

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing door elements with air overflow functions lack effective sound insulation and have limited airflow capacity due to their design, which restricts their use in soundproof applications, especially in glass partition walls.

Innovation Solution

A door leaf design featuring a support frame around its edges and self-supporting cover shells forming a cavity with air openings, divided by a sound-insulating partition wall, allowing for improved airflow and soundproofing without additional supporting elements, using insulating materials like fleece, foam, and mineral fibers to enhance sound insulation properties.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a door leaf with air overflow function is designed using conventional multi-layer structure with tubular chipboard, then airflow connection is enabled, but sound insulation properties deteriorate and flow cross-section is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveairflow capacityVSAvoidsound propagation
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The cavity is divided into multiple partial spaces by partition walls, creating a segmented flow path. This segmentation increases the overflow path length and deflects air flow, thereby improving sound insulation while maintaining airflow capacity through the distributed openings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention transitions from a conventional flat door structure to a three-dimensional cavity system with partition walls creating multiple partial spaces. This dimensional change allows the air flow to traverse a longer, more complex path, enhancing sound insulation without compromising airflow.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Device complexity

If self-supporting cover shells are used to reduce structural complexity, then additional supporting elements are eliminated, but the challenge arises of utilizing the hollow space effectively for sound insulation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural elementsVSAvoidsound propagation
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Partition walls are introduced as intermediary elements within the hollow cavity. These partition walls divide the space into partial spaces and serve as mediators to deflect air flow and enhance sound insulation, effectively utilizing the hollow space created by the self-supporting cover shells.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The partition walls and insulating materials introduced into the cavity create a porous or multi-chambered structure that impedes sound propagation while allowing air flow. This approach effectively uses the available hollow space for sound insulation without adding external cladding.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

3Object-affected harmful factors

If partition walls are introduced to improve sound insulation, then sound propagation is reduced, but the complexity of the door leaf structure increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesound propagationVSAvoidinternal structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cavity is segmented into multiple partial spaces using partition walls. This segmentation approach improves sound insulation by forcing air flow to navigate a longer, more complex path, while the modular nature of segmentation allows for relatively simple implementation within the existing door structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The partition walls are nested within the existing hollow cavity formed by the support frame and cover shells. This nesting approach allows the addition of sound insulation features without increasing the external dimensions or requiring additional external cladding, thereby limiting the increase in overall structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

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 design enables efficient airflow while significantly improving sound insulation by deflecting air flows and lengthening the overflow path, allowing for high-density materials to be used effectively, resulting in enhanced soundproofing without additional cladding, and allowing for varied soundproofing configurations.

Implementation Method 1

the partition wall can have a multi-layer structure made of a reverberant material of higher density such as wood or metal and one or more outer layers made of a sound-absorbing material such as fleece or acoustic foam

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFlow deflection:

Implementation Method 2

one or more outer layers made of a sound-absorbing material such as fleece or acoustic foam

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSound absorption: Acoustic Absorption

Implementation Method 3

a high-density material such as metal or wood can be used for the partition, resulting in a low resonant frequency

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSound reflection: Reflection

Data Source

PatentEP4006294A1Door leaf with overflow function
Publication Date: 2022.06.01 FECO SYST GMBH
  • EP4006294A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4006294A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4006294A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A door leaf (1) is proposed, comprising a supporting frame (4) running along at least three ends and longitudinal sides of the door leaf and two self-supporting door leaf cover shells (2, 3), which form two oppositely oriented door sides of the door leaf (1) and are connected to the supporting frame (4) to form a cavity (5) enclosed by the supporting frame (4) and the door leaf cover shells (2, 3). The door leaf (1) has at least two air openings (6, 6', 7, 7') which are open to different sides of the door and are fluidically connected to each other via the cavity (5).The cavity (5) is divided by a partition (9), preferably a sound-insulating partition, into at least two fluidically connected sub-spaces (11,12), each of which extends parallel to at least one of the door leaf cover shells (2,3), wherein one of the air openings (6,6',7,7') is open to a first of the sub-spaces (11,12) and the other of the air openings (6,6',7,7') is open to the other of the sub-spaces (11,12).