Folding Movable Panels With Lower-Rail Load-Bearing Carriages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing movable panels systems face challenges with increasing panel dimensions, leading to critical support and movement issues, structural problems with upper beams, and installation limitations, especially in outdoor settings with insufficient load-bearing structures.
Innovation Solution
A folding movable panels system with a lower guide and vertically spaced upper guide, utilizing load-bearing carriage and hinge devices to distribute weight onto the lower rail, allowing rotation and sliding without relying on upper supports, and featuring auxiliary wheels and anti-lifting profiles to prevent detachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If panel dimensions are increased to allow natural lighting, then illumination intensity is improved, but support and movement stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The panel system is divided into multiple smaller panels that can be individually supported and moved. Each panel has its own carriage and wheel assembly, distributing the support burden and maintaining stability even as overall system size increases to provide natural lighting.
Solution Approach 2:
The support system transitions from a single upper guide to a dual-guide system with both upper and lower guides. The lower guide with carriage and wheels adds a horizontal movement dimension, while the upper guide provides vertical support, creating a stable two-dimensional support plane for large panels.
2Illumination intensity
If panel dimensions are increased, then natural lighting is improved, but structural problems with upper beams worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The critical support function is extracted from the upper beam system and transferred to the lower guide with carriage and wheel assembly. The upper beam retains only the guiding function, significantly reducing the structural load and eliminating strength problems while still enabling large panels for natural lighting.
Solution Approach 2:
The traditional support arrangement is inverted: instead of the upper guide bearing the full weight, the lower guide with carriage becomes the primary load-bearing element. This inversion transfers structural demands from ceiling-mounted beams to floor-mounted infrastructure.
3Device complexity
If full weight is borne by upper guide, then device complexity is reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The lower guide system incorporates movable carriages with wheels that can dynamically support and transport panels along the longitudinal axis. This dynamic support mechanism makes panel movement effortless while the upper guide maintains a relatively simple fixed structure.
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 system ensures stable, efficient movement and installation in various environments, including outdoor settings, by distributing weight evenly onto the ground plane, preventing panel detachment, and maintaining aesthetic cleanliness with minimal maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
load-bearing carriage groups (5), respectively engaged to a lower edge (42a) of the sliding panel (4a), suitable for discharging the force of weight of said sliding panel (4a) onto the lower rail (20)
Implementation Method 2
a hinge device (6), engaged to an upper edge (43a) of the sliding panel (4a), suitable for allowing the rotation of the sliding panel (4a) around a vertical axis substantially parallel to the first rotation axis (R1-R1)
Implementation Method 3
The load-bearing carriage group (5) comprises at least one wheel (53) engaged in a slidingly free manner to the at least one rail (20) and hinged in a rotationally free manner to the supporting body (50)
Implementation Method 4
The load-bearing carriage group (5) comprises an anti-lifting profile (808), having a shape complementary to an auxiliary housing (270) defined by auxiliary partitions (27) in the lower guide (2), in which it is inserted
Data Source
Figure 1~1b
Figure 2
Figure 2a
AI summary
The invention relates to a movable panels systems (1) comprising a lower guide (2) having at least one rail (20), an upper guide (3) and at least one sliding panel (4a). The movable panels system (1) comprises rotating and sliding means operatively connected to the sliding panel (4a), comprising: a) a hinge device (6) engaged at the upper edge (43a) and engaged in a rotationally free manner in relation to the upper guide (3); b) a load-bearing carriage group (5) engaged at the lower edge (42a), comprising a supporting body (50), a plurality of wheels (53) hinged to the supporting body (50) and engaged in a freely sliding manner to a rail (20), and a lower body (52) engaged to the sliding panel (4a) and engaged in a rotationally free manner to the supporting body (50) by means of a lower pin (51); a thrust bearing (55) engaged to the lower pin (51) and is suitable for allowing the rotation of the lower body (52).