Floating Pawl Door Stopper with Magnetic Damping

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing door stopper and door holding arrangements are either tripping hazards, damage the door when opened quickly, or fail to provide a reliable and safe mechanism for panic doors without causing mechanical stress on the door.

Innovation Solution

A door stopper and door holding arrangement featuring a pawl mounted on a receptacle with coordinated weights, allowing it to float above the ground and engage magnetically with a second element on the floor, providing adjustable force and damping to prevent door damage and ensure safe operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the locking element constantly rolls or slides over the floor surface, then the door stopper can effectively stop the door, but it produces dirt traces and wear on the floor

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedoor stopping effectivenessVSAvoiddirt traces and wear on floor
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The locking element is preliminarily positioned in a raised state before door contact, held there by magnetic attraction between the magnet on the locking element and the ferromagnetic floor element. This preliminary positioning prevents the element from constantly rolling or sliding on the floor, eliminating dirt traces and wear while maintaining door stopping effectiveness when the door activates the mechanism

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Object-generated harmful factors

If the locking element is locked in a raised position and only lowered when needed, then floor wear is avoided, but the door is exposed to high mechanical loads when opened quickly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefloor wear avoidanceVSAvoiddoor and locking mechanism durability
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

A damping element is introduced between the locking element and the floor element to provide beforehand cushioning. When the door is opened quickly, the damping element absorbs the impact energy during the lowering motion of the locking element, preventing high mechanical loads on the door and locking mechanism while still allowing the element to engage properly with the floor depression

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Stability of the object's composition

If the element is embedded in the floor, then it remains stationary and effective, but it gradually becomes dirty and its mobility is restricted

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelement position stabilityVSAvoiddirt accumulation on element
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system is segmented into two separate elements: a stationary ferromagnetic element embedded in the floor that provides the magnetic attraction point, and a movable locking element with a magnet that hovers above the floor surface. This segmentation allows the floor element to remain clean and stationary while the locking element remains movable and can be easily cleaned, as it does not contact the floor during normal operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

4Ease of manufacture

If the door material is weakened to attach the stop element, then installation is easier, but the door leaf becomes more prone to breaking out

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstallation easeVSAvoiddoor leaf integrity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The mechanical attachment system is replaced with a magnetic field-based system. The locking element uses magnetic attraction to the ferromagnetic floor element to achieve secure engagement without requiring mechanical fasteners that would weaken the door leaf. This substitution eliminates the need to drill holes or attach hardware to the door, maintaining door integrity while providing easy installation through magnetic coupling

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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 ensures safe, quick, and reliable door operation without tripping hazards or mechanical stress on the door, effectively managing high-speed door openings and maintaining door integrity.

Implementation Method 1

at least one of the elements has at least one magnet and the respective other element can be attracted by the magnet

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMagnetic attraction: Magnetism

Data Source

PatentEP2295689B1Door stopper and/or door holder assembly
Publication Date: 2013.10.09 STERZEL ROY
  • EP2295689B1 patent drawingFigure 1a~1b
  • EP2295689B1 patent drawingFigure 2~5
  • EP2295689B1 patent drawingFigure 6a~6b

AI summary

The arrangement (1) has a leaf element (4) firmly provided at a leaf of a door, where the leaf element and a base element (6) are engageable to each other. The leaf element includes a catch (22), which is bidirectionally tiltable to a base relative to the door leaf. The catch is swingably mounted between a catch nose (24) and a balance clamp (25) on a support (18). The catch nose and the balance clamp have a weight that is balanced to each other such that the catch is maintained in a floating position spaced from the base. A cover is made of deep-drawn sheet metal or plastic.