Garage Door Opener Socket with Flexible Cable and Foam Padding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing garage door operators have a connection socket that is difficult to reach, especially for small individuals, posing risks of injury or damage when vehicles pass through or when the socket is in the passage area.
Innovation Solution
A garage door drive with a connection socket connected via a cable and padded for easy access, allowing the socket to remain in a direct access area without obstructing passage, featuring a flexible and/or compressible foam padding to prevent injuries and damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the connection socket is installed directly on the garage door drive component above head height, then the device structure is simple, but the connection socket becomes difficult to reach and poses safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The connection socket is separated from the main garage door drive component and connected via a connection cable. This segmentation allows the socket to be positioned independently in an accessible location while keeping the main drive unit in its fixed installation position above the garage door.
Solution Approach 2:
A connection cable acts as an intermediary element between the garage door drive component and the connection socket. This cable enables electrical connection while providing physical flexibility and extendability, allowing the socket to reach accessible areas without compromising the fixed position of the main drive unit.
2Ease of operation
If the connection socket is placed in the passage area for easy access, then accessibility is improved, but vehicles may be damaged or persons may be injured by the socket
Solution Approach 1:
Padding is applied to the connection socket to provide protective cushioning before any potential contact occurs. This padding prevents injuries to persons and damage to vehicles while allowing the socket to remain in an accessible location within the passage area.
Solution Approach 2:
The padding on the connection socket creates a flexible protective layer that can deform upon contact, absorbing impact energy and preventing hard contact between the socket and objects or persons. This flexible protection maintains accessibility while eliminating the harmful effects of a hard, exposed socket.
3Ease of operation
If the connection cable is made long to increase accessibility, then the socket can reach further areas, but the cable may become tangled or create tripping hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The connection cable is designed with dynamic characteristics that allow it to move and adjust to usage patterns. The cable can be extended when needed for accessibility and retract or coil back when not in use, preventing permanent tangling and reducing tripping hazards while maintaining reachability when required.
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
Ensures the connection socket is always accessible and safe from obstruction, reducing the risk of injury or damage while maintaining easy access for power supply to external devices.
Implementation Method 1
The connection socket has padding on its outside, in particular made of a flexible and/or reversibly compressible foam
Implementation Method 2
The connection cable is at least partially a spiral cable
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a garage door opener (1) comprising a garage door opener component (4) designed and intended for mounting above head height, in particular for attachment to a garage ceiling, and comprising an electrical connection socket (10) for connecting external electrical devices. The garage door opener (1) is characterized in that the connection socket (10) is connected to the garage door opener component (4) by means of a preferably flexible connection cable and that the connection socket (10) has padding (12) on its outer surface.