Hybrid Drive-Thru Door Panels With Concealed Guides and Dual Modes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current door systems for fast-food restaurants lack multi-mode functionality, are prone to particle entrapment, and suffer from misalignment issues, leading to inefficiencies in drive-thru service.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid drive-thru automatic touchless door system with bifurcated sliding door panels that can operate in both window and door modes, featuring a concealed guide system for stability and vertical adjustment, and safety and activation systems for automated operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surface-mounted linear drawing slides are used in drive-thru windows, then the door system provides basic sliding functionality, but particles and debris are trapped on the slides reducing performance and making cleaning difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the guide system components from the external surface-mounted linear slides and integrates them within the door panel structure itself. The guide rollers are embedded in recesses on the door panels, and the guide tracks are mounted on the door frame, removing the exposed surfaces that trap particles and debris.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide system components are nested within the door panel structure. The guide rollers are housed in recesses on the door panels, and the entire guide system is integrated into the door assembly rather than being surface-mounted, creating a nested configuration that prevents particle entrapment.
2Ease of operation
If surface-mounted linear drawing slides are used, then the door system provides sliding functionality, but the structural configuration is sensitive to tolerances and prone to binding from misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates adjustment mechanisms that allow for preliminary alignment correction before the door enters service. The guide system includes adjustable components that can be tuned to compensate for tolerance variations, preventing binding issues before they occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide system allows for parameter adjustments in the alignment and positioning of guide rollers and tracks. This adjustability compensates for manufacturing tolerances and installation variations, maintaining smooth operation despite dimensional variations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a single door system is used for both drive-thru and full-door functionality, then operational flexibility is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door system incorporates an interconnection mechanism that dynamically changes the relationship between upper and lower door panels. In drive-thru mode, the panels operate independently with the interconnection disengaged. In full-door mode, the interconnection engages to link the panels, allowing them to move together as a single unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The same door system structure serves multiple functions: it can operate as a drive-thru window with independently movable panels or as a full-door assembly with interlocked panels. The interconnection mechanism enables the system to adapt its configuration based on operational requirements.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the guide system components are concealed within door panel structure, then cleanliness is improved and particle entrapment is reduced, but the ease of manufacture decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The door system is segmented into modular components: door panels with embedded guide rollers, separate guide tracks mounted on the frame, and an interconnection mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured and assembled separately, then integrated into the complete door system.
Data Source
AI summary
A hybrid drive-thru door system that includes a door panel assembly movable between a plurality of operating modes. The door panel assembly includes a sliding door panel operable for movement between a closed position to at least partially cover a doorway opening and an opened position to at least partially expose the doorway opening. The sliding door panel has an upper sliding door panel member releasably attached to a lower sliding door panel member. The upper sliding door panel member is independently movable relative to the lower sliding door panel member in a window operating mode of the door panel assembly.